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Show CATCHERS ME REAL i EMM WORK Man Behind Bat Gets but Little Credit for What He Does. NEW YORK. Feb. 23. The catcher tithe ti-the real work horee of every ball club. He is required to be the moat wideawake wide-awake player on the team in the field and he must have a nuick brain, coupled with all-around ability to rank as a real star. Li is nothing for the really good catcher to work 100 or more games m a season. When he Is good, the management keeps him in there its long as he manages to escape injuries, and for the amount of work he does in a season the catcher ' pets but a small amount of praise. The talents required o: a good catcher include a split-second, radio-active brain; a knowledge of the weaknesses of batters " and the ability to judge weaknesses: a good arm and a world of fielding ability in hip position. , , Such a catcher is Bill Killefer. late of :lie. Phillies. Killefer is not the fastest fielding catcher in the big show, but he. 's sure and he has everything else. Aside f-om Wallie Scm.ng, he ranks as the best hitter, and as a rule he finishes the sea-eon sea-eon in advance of his rivals in fielding p-reentsusc. Killefer last season caught l -jo game;? of baseball, and on his consistent con-sistent shcwinir deserves top rank. ' Wallie 3 char.g. now with the Red Sox, ?nd Rv Schalk of the White Sox are the ivo most wonderful backstoppers In the American league. It is hard to choose between them, but Schang' gets the edge he-ause of his hitting. Schalk is a weak sticker though he has all the other talents. tal-ents. Both are capable of catching 100 or more games every year, and winning rnanv of them. Schang is ranked second and Schalk third. lw Wingo of the Reds, a real work horse, a consistent fielding player and alwavs a dangerous hitter, with one of lie het arms in baseball, is ranked fourth. Hank Severeid of the Browns, ;' who has blossomed into a ranking star, is placed fifth, and Bill Rariden, the steadv, matter-of-fact wind-paddist of the Giants, gets sixth place. Rariden, on his showing last year. Is a better all-s all-s round catcher than McCaxty, though not as good a hitter. Gonzales of the Cardinals and Snyder of the same club are given seventh and eighth places, and Eddie Ainsmith of the Senators Is placed ninth. Ainsmith. I'.ke Schalk. is a great performer behind : the bat. but weak with the willow. The rankings, with l!!7 figures, follow: XIXE LEADING CATCHERS. G. S.B. F.A. B.A. Kii:e;er, Chicago (X)..120 4 .9S4 ."74 Scbansr. Boston iA Sn 6 .Sob ..Si Schalk. Chicago A)..1 1? .Ml .J?. MVinao. Cincinnati (X...120 9 .f'b, .f6 Severeid. St. Louis (Aj..l3f .8 .'- Rariden, X. Y. N....1M 3 .s.t Gonales. St. L (X.I.... S 12 -'-Jz Snvder. St. L IS ..-.. M 4 ..- Ainsmith. ..ash. (A).. UP It. .9.1 .l-'l |