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Show MORE REASONS WHY BEES ARE UP IN FLA(rRACE ! x 55 ! CATCHERS AND UTILITY MEN ARE POTENT FACTORS blK leaKue service wrvlXn: ' years. . "alter Smith is an ,.v ' ) player. He nua a ' nij-iou Americans r . ,;i ' aiid other im,Em U..-irausfurred U..-irausfurred 10 the Vu,V ' c tbo American aS30ciat, X' J unit base job ior tne iX; -uncounted oue of the l '"':s-m '"':s-m tliai league. " i-v. . Aji umoituaate inj.j... atrained tendon 14 i.- trouble. He went to ,S Arizona, where he iaipro'v.- ;i-steadily. ;i-steadily. When he yJ game leg was a sour, e or ' ance, out n has cradiv X der treatment and ttlcr; X of days when it cau-cs !' vemeuce 'at ail. L'itXi:'-seems L'itXi:'-seems certain. .": i-dward I itzpatri-k vr , ton national ciuo tor twr" bona. ie was used at .'' :-number :-number of xamts, but "oX plus ol taieui, he did not ' lo play the position r-"'!' he was released troin uX bprmK, the braves' roX'' and he was sold to the . -u routo to the web-eeized web-eeized with an at-.ac rf'': was obliged to return ho-'X recovery he reported to X'" 1 OwinK to the fact tUX ! tion was strong as it h"-; Fitzpatnck joined the clctX" I Cisco, he did not " b.-eax a i manager will dijarran , k i when it is winning. ' .Last Sunday itzpatricv , . change at Coast leaj tX was sent to left fiei? a X-met X-met ilulvey, who suiiere-i . jury in a sude at the pii, nret full same, fitwrtt1-pushed fitwrtt1-pushed himself with vn ' catches in left, taking a Xs ona hand and picking aar-'-the fence. In the csae'a-T-'': according to reports fX' making fame for hin-st;fX fielder. He is credited witi c unusual aptness for juJ-r"t"f He is fast on the bases , '-: opposing pitchers, oa avo-- small stature. Inasmach M ' no opportunity to tat a-i"-' pitching in actual gams'm 1'.. a year, fce has not ret 'V-V but his stance" at the style of hitting seem to'ai-V' for the belief that he wui k-' son round about .300. We do not beiieve that t'-'r ean be successfully cotter?-Bee3 cotter?-Bee3 have the best'catehii" league, and also the ttV1'. strength. "' : t-a:::;:;;:-f . ;r s 'r . - ) ; - ' 7 . , 1' ? - " - f; A "irw ;.i - H .. ; .: , .v::.-. f i?. .7 , ; : - J ' y . '. .- ? " I ' 1 - V . ' ' x r .x. - ; r'4 1 , v; ; ' . -t I xxx;xxxxX;' ?:-x.'f- : . ; :-':-X ' , : . r---'----'.i-5:iss3?i i i f- --p . i'aV" : : ; ;. :EDD;E FITZPATGK : G.A. 8UTCW " BYLE.P VALLY SMITH x . Srf ' HD H AC K-S.mCE.R: V V jrivos up. A for w.-ckr aero ;e yfiVreH ;i (io.-; spixe v.'uhp1 v. !:"n .'ati-!:cr Koohler or ihp I'ortl:iii.l club s.'ii i n t hnnip pl:t'p. Jn spite of tint in -jury. turn V'hin'l the bat, and he was bitterly bit-terly disappointed when the manager ruled a gainst him. IJicr is nn unusually brainy ball idavtT. Me is an apt pupil and nothing escapes him. In a game he keeps rp a constant chat er, whether the club is leadingr or is behind. He is a genuine pepperbox and keeps things moving. If Byler keeps up his present rate Hack Spencer and Butch Byler Are Pair of High-i class Backstops; Eddie Fitzpatrick and 1 " Wally Smith Are Useful Hands "in Any Position, i By J. C. D. WHILE every department of a .ball cl ib is an important one, and while it ii aho true that, as a chain is no strouger than its weakest link, a baii club n: us t be of uniform strength throughout, the catching department is really a vital cotf in a base-bail njachine. 'J he catchers catch-ers are as important as She pitchers in the success or non-success of a team. As a matter of fact, we have always beiieved that catchers are not niven tlj.i credit to which they are entitled. In the first place, a catcher has bs much to do v.irh a pitcher's effectiveness effective-ness as the pitcher himself broadly speaking. This is particularly true in regard to inexperienced pitcliers. Wo hear constantly of the superiority of this or that catcher in " handling younfi pitchers. ,; There is a world of mean-in mean-in that. In tlte second place, the atcher an prop' rly bo Fa id to ' ' run the pmic.'T The whole piny and every play ife always in front of him. Study Opposing Batsmen. In the third place, a caXhcr is .cup-poEfM .cup-poEfM to know and a catcher who is a real cat '-her does the weaknesses i the oppoj; ; r. ha t v n: c n . This alone d e mnnds the careful study of the hatting style of more than a hundred bail plav-ers plav-ers in the Coast lenue, for cxaniplc. To know what sort of hall a bfjfsman cannot can-not hit saf'elv is eai-ilv a 7j rr cent advantage ad-vantage in favor nf the battery, as.surii-i as.surii-i i ii K that the pitcher has the vifrew.i ry ! con t rol to pi ; -h to the ha t ter ' wen k - . I ness. Xaturall;, a batter fjuite f re ! quen t ly h i t h one o ot of hi: wea k nesi ' ' ' a blind swinn, an a'o iflental conn'c-tion conn'c-tion bet ween hat and ba il. e verl he-)f-yj.. it has liecn aoiplv flcmonstratcd that a batter vho hi's low balls most often, will have MMe "loam behind his blow when he hit.i hiudi balls. The same is true of ''fast ones hih on the inside" and curve ball1. There, are eom batters who have no pronounced weakne. Kumler is fairly representative of tliis type. Crawford is even more so. Johnson, while bavin bav-in j his favorites, does not worry mu-h about where the bail i.c, s-o Ion 2; as it is reasonnb'v well over a corner of thei plate. Perhaps the ninst expert of all f'naqt leapue ball playert whn are in- different to styles of delherv n n 1 to the line of flight cf pitche. .s I'.uddv Ry a n . A pa i n.u t hitter ff t !i i s "nr t , a catcher cannot success'" ull v pit his wits. Against the penernl run of hafer-t, how-ever, how-ever, his knowlelpe, acquired through careful and close study of his opponents' oppo-nents' inability to hit certain hinds of balls, is a tremendous asset, From these points, the inferenen fid lows that a catcher, to be a first -class backstop, must have a head on his should ers. falt Lake is tort jnae in havtnp two catchers with hads on their Mioulder. The Veteran Spencer. The Bees may neco-int t lo-mdvcs hn-kv in peMinp Kdwnrd (Hack) Sp"n cer sprini;. Spcnecr lias had rnanv years of experience in the maiors and in class AA lenpii'-s. He was for manv years with 8t. Louis and other biff leapue clubs. His last major league berth was with the hetrnit 'J ier-, witli whom ho horved tlireo seasons. At tl:e closo of tlie 101S season Spencer al'.e for and w-ag given his unconditional re lease. For personal reasons, he v anted to return to the Coast league. A frer agent, lie wns sought eagerlv hv San Francisco, Portland nnd other chihs Inst vin'er. Through tin good offices of Cliff Hlnnkenship, fonnrlv manager of the Hens, Spncnr was induced to sign with t lie Halt I.nke club, and lie has f rerijen 1 1 v expressi"'! h i s gra ' 1 f i ration ra-tion that ho en mo to Herr'g organization. organiza-tion. Has Shotgun Arm. Spencer is an expert at guiding piteh-ers. piteh-ers. Also he hns an arm which propels the bnil with cannon-shot fore. IU i a hard hitter, nnd hits won manv a hall game for Salt Fnkc with his t work. He is hitting ..130, ft mark which speaks for itself. About two months .u-n, Spencer snf fered a nioM peculiar mishap. 1'or a long while the trouble dxied diagnosis. Then it. wan discovered that, in somn tnnnner, a muscle of the nr. -U liar) been lnid over a nere. The displacement caused Spencer intense pain, and for two weeks h" knew li(Mle peace, dnv or night. The t rouble lias responded f r treatment and bids fair soon to disap pen r en i re v. The th 00 ry is that the muscle wn s displaced bv ponHtnntlv wielding a bat. Thn mishap seriously interfered villi H pence r ' throwing for n time, having fl detrimental influence op Ins aeeu rrn' v. His pegging has improed Iaev, nnd hns nbnonf refurned to normal. j "Hutch" IJylcr a Comer. C. A. (I'.utch) I'.ur rame l'i th- Salt Cnk" club two years ago from ireat l ull". t onre hi' vn promise of be rnming a good calch'-r. Hit p"r ice in the navy kept him out of baseball last year, so that he has renlly had lit 1 A A experience. Thin "oiiv.oTi T'.ver has had his chance arid he i:is improved the shin nil.' opportunity. oppor-tunity. He han ;i good arm and throw" a 1 c 11 ra I r I v, n is noted thfoiigliout (tie ba;,'iin ('or hri ga 01 c ncss, and n cr 4k |