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Show (SMACK, CREATES : PEIZIT VraJGIIIFEDEHS, SPRIIIGOiOTIIER Great Keystone Combination Combina-tion Needed to Win, Says Leader Developing Talent By Paul Purman IF CONKTB MACK'S plana work out the fans of a couple of years hence will be speaking of Grover and Witt aa one of the greatest defensive keystone key-stone sack combinations In baseball. Hince he has been in baseball Mack has succeeded In developing two great combinations com-binations around second base. Murphy and Monte Cross and Collins and Marry, juat aom aa Is trying Lo get the same kind of a combination out of his two young Inflelders. who already show signs of future brill ianoe Both Witt and Grover are very young. This year Is the letter's first break into major league circles. Witt played last year. Although they do not show the no" of many ether inflelders In the teAgue they do show they are developing along the same lines that msde the Collins-Barry Collins-Barry combination fstal to anything hit down In their territory. Their cooperation Is superb end they think qulckyt grasping situations more quickly than many other shortstops and second basemen or far more experience. alack is very confident of their ability to ultimately produce the same kind of fine tight Infield play that he developed In the Cross-Murphy, Collins-Barry com-; com-; bins t ions, TAKES BRAINS. lt takes more than mechanical ability to produce the proper results around second sec-ond base," Mack said, "it-takes brains and the ability for close cooperation. I believe be-lieve I will get all three in Witt an4 t3 rover." It Is one or Mack's beliefs that a great ball club cannot be developed without a great second base combination. He cites Ferris and Parent of the old Boston cluh. Cross and Murphy and Collins Col-lins and Barry of his own clubs. Tinker and Kvera of the Cube, Barry and Scott of the Red 8ox and Maran villa and ETvers of the 1914 Braves. I To these might be added Bchaeffer and 0Leary of Ietrolt, for several years considered con-sidered one of the best second naae combinations com-binations In the A mart run league end who were In no small degree reaponstbis for Detroit winning the American league flag three years In succession. It Is difficult to Judge the effectiveness of an Inflelder under the present system of averages but records show the number of chances mada by the fielders wno have passed from the game and whose reel work Is only memory. The combinations Juat mentioned handled han-dled everything that came to the mianle i of the diamond. Home have been credited with errors on hard chance a they went after and miaaed and the records show that the really tight Infield Is often an Infield with more errors than one which does not play such tight baseball. The records uphold Mack's contention thst the great bal club must have a great second base -sliorpetop combination. Mack has been a great developer of Inflelders. In-flelders. In addition to his shortstops end second basemen be developed two rrea t t bird basemen, Iave Cross and Frank Baker and la now making a good third seeker out of Ray Bates, sent back to the minors from Cleveland as a misfit. He mads two great Initial sack arm, Harry Davis and Stuffy Mclnnls. Past history; has often repeated In aae-ball. aae-ball. De not be surprised If Mack cornea through with another fast second baas combination. |