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Show H Sizing Up Babe Ruth in Comparison With Other Diamond Giants 1 I By CHARLES F MATHISON ' I -'HE first glimpse of the six feet two inches of bone and muscle known to the baseball public as Babe Rutn gives an Impression of tremendous powe Tiie looc fitting baseball uniform, while o i certain extent hiding hie mutcular development, de-velopment, does not entirely conceal the pawerfully copsttucted frame of the uret-ol uret-ol batsman In the history of tho American Ameri-can national game. As he wnlks toward the home plate, swinging the largest bat in use wl'h the eae lhat a fairy queen might wlng a feathery wand, one observes lhat the out-sdera out-sdera mechanically walk to the limits ol the field and await the explosion The long f rms. oig nanas ana neavy snouiuers ar" H noticeable as he takes his place within the bitsman's lines and waves his bat men-H men-H pclngly at the by no means cool or confident H pitcher. If Ruth wore his hair long after ibv fashion of Sgamson pVcvlous to that H rtrong man's meeting with Delilah, 'he first 1 female barber, and if the ball player's hugt H torto were draped a leopard's skin garments and his hands armed with a war club of antediluvian formation he would tl row into the shade any of the giants of o'?. mythical or , When Ruth Smite the 3sJI It Is when Ruth's bat swishes tnroug'n the air to meet the approaching ball that the amazing power of the man is disclosed It the wooden weapon hits the the H spheroid speeds away as though discharged H ftom a Big Bertha, and seldom do the ftcld- orb have the good luck to get their hands on it Never did Thor with his maric fslidgehHrnmer deal more terrific blows than does Ruth when his bat .smites the ball, i Ar-d when ho misses, his 205 poum'a, after D Stirling about like a dancing dervish, strike-. tne ground with a Jolt like a steel glr.lcr I slipping from the chains at the eleventh With small doubt It is the terrific strain on his joints following the mt.sslng of tho ball that wrenched one of Ruth's knees and has served to handicap him in hi.s effort to nr.ke fifty home runs during the season. Despite his great height and bulk, Rutn II lii a fleet and able outfielder and a speedy ' I I I j kMHssLsksl Lase runner. This is a Quality seldom pos-tse.-sed by ath'.eles of his size In watchinc Ruih at bat the conclusion is Inevitable thai the forre with which he dri-es the ball depends largely on the wide twin? permit ted by his long arms and height and by tho application of every ounce of his bulk to the Mow rliverod to the ball. Not only Is this fact driven homo by the home tun driver of Ruth, hut it 1? substantiated by the facts of history as lurnlshed by the batting records of the past A iM of battlns champions of the National League shows that only two undersized players held the honors. These were Willie Kreler of Brooklyn and Hugli Duffy of Boston 4 r JL Keeler, who was known a3 "Wee Willie," never welched more than 135 pounds, tood 5 feet 3 Inches, and used a bat about the size of a potato masher. Yet the little chap, who had an eye like an eagle, conslst'-ruly hit the ball tn those parts of the Held where the .I fenre wss thinnest "Hit 'em where they ain't' va Kceler's motto, and it enabled en-abled htm to K id the league In 1S97 with At2 and nKaln in 180S with .307. Keeler was not famous for homo run drivee but he was successful in tapping the leather over the heads of the inflelders and not far enough to be caufht by tho outfielders. out-fielders. He also made a specialty of bunting tho toll and beating the throw to first Con- 1 Mderlng bis size. Keeler was one of the most remarkable hitters In the history of baseball. base-ball. Hugh Duffy of Boston was no taller than Keeler. but was stockily built and wciKhed about 160 pounds. He was the battlnc champion In lS9t with 438.. In addition to being a heavy nnd consistent hitter ho W3S a crack outfielder. Paul Radford of Providence, Bobbv Lowo of Boston and John McGraw of Baltimore comparatively speaking were little fellows All were good hitters, but none ever led his leacue with the stick. Among the Giants of early baseball days who achieved fame with the club was James L White known as the Deacon, who played -KggSsMggSM with Chicago, Boston. Buffalo and Detroit. He was an angulur. wiry chap, six feet tali and had a penchant for sending swift, vicious grounders shooting toward third. He was o left nanded hitter and he seemed to chop the ball with the end of his stick and drive the ball to left. He seldom hit to right Held. White had the distinction of being a member mem-ber of two Big Fours. The first was composed com-posed of A. G. Spalding. James L. White Cal McVey and Ross Barnes who were with Boston In the National Association. 1871 to 1875. but Joined the National League at Chicago in 1876. The second Big Four was composed of Dan Brouthers, Deacon White. Jack Rowe and Hardy Richardson, who first played to- ..!,.. I O a a if re ra 1 n H n'aird 11 1 1 T r h ! P H hV Detroit in 1SS5 The nearest approach to Ruth in size and style was Dan Brouthers, who in his prime stood 6 feet 2 inches, weighed 220 pounds and hit left handed Brouthers was essentially es-sentially a line hilter. whereas Ruth sends the ball soaring BO high and far it seldom comes back, nor can it be found. In tho early days of the game, when Brouthers could call for a low ball, bctwoen the belt and the knee his low line drives were the dismay of outfielders. If the ball wa3 hit midway between the position? of centre and right the greatest speed of fielders field-ers In an effort to close in on the flying sphere uas unavailing and a stern chase to the fence was their task Brouthers led the league in 1SS2 with 367. and in 1883 with .350. while in Buffalo. He led while with Boston In 18S0 with 373. and in 189?, while with Brooklyn, ho tied for first place with Cupid Chllds of Cleveland Cleve-land with 3.1 V Anton the Picturesque. No more picturesque player than Adrian C Anson ever brandished a hat at tho pitcher He was 6 feet 3 Inches tall, weighed 130 pounds In good condition. With yellowish, yellow-ish, closely cropped hair, ruddy complexion, and arrayed in the dark blue uniform, white stockings and ov erwhelming nnhdenco characteristic char-acteristic of the Chlcagos of the early 80s, Anson, usually referred to as the Big Swede, was an imposing figure- Ho also was given to line hitting. He hatted right handed and usually drove the bail with terrific speed be- faf tw een or over the heads of the inflelders. He led the National League batters lour times 1879. 1881. 1887 and 1SSS. , It Is noticeable that champion batters who J havo led their lcnsues, frequently In per- centage, have not been successful in the ac- ' cumulation of doubles triples and homers. f Although Ruth has now made a greater i number of home runs than any major league batter he has yet to stand at the top of hi 3 league in batting percentage. 1 Buck Freeman, whose twenty-five home I runs were th first mark at which Ruth aimed, never led in batting, and Ld Williamson, William-son, who was credited with twenty-seven home runs in a season never was batting crampion. On the other hand. Ty Cobb, who has been the batting champion of the American League twelve times, has never attracted Wm mui I- attention for 'one drives. rW John Wagner of Pittsburg, who led tho National League in batting eight time?, was , . ' r.ot noted as a lone distance hitter Wagner . 1 1 a 3irikinp tlrrure Six feet tall and built on the square rigged plan with oroad xbouldcrfl. long arms and large hands, he seemed to get a sweep at the ball with a lnrge bat that made trouble for the fielders every time he swung. Wagner also was bow legged, hut he was a great short stop, and few grounders got away from his clutches Wagner was champion batter in 1900 1903 1904. 1906, 1907. 1908. 1909 and 1911. Cobb first led the American League in 1907, and in every succeeding year except 1915' 1 when he was nosed out by Trls Speaker. Cobb Is a six footer, but rather slenderly M constructed, his weight being 175 pound He has a remarkable batting cc and ho is a crack outfielder. All of the great hitters of the past were big men 6 feet tall or more and welghln-close welghln-close to 200 pounds Examples were RoBtr Connor. Mike Kelly. Abner Dalrymple t.i Dclehanty. ,Ilni O'Rourke, George Gore Dave ??; .TiP af''11, Pte BroWRl" Napoleon i Lajolo and others. Therefore it appears that weight, nelen' strength and a quick eye are required In the making of a champion batsman. t eLegag 1 Jmm |