| Show I BATTING OF BAKER RAISES HIS RATING t i Continued From Preceding Preceding- Page I ni nice ce slider s and tricky trick at times Herzog Her Her- zog Is not a a. finished base bale runner b by Ian any mean but he makes up for It b by byi i the desperation with Uh which ho tries It is s m my firm belief bellet that or of the bases be would be a n. better man In a worlds world s series than Shafer but that Is McGraw Mc- Mc Ic- Ic s Graw s 's problem problem not not ours Baker Boker nr Brent nt Blocker r. r There is one respect ct In which Baker has It all over o Shafer and that IB is In blocking blocking- and tagging tag runners It Is Isan Isan t an old stor story of ot Bakers Baker's awkwardness at third that has line misled a a. lot of ot us Before the Cubs and Athletics Athletic played tor for the worlds world's championship we wo were touted from inside American league sources that Baker did not nol like the spikes and that if runners Jumped at him he would muff the ball or fail tail to touch the runner In striving striving- t to avoid vold him The Cubs tried It The They jumped at him and Instead of ot finding finding- him running gunning thc they bumped against about as solid oUd a a a. bit of ot flesh ns there Is 15 in base base- t ball baU They camo carne back baet to the bench angrily demanding to know who started tho the stor story The They claimed Baker was so 50 awkward he be couldn't dodge und and that he merely stuck his leg in ln front of or tho base anchored there and f I blocked by bc the shed r strength The Do- Do troit team had tho the same samo theory theor theory and and and they Jumped at Baker until Cobb cut him and caused a a. roar roal Cobb thought Baker would desert the bag but he hp- did no not Then two years ago the Giants had tho the same O idea Snodgrass took two flying leaps feet first at III Baker and twice cut him badly badh The crowd thought Snodgrass was trying to hurt hurl Baker Bakel and hissed Perhaps Snodgrass was the most moat surprised d man on ou the tho field He Ho probably expected Bal Baker T to torun torun torun run and tried to drive him ot off the bag and when ho lie didn't run the result was disastrous It Is hardly probable the Giants will wm do much jumping at the tile Athletic third baseman this fall taU and Baker Raker will have ha his big piano leg leg stuck tuck out there thore Just the same ame a as ever It looks awkward and probably It hampers him In moving but It Is hard rd to slide around or through Shafer touches runners rather daintily and with Ith the umpiring umpiring- as strict as It Is like likely to be during tho the series he ml may be compelled compell d to touch runners a hit more more convincingly con I saw a him tw twice ico wring during the present season get decisions in which ho did not touch tho the runner at all aU one ono h he mh missed two feet Ho lo went through with the bluff touched touch J JAt at the runner and tossed tho the ball ba back J to the tho pitcher quickly depending upon the perspective to deceive the tho umpire This Is done dono frequently b by man many basemen basemen base baBe men but it Is dangerous n lC erous when tho the umpires umpires um um- pires Are working at top speed and andare arc are on top of every even pla play Worth orth More orf to Team Considering th the team worth of th the Players wholly from Crom a A. view of or what the they ou ought ht to to do In the tho coming cominS' series It IB is impossible not to fJ figure Baker the better man or the l best Sl of the three on account of his terrific hitting hit hit- ting ting He Hc Is one ono of those fellows likely cl to break up a game g at an any time with one smash a A. thing neither Shaf Shafer r nor nOI Herzog Is IB likely to do being shorter hitters rs Considered n against tho style stylo of ot pitching the they must encounter r r this fall It looks los as 11 If It Baker will do co n 1 lot lotof lotof of ot slugging Ho lie will not be bo up against t ae as good pitching an as he was vas two years rears ago unless nan hOH a good week weel I do not riot look ook for tOt Shafer to hit either Plank or Bender to an any extent Th They do not fit his style well In fact tact 1 would like to see Shawkey against him to stud study whether he ha can hit that kind I do not think he would Giving him credit with being a n. consistent and good hitter It looks as If It he has a lot lotof lotof of ot tho the worst of It In n tho the pitching pitching- stI styles fI Of Ot course In studying Macks Mack's pitcher we must go o tho the limit No 0 one kno knows 9 whom he win will work worle ll Bender or Plank of or course but after attel that It is a guess depending upon how ho the first two o games go and wo we have to stud study all the younger members of ot tho corps and credit the New Nev York batters with what the they ought to do o against them all In This wo we will have havo to take up whon It comes to considering the Pitchers We We find in studying third base that the advantage UPS lies with Now New York exCepting ex- ex for tor the hitting hitting and and aH ae sonic sonic- one n remarked the remarked tho rules dont don't allow ono Toto to steal first base hase To Tomorrow moroa u wo o will take up tho the out out- outI fl ers commencing with tho the spirited I who ho Plow up UI left lett Gar garden n with their heir spikes |
