Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 117, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 May 1912 — STAR FILLS BIG GAP [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

STAR FILLS BIG GAP

Reliable and Experienced First Baseman Aids St Louis. ' -*-/ Stovall’s Presence Expected to Inspire Other Players With Confidence «0 Make Them 20 Per Cent. Bettor in Fielding. Ask any inember of the Browne to give one reason why Wallace’s club should not finish last and be will answer: “Stovall.” Not that she Browne figure Stovall, single-handed, will lead the club out of the depths of the sub-cellar, but the players to a man believe that the presence of Stovall on first will give each member of the infield sufficient confidence to make him a 20 ’per cent better ball player. Since Tom Jones was traded to Detroit for Claude Rossman there has been a big hole around the initial sack at Sportsman’s Park. The players have had no one to “throw to.” True, there has been no less than twenty men tried ont at first, but they all failed, and many of them were so putrid that the Browns’ inflelders lost confidence. 1 Such is not the case this season. Stovall is a great fielder, and his presence will inspire Laporte, Hallinan and Austin wish sufficient confidence to make them much better players. "I heaved a sigh of relief when I heard Stovall was to Join our club,” declares Jimmy Austin. “It’s so encouraging to know that we have a real first baseman after having had so many goats dancing around that bag. “Why, do you know I have seen game after game lost when the players were afraid to take any chances with their throws because of crude work of whatever particular man we happened to have on first. . “We had so many of them that frequently I didn’t know who the first baseman was. Then in a close game It often happened that a fast man hit a slow one to me. I had to rush in,

First Baseman Stovall.

glove the pill, steady myself and shoot as straight as I could or else the first baseman would let it roll to the fence. ”1 didn’t have confidence in the man at first and consequently my work suffered. This year I know what StovalL can do. I can take more chances with my throws, I have more confidence, and consequently more dash, and I’ll head off a lot of fast men whe last year got hits on slow grounders towards third. “There’s nothing so good to a ball clnb as one man’s confidence in tbe others’ ability. If you know the man on first or second or third is playing the game all the time, you can take; more chances, throw faster and work with that recklessness which wins ball games. I think we’ll win a lot of games this season with Stovall, not because he’s a goot hitter and a good fielder, but because the other infielders have confidence In him and their game will be better as a consequence.” *