Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 225, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 September 1916 — SECOND BASE PLAYERS [ARTICLE]

SECOND BASE PLAYERS

Keystone Sack Has Some Mighty Graceful Men. Stamping Ground of More Stare Thai* Any Other Position on Diamond— Eddie Collins le Praised by Manager McGraw. “Collins, the Sox second sacker, played a brilliant game and appears to be in his midseason form.” Thus was chronicled the fact that the Tarrytown Terror is himself again, which means that he has effectively silenced those who would place strong second sackers before him, among them being his former boss, Connie Mack, who is quoted as saying that he would not trade Larry Lajole for Collins. McGraw Lauds Collins. In form Collins Is undoubtedly the king of second basemen. He can hit the ball consistently and timely. Is a grand defensive player and a terror on the sacks. And in addition he can think. It was his ability to outguess the opposition that won more than one world’s championship for the Philadelphia Athletics. For this assertion our authority Is John J. McGraw, manager of the New York Giants, who contends that Eddie Collins is the greatest baseball player In the game today. And McGraw ought to come near knowing if anybody does. All due respect to Connie Mack and his judgment of ball players, Larry Lajole of today Is not in a class with Collins. The Lajoie of 19Q2, ’O3, *O4, ’OS and ’O6 was perhaps a greater ball player than Collins, but not the LaJoKe of today. The former premier ball player of the world Is not so spry as he once was. He does not tear loose those hairbreadth plays which, he was wont to pull off with such consummate ease. He does not line them out in the same old way, and appears to have lost a stride or two in getting down to first. Larry is getting old. He has had his day, and not even Connie Mack can talk Collins out of the title of king of the keystone guardians. Lajole has passed the title to him. Place for Graceful Players. There are few positions on the diamond that have been graced by such, brilliant players as second base. Apparently it is a place for graceful players, such as Biddy McPhee, formerly of the Reds. In the early days of baseball, when the National league was starting out and the American league and Federal league and the baseball wars things unheard of and of the distant future, the baseball fans throughout the land Idealized Ross Barnes of Chicago, Reach of Philadelphia, Dave Force, Joe Quest, J. J. Burdock, Tom Force and Freddie Dunlop of the St. Louis Maroons. After Dunlop and Link Lowe, Cupid Childs, while his only rival was Freddie Pheffer of Chicago, a grand fielder and a hard and timely hitter. He was the brains of Pop Anson’s famous White Sox Infield, many claimed.