Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 203, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 August 1919 — VETERAN CRAVATH IS BRAINY BALL PLAYER [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

VETERAN CRAVATH IS BRAINY BALL PLAYER

Newly Appointed Manager Is Oldest Man on Team. Doing Better Work for Phillies This Season Than for Several Year®— Batting Pacemaker of Na* tional League. The one real, outstanding platinumplated star of the Phils is the oldest player on the team’s pay roll, namely, the well-known and dangerous Clifford Carlton Cravath, who has just been appointed manager of the club, succeeding Jack Coombs. Mr. Cravath hit the thirty-seven-year mark on March 23 last. Hitting the thirty-seven mark is the worst thing Gabby has done in his life. He hits the ball much harder. The only active player now in baseball who is older than Cravath is Dode Paskert of the Cubs. Paskert will be thirty-eight years old next August. Cravath, on the road to thirty-eight years of age, is the wonder of baseball.

Today finds him the batting pacemaker of one of the major leagues. He Is playing better ball this year than he has done in the last three or four seasons. A common estimate of Cravath is that he is a slow-thinking, slow-mov-ing, slow-fielding, good-natured chap who pounds out base hits by sheer might. If it is the common analysis it is the wrong one. Cravath is probably the headiest ball player on his team. He is lasting years after most players pass into retirement, because of brains. , Cravath can divine the intention of an opposing pitcher far better than his younger and more agile pals. He has a pair of sharpshooter eyes and uses them for seeing purposes. ' When Cravath drives out a smoking hit you can rest assured that he knew what was being served to him and was set for it. There is mo hit-or-miss style with him. He knows how to play for batsmen tn right field and plays hits against the wall at the Philadelphia park better than any other right-flelder with the Phils or on an opposing team. Cravath makes his defensive skill all the more valuable by his uncanny throwing. Cravath actually is une pf the best throwing outfielders in America. Speaker can heave a ball faster, but even Speaker can’t throw with the judgment of Cravath.

Clifford Carlton Cravath.