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Jimmy Archer Is Greatest of All Men Behind Bat
+•+ +•+ •!*•+ •!•••!• +•■!•
Former Atlanta Backstop in Class by Himself
By. W. J. Mcßeth.
WE have with us today, gentle
readers, one of the real
novelties of the nation's
delight. Kindly step forward, Mr.
James Archer, of the Chicago
Cubs, till the populace gets a peek
at you.
Rather a handsome young gen
tleman. isn't he, with his raven
locks, swarth.v complexion and Ro
mas profile? Well, take It from all
the ball players In the National
league he’s far better than he looks,
even 1f he Is a handsome kind of a
chap.
There may be better catchers tn
the profe-ssion today than Jimmy
Archer, of Chicago. Rut there are
no such backstops There's a slight
distinction between the two classes
Catcher involves the broader sense
of that special type of athletes that
wears mask, wind-pad and mitt. A
catcher's value is reckoned relative
to his team worth, talcing In his of
fensive as well as his defensive
ability. Backstop only Implies the
defensive issue—the work of hand
ling pitchers, crossing batsmen and
keeping runners glued to the sacks.
Wherefore -at least that portion
of enthusiasts who reside around
the metropolis—general fandom
will tell you perhaps that Chief
Meyers, of the Giants, ts the best
catcher In the National league.
The atatement is made keeping In
mind Meyers' all-round utility
principally his deadly hitting eye.
for no major league maskman
prrmmela the pill as does the Mis
sion aborigine But as a backstop
there ts no man before the pnbllc
who can hold a candle to the Cub
•tabwart. From a defensive stand
point he is as superior to Meyers
as Meyers is superior to .Timmy of
fensively
Sits on Back of Heels.
Ton have often heard a catch
ers highest form of flattery toward
Me pet battery mate "Say. bo."
•ays he, "I oould catch that guy
sitting in a rocking chair ” Archer
has never been known to make
snch a boaat Rut every game he
works he handles his pitcher to the
height of perfection from a far
more difficult position He doesn't
sit in a rocking chair Rut he sits
on his heels. And while crouched
on the rear view of his pedals he
can throw juet abrmt twice as ac
curately and twice as speedily as
any other man set firmly on his
fset for a peg
Jimmy Archer behind the bat Is
the personification of athletic
grace. It Is worth the price of ad
mission alone to see him work
Fully three-quarters of the time
he squats on bls heels firm as a
deep-seated rock Ho Is a well
knit fellow, muscled like a Greek
runner, but far from giant propor
tions. Yet. while balanced on the
backs of his shoes, he can take the
speediest shoots of Ed Reulbach
without rocking an inch, and Reul
bach. when pushing them over, is
renowned for terrific speed
A Nimble, Agile Fellow.
Few pitchers that work with
Archer have inanv wild flings dur
jog a season For bis peeullai
Specialty gives Jimmy a marked
advantage in receiving ft -m his
regular working attitude h< is so
low to the ground that i low bal
can scarcely get past him. He can
smother it in the dirt with his big
mitt or shift more quickh from his
crouching attitude to intercept ft
if It takes a mean hop. He Is a
nimble, agile fellow, quick as a at
on his feet and with his hand-
Wherefore, if the ball shoots high
he has simply to spring up and
• pear it. it is a well known fact
that it is far easier to go up for
high ones than to dig down for
crazy ehucks. Th< same natural
advantage that protects a pitcher
from wild flings also keeps Archer's
passed balls to a minimum.
Backstopping literally means the
receiving of the pitcher's delivery.
In this special line, as pointed out.
Archer has no equal But his re
sources do not stop there. His pe
culiar catching attitude seems to
ba admirably adapted to perfect
throwing. Archer is a deadly
marksman Either standing or
squatting, he can peg the bull's eye
at any cushion 99 times in 11)0. His
throws snap out with riflelike ve
locity, but his greatest adjunct is
the faculty of getting that throw
away at once. He wastes no time
in starting the ball on its course
The minute the ball hits his glove
Its away again, lie never draws
back his arm; he shoots the ball
with a snap peculiarly his own,
and he saves stolen bases by mak
ing the foe hug the sacks. Let a
man stray two feet beyond safe
ground at any base and he's dead
as a door nail, if any one is on the
job at the other end. His squat
ting position behind the batter
seems to give Archer a distinct
advantage over a base runner. He
can watch his man like a hawk
without tipping his hand
Good For Many Seasons.
Ha! Chase revolutionized play
around first base Archer has not
revolutionized catching simply be
cause there are none to follow hfs
lead There is just one Aicher as
there ts Just one Chase But they
can not mimic Archer as they try
to Chase, for he—as mentioned in
the introduction sentence is the
real big novelty of the national
pastime, I’ntll there comes a gen
eration of acrobats reared on’thelr
heels instead of high chairs Jimmy
FODDER FOR FANS
Brooklyn l me'end * o’} 't’A” "it’”'' '"7'.’,T en \ en ln the conn
another man sent up from the thorn it * v i ( and 1 be-
last year. He was 1
ikii t-v » leased by the Northwestern league "
. ou^a *’ right hand hurler, who And there vou are
has been a star with I >es Moines, will ’ ...
Join the White Sox next week .
• • J Ph I he Appalachian league nas sold a half-
George Pierce tried bx both th*. ’’'’zen players to clubs of higher rlassifi-
and the Giants knd listed as a to al fail a?™” ? an<l ls ,. ne » nt ’ at »ng for the
ure, has again been l < ugh? bv tie d I ..t others. Knoxville got *3.00(1
He has starred with ScSnton this vea? "‘/her Hhvis which is almost more
He struck out 21 pliers ' "" ’ h "
’ lark Griffith, who has seen everx pitohor 111 >
'S’
pitcher the world .ver knew. Hu says al ll "
sp?ed'and aa contr"l K “ Sie ' B I>eS ' efforlS in . 'ernon, recentl* picked up by Wash-
1 Bna tontro i . ington. is the Amherst college star, signed
. mm, .v, . , originally by the Cubs.
Joe TV tills, the < ardinal southpaw, has • • •
shorn tcr e t I Pj s P lael><l llgl ! ni '' n,s in his If Washington should happen to heat
Lu „ ,l " e 11 not the Red Sox. ,l„„ M. Ai ee r would feel that
that it will make an\ material difference he had been whipsawed
in the pennant race • • J
’ * • Armando Marsans is said tn be the one
( ohb Is a great ball player, all right best bet of the Red team this year Next
But that strike he started so disorganized 5 ear the Reds will have two Cubans play
the Detroit team that it hasn't been in ing with them reguhirh.
the running since The signing of a two * • *
jear contract with Petroit bx Jennings The bitterest cup for o Pax to gulp
marks the end of that famous incident. down is the thought that, but for those
„ t * * * fifteen straight games that his Reds
Even Birmingham now admits that the handed McGraw, the New York t<am
Barons will win the pennant wouldn’t an absolutely commanding
• • • lead in the National.
Ihe plaxers who kick don’t last the * ♦ ♦
'""{'••■‘d jm the diamond, according to The extremely high price paid for mod-
Jiaiik » l>«x Nine times out of ten. ern pitchers is said to be due to the
sa>s Henry. the players kick to cover lively ball. Ii is a lot harder to get
up their own faiths. * awns with it now than it used to be
if Daubert lakes Hie job as manager at Thorpe, tin al! round athletic champion
HtooklMt it is certain that he will not of the world, will probablt begin pitcli
iav< an. ten high managerial standards mg lor Hie Pirates at Hie end of the 1913
to live up to. college season Thorpe is said to be a
.... • - Sac <or Sauks) Indian, with some eon-
, ' ia T ”>«l His Speaker, of Hub- siderable white blood in his veins
bard City. Texas, la the reason Texas is • • •
ialle.l the Lone tdar State Lee Tannehill lasted a long time in the
x . , , , , big leagues ami all lie had was fielding
New Orleans lias accepted a first divt- abllitt 11.- couldn't hit and he was slow
slon berth for the Pelicans as the best on bases
thing that can be hoped for and is talk ' ...
, , , Hank o'Day admits that enough Is
, , plenty He has passed on the news that
winning ball club disciplines itself he is through as a manager and that he
arst 'ear Fatsy Donovan just couldn't will ask for bis old iob of umpire back
keep a lot of the Red Sox from tanking again
up This tear, with pennant and world s ...
*n -r Trow a w l .mM 'be n oa i'ilei'°L"m 11 *’’> Stahlhoefer. of Evansville, ts a
teammams d ’ Bridled bi his own candidate for the $3,000 job of president
e tbc Central league I nfortunateb for
r_ > Harr? the) offered him the Wheeling
i building for next > ear all the old franchise last year and he tactful!' re
material Jennings intends to use is Tx marked. ’ Gix> 000 for the Wheeling
Whj I v
, * * * the whole league!” And now they’re
, ■ ’ ' I ax-( oach managers hobling that bright remark against him
‘ M-nett o| Knox an d >oruebod.\ else xxill get the $3,000
ville, Mx nexx first baseman, Hanes, is job.
TTTE ATLANTA GEORGIAN AND NEWS. MONDAY. AUGUST 12. 1912
Archer is very likely to get the big
hand as one of the passing side
shows.
Almost as astonishing as the
great ('uh catcher’s backstopping
and throwing skill is his natural
speed. Kew catchers are fast. But
Archer is an exception. He belies
the theory that constant squat
ting slows up the leg muscles of a
receiver. Archer is far from a poor
hitter; in fact, he is above the
average as catchers go. He's an
all-round star any way you wish to
take him.
Crackers Fairly Started on Semi-Final Trip—With Two Defeats in One Day
PLAV2 BAYS IN NEWORLEANSJHENGOTOMOBILE
By Percy 11. Whiting.
UvELL, after losing two games
I their first day away from
home, the Crackers are
fairly started on their semi-final
road trip. They play in New’ Or
leans today and tomorrow. Then
the club gets a couple of off days.
And after that it opens in Mobile
for three days of hard going.
Not that it makes any particular
difference.
Nothing matters now hut next
year.
Ami that doesn't matter so much
now,
♦ ♦ *
P'ttRMER Southern league play
ers, with such notable excep
tions as Daubert, Rucker, Joe Jack
son. Dode Paskert, Tris Speaker
and tile chaps who always make
good, haven't shown such a tre-
I
Ihe Big Race j
Here's how the "Big Five” of the
American league are hitting the ball,
the averages including yesterday’s
games:
PLAYER. A.B. H. P.C.
COBB 402 168 .418
SPEAKER 427 171 .400
JACKSON 401 155 .387
COLLINS 382 127 .332
LAJOIE 263 80 .304
Cobb has been out of the game for
two days now and both Speaker and
Jackson have climbed up nearer to
him. In Saturday and Sunday games
Speaker garnered four hits in eight
times at bat. Jackson did even better,
smashing forth six swats in eight at
tempts. Collins got four hits in ten
trips to the plate. Lajoie connected
twice in eight chances.
mendous lot in the big leagues this
year.
Kirke, who looked like a wonder
with the Braves, isn't in the line
up now Jackson, who went from
the Memphis team to the Braves, is
doing better, though his batting av
erage is perceptibly less than the
.347 he made in the 39 big leafgue
games he worked last year.
Northern Is doing good work with
Brooklyn, and so is Red ’Smith,
while Pitcher Frank Allen manages
to hang on. though he isn't going
very strong. Rut Brooklyn has sent
back al! the other Southern leag
uers of last year's crop—Daley.
Kent, Coulson and the rest, and also
Dolly Stalk.
Pat Flaherty has passed back.
Bridwell has been out of the game
virtually all of the season with an
injured foot. Mclntyre, former
Memphis hurler, has dropped out of
the running and will go in for sa
looning. Os course. Buck Becker
and Tris Speaker, graduates of the
lamented Little Rock team, con
tinue to play big ball for league
leaders. Hank Griffin has come
hack to the Southern and then
dropped out of this league. Hub
Perdue manages to keep In the
limelight in one way or another,
and so does Hess, who went to the
same club from the Southern. But
Rugs Raymond has dropped out of
baseball entirely: Oldring, a former
Montgomery player, has slumped
tremendously with the Athletics;
Neal Ball continues to be too er
ratic for tegular big league service;
Lively has dropped off the Detroit
team; Lindsay didn't stick with
Cleveland, neither did Butcher;
Clarke has gone from the St. Lottis
team, and Casey has departed from
Detroit.
However, at that the Southern
league is probably as brilliantly
represented in the major leagues
right now as any Class A league. So
long as Joe Jackson. Jake Daubert,
Zack Wheat. Dode Paskert. Reals
Becker. Jimmj Archer. Nap Ruck
er. Slim Sallee. Tris Speaker. Ed
Sweeney and Russ Ford continue
to represent the Southern in the big
show as brilliantly as they have in
the past year, the Dixie league will
not soon be forgotten.
♦ ♦ •
<>\\ that the Birmingham team
has got the pennant and gone
with it. it is recalled with some
amusement that at the first of the
season Baron fans and some Baron
sport writers couldn't see the Bir
mingham team at all. While At
lantans were picking the Barons to
win the pennant, the Baron base
ball experts were poking fun at the
team and panning the life out of
Molesworth.
ft's an odd thing, but somehow
Birmingham has not been able to
appreciate Molesworth. He has had
; his team "right up there" ever since
he really got It straightened out
, and going some And he is going
to take this pennant in a canter.
Johnson a Wise Champion in Retiring From Ring
Flynn Fight Made Him Realize He’s Going Back
By W. W. Naughton.
JACK JOHNSON says he has re
tired, and it remains to be seen
whether he means it. Just at
• present his resolve is of an ada
mantine character. He swears that
the world will never hear him say,
as John L. Sullivan said. "I tried
once too often,” and that never
, hereafter w ill the lure of gold bring
him back to the ring as it brought
Jeffries back, when he was far past
his athletic prime.
The writer believes that Johnson
Os course, he has had enthusiastic
financial backing—but so did
Hemphill. So that doesn’t prove
anything.
♦ ♦ •
ROM a man who claims to have
1 seen the letter, it is learned that
the Atlanta Baseball association is
conducting a near-dicker with Nor
man Elberfeld to take the tpanage
ment of the Cracker club for next
year.
We are a trifle inclined to doubt
the story. In the first place, the
local club isn’t going to do any
dickering with a man under con
tract with another club. In the sec
ond place. Kid Elberfeld has had
his chance as a manager and has
failed. The Kid knows baseball and
he has the pepper. But Elberfeld
never has been able to control him
self and will never be able to con
trol others.
NEWS FROM RINGSIDE
Backey Hommey was signed up a few
days ago to meet either Jim Coffey or
Boyo Driscoll for next Monday’s show at
the Garden A. C. in New York. If Hom
mey gains the decision Matchmaker Gib
son has promised him a scrap with Young
Shugroe or some other leading feather
weight.
• • ♦
Although Laither McCarthy lost the
popular decision to Jim Stewart in Go
tham a few’ days ago. he is not a bit de
spondent. Luther is matched with Tom
Kennedy a week from today and says he
will win in a walk. The big battler said
the crowd got his “goat” last time, but
that now’ he has got used to the mob and
will show them some speed next out.
♦ ♦ ♦
Mike Gibbons .is about, ready to descend
upon the East once more. This time
Michael will carry along his brother
Tommy, who is as good as Mike, so Mike
says. Anyway, the pair will reach Go
tham early next month.
• • •
Eastern sport scribes believe Jack
Johnsons retirement from the ring is
simply a bluff to get larger nurses for
his fights. Johnson could stay in seclu
sion for several months until some “hope"
has made such an impression on the pub
lic that the promoters would be willing to
offer another purse, such as was posted
when Johnson fought Jeffries, then all
"Lil" Arthur would have to do would be
hammer him around awhile, collect the
money and then retire again.
• • •
Harrx Rafael, who is managing Charley
Miller, the latest entrant to the “white
hope" ranks, was in New York a few
days ago blowing about what Miller could
do. He says what Charley will do to I’al
zer and the rest of the bi£ pugs will be
enough to send him to the electric chair.
Miller will leave for the East after his
battle with Jim Flynn on Labor Day
• • •
Luther McCarthy and Jess Willard are
scheduled to mingle at the Garden A C
in New A'ork August 19
• « •
Jim Stewart has challenged Al Dalzer
for a ten-round battle to be staged in
Gotham Stewart has won eight of his
recent fights by the K. O. route and says
he has earned a crack at the big fighter.
■ • •
The Terre Haute boxing club is trying
to match George K. O Brown with Kid
Skelly for a match there Labor Day
• • •
Backey McFarland will signalize his
return to the ring and the start of his
fall campaign of 1912 by a six-round en
gagement w’ith Joe Hirst in Philadelphia
August 3<>
...
Johnnie I V-VIM Wronk will
is out of the game to stay. The
heart knoweth its own bitterness,
and no one knows better than
Johnson what rough sledding it was
with .Fireman James Flynn at Las
Vegas.
Two years ago Johnson would
have literally spanked Flynn for his
bad ring manners. As it was. the
best Johnson could do was hold on
and holler for help. Two years of
acquaintance with the Paris cases
and the pleasure haunts of London
had told in Johnson's case just as
similar dalliance had done in the
case of Peter Jackson.
When the state police were clam
bering into the ring In New Mexi
co and Referee Smith was mopping
his perspiring brow, a little bird
9 whispered in Jack Johnson’s ear,
“The time is ripe for retiring."
And who can blame him? He
has acquired a competence through
the use of his gloves, and now that
he feels he is not as spry or as sure
fisted as he used to be, he is show
ing good judgment in sidestepping
possible disaster. Because other
champions made mistakes is no
reason why Johnson should.
Wants To Quit Unbeaten.
In getting out at this time, John
son is catering to an ambition he
has long felt, even though he may
not have giveff expression to it. He
would dearly like to be known as
the only negro who held the world’s
championship and then retired un
defeated.
In support of this view, it Js only
necessary to recall Johnson's atti
tude toward other colored fighters
since he became champion. It is
claimed that he deliberately back
ed out of a match with Sam Lang
ford. in London, after signing con-
appear as the headliner of a boxing car
nival to be staged In Cleveland August 13.
• • •
Joe Rivers and Charley White have
been practically matched for a bout to be
: staged some time next month. No club
has been mentioned, but it is probable
the match will be staged in the East
somewhere near Chicago.
• • •
The only reason Young Jack O'Brien
was not knocked out in the sixth round
by Leach Cross in New York the other
night was that he held on to Leach so
tight that the dentist could not hit him.
EAST VS. WEST ON BOXING
CARD IN N. Y. THIS WEEK
NEW YORK, Aug. 12.—The East and
the West will be pitted against each
other in the only two important boxing
bouts that will be staged here this
week. At Madison Square Garden to
night Jack Britton, a Chicago light
weight, will tackle Eddie Smith, of
Harlem.
On Wednesday night at the St. Nich
olas rink. Gunboat Smith, a Califor
nia heavyweight, will box ten rounds
with Porky Flynn, of Boston. There
are several other bouts on the program,
but all are of minor importance.
McFarland and wolgast
TO MEET INGOTHAM OCT. 3
NEW YORK. Aug. 12 —Ad Wolgast
and Paekey McFarland will meet in a
ten-round bout under the auspices of
the Garden Athletic club in this city
October 3. according to word received
today from a representative of that
club now in Cadillac, Mich. Both men
are to weigh 133 pounds at 3 o’clock on
the day of the fight.
RITCHIE STARTS WORK
FOR BOUT WITH HOGAN
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 12.—Willie
Ritchie, who is to meet "One-Round"
Hogan in a four-round bout at Dream,
land Friday, has begun training. Willie
plans only light work. Hogan also
went to work today. He fought fifteen
rounds with Tommy, McFarland i< lit
tle more than u week, ago and is in ex
i cwUent condition.
tracts. He has been a veritable
will o’ the wisp to Joe Jeannette,
w’ho has been after him for a long
time. He has often talked of going
to Australia to box Langford and
McVea. but, judging by his actions,
he was never for an instant sincere
in this.
If the last has really been seen
of Johnson as a pugilist, he will be
remembered as a fighter who was
seldom if ever fully extended. Some
say that his fight with Tommy
Burns in Australia was his hardest.
This may be so. He certainly
never had any hard fights in the
ordinary acceptance of the term in
this country. His go with Jeffries,
from which so much was expected,
was so extremely one-sided that it
lives in memory as the joke of the
century.
A Great Uppercut Fighter,
Johnson’s style of boxing was all
his own. He was master of the
straight left and right crosses that
educated boxers usually employ, but
he seldom relied upon them. In
the use of hooks, uppercuts and
lifting punches generally he prob
ably never had an equal.
Arguments frequently arise as to
how Johnson would have fared if
he had been sent against a Queens
berry crackajack like Peter Jack
son when the latter was at his best.
Well, there is no harm in forming
and holding an opinion on the point,
but right there the discussion ends.
It is a sporting aphorism that it is
bootless to argue any matter that
can not be settled by a bet, and
certainly there is no way of deter
mining which was the better man—
Peter Jackson or Jack Johnson.
The remark is often heard that
Johnson was lucky—that when he
teached his prime there were really
no good heavyweights in sight.
That is true in a measure, but it is
the luck of the game. It very often
happens that staieness and long
service contribute to a champion's
defeat as much as anything else.
Seldom 2 Good Men at Same Time.
In the heavyweight division, it
was seldom in recent years that two
really good tnen developed about
the same time. Possibly the best
instance of genuine rivalry In this
respect was when Jeffries and Shar
key were working to the front. No
more stubborn engagements than
the two in which Jim and Tom
were the principals were ever wit
nessed probably, and if Sharkey had
had a few inches more of stature,
ring history might have had an en
tirely different twist.
Who will be Johnson's successor?
Some people do not see much hope
for the hopes because Langford,
McVea and Jeannette are sVlll ac
tive. But these colored gladiators
are not by any means as youthful
as they used to be, and as there is
no negro novice in sight, there is
good reason for arguing that a
white man will rule the heavy
weight roster within the next cou
ple of years.
ALL WAIVE ON STORCH.
nasha ille. tenn.. Aug. 12. 11
was announced this morning that
waivers had been secured on Harrjf
Storch, utility man of the Nashvill,
team, and he did not accompany ths
team to Montgomery last night Storch
has been with the Nashville team sinct
the beginning of the 1911 season being
secured from Dallas, Texas, where h«
was the leading home run hitter of the
league. He may go back to the Texas
league.
MILLER KNOCKS OUT YOUNG.
•HICAGO, Aug. 12.—Hirsch Mi’llei
knocked out Billy Young in the third
round of a fight held over the state ling
yesterday afternoon They boxed for i
side bet and $3,000 changed hands oi
the battle. A big crowd saw the bout.