For many years past columns of space in papers making base ball a specialty have been occupied with long arrays of figures giving the averages of the players in the batting and fielding departments of the game. To such an extent has this feature of the annual statistics of the game been carried that the records based upon these averages have come to be regarded by the players as the primary object in view during each season's work in the field. As a result of this system those club directors and managers who have never fully examined into the merits of the subject, and who are not, therefore, aware of the fact that, as criterions of the most skilful play in each department, these averages are comparatively useless, have been led into the costly error of making their selections for their teams each season upon the basis of the figures of the players' averages, and hence the customary announcement made at the beginning of each season that "our team has the best batting average of the season." It is about time that the fallacy of this average business should be shown up in its true light and that the existing system of making out averages should be so changed as to make it some sort of a test of a player's skill in his home position, which it certainly is not now. The worst of this average business as it prevails now is that it is a powerful incentive for every player to make "playing for a record" his principal object in his season's work, and that all-important duty, "playing for the side," a matter of secondary consideration. * * * * * The cranks' title of "Giants," given years ago to the New York club's team, has become a misnomer. The team most entitled to it in 1894 was that of the Chicago club, no other club team making such a show of heavyweight players last season as did Anson's real "Giants," as will be seen by the appended record. Look at the figures of their biggest men: -------------------------------------------- Height Weight Feet Inches lbs. -------------------------------------------- Schriver, catcher 5 10 185 Camp, pitcher 6 160 Anson, first base 6 1 202 L. Camp, second base 6 165 Parrott, third base 5 11 160 Clayton, short stop 6 1 180 Decker, left field 6 1 180 Lange, centre field 6 1 180 Dungan, right field 5 11 180 ---- ------ ---- Average 6 173 -------------------------------------------- How does Murphy, Fuller, Burke, Ward _et al_ stand in weight and size compared to the above "Giants"? * * * * *