Los Angeles herald., 1908-01-26
CUBS MAY WIN
1908 PENNANT
CHICAGO EXPECTS TO REPEAT
CHAMPIONSHIP HONOR
National Leaguers All Ready for
Coming Seasons, Raee-Pros-
poets of McGraw's New
York Giants

NEW YORK. Jan. 25.-When Man
ager John J. McGraw left here for Los
Angeles the other day to spend few
weeks prior to beginning real work
with his New York players at Marlin
Springs, Tex, he said that he did not
intend to make any more deals with
the idea of strengthening the POLO
grounds experts further. With this
announcement and the further state
ment that either Tommy Leach or John
CAMEL will manage the Cincinnati
Reds, it may be said that the makeup
of the National league ball teams for
the 1908 championship pennant race
has been completed. While 1t is gen.
orally believed that the Chicago Cubs,
worlds champions, will capture the
National league pennant for the third
consecutive time, it is confidently ex-
pected that all the other teams will
show increased strength and will con-
sequently make the race, aside from
first honors, decidedly more interesting
than in recent years.
Conservative judges believe that with
the victorious Cubs on top the Pitts
burg, New York, Philadelphia, Brook
lyn and Boston teams will follow close
ly matched, with Cincinnati and St.
1OulS DIS uSudl up ki1J ltdi.
The records will show that the Ma
tional league did not begin to spend
the amount of money put out by the
American league for new playing tai
ent, so that, looking impartially at the
merits Of the case, the American league
today appears to be much stronger
than the National league in combined
playing skill But the National league
champions, the Cubs, are generally
considered the greatest ball team in
the world, which is an honor not to be
overlooked in the comparison between
the rival organizations.
Champions in Good Shape
The Chicago Cubs, like a we'll kept
piece of machinery, do not need repair
ing to any marked degree. Manager
Frank Chance believes in letting well
enough alone. 1t is true that he has
picked up several promising young
players, but when the championship
race begins he will depend on the stars
who defeated the Detroit American
league champions in the worlds series
last fall. Chance will play first base
himself, with Johnny Evers on second,
Steinfeldt on third and Tinker at short
field, one of the swiftest infield COM
binations that ever hustled around the
base paths. The outfielders will be
James Sheckard, Slagle and Schultz
great players in all departments of the
game. Chance has three fine all-around
men in Howard, Hoffman and thinner
man to fill in with in case of accidents,
so that the Cubs are we'll fortified il
this respect.
In the batteries the worlds cham
pions show almost invincible strength
In John Killing they have probably the
i haS frh f,a Tof Loo
with few equals in the American. IT
was Kings superb backstopping III
the worlds series that went q long way
toward humbling the Detroits. Killing S
| deadly throwing to bases made Tyrus
Cobb. the great bag stealer look liki
a. freight train going up a grade
while the other Wolverine Splinter.
were quickly placed in the elephant
class. Chance has often said that with
out King the Cubs would have beer
like rudderless ship in billowy sea
and that the great catcher was prac.
| tically a whole team in himself. Mo-
ran, another high class backstop. il
Kings chief assistant, and when hi
gets a chance behind the bat he usual
ly shows with much brilliance. Chance
has three new receivers in Otis. Evans
and T. Welsh, but they will not have
much to do with King and Moran con.
stantly in harness.
corking Bunch of Pitchers
The Cubs pitching staff is a corker
Three Fingered Brown, one of thu
greatest boxmen in America, is tho
star, but he has powerful rival IL
big Overall, who was a world beatel
last season. Then Chance has a for.
| midahle bunch of twirlers in Lundgren
Reulbach, Fraser. Pfeister and Durbin
with M. Walsh, a newcomer. In short
Chicago has by far the best of pitchers
in the National league, which in thu
estimation of many good judges is ha,
of n pennant fight With Charlie,
Murphy to do the talking and the Cub;
to do the playing, therefore, 1t is n,