The Detroit times., 1909-12-13
witt Gu BAN TRIP
PROVE UNO0ING
OF TIGERS?
That Is the One Straw at Which
the Rival American League Teams
Are Clutching, With 1910
in Prospect
Tigers Were Not the Only Team,
However, To Test the Theory
That Winter Baseball Hurts.
BY PAUL n. BRUskE

Are the Detroit Tigers OF 1910 10
lose their pep as the result oil their
il-starred t;ip 10 Cuba
that Is what the entire American
league opposition is apparently hoping.
judged from the tone OF the hostle
prcss when has taken great delight IN
celebrating on the Tiger slump and in
yariahlv dilates on the defeats OF
Mattv McIntyre's little band without
mentioning the fact that IL was shy
Inc services of Cobb, Crawford, Dele
hanty and Bush. and had part OF the
time only two young pitchers FOR re-
lance i'm stopping the negroes.
Instances galore have been pointed
cut whore winter baseball has proven
a lamentable undertaking for It's par
tGIpants, as judged in their following
performances in the regular season.
Magnates TO a certain extent are max
ing IL obligatory on their men TO re-
frain from baseball except In the nor
NAL periods. Everywhere through the
American league circuit is mentioned
the Tiger trip as the one straw at
which other teams may grasp in their
effort 10 avoid a fourth consecutive
deluee OF Detroit victories.
Santone Will ell ale.
II the men fail to get into shape in
the south next spring with that ease
70 which they have become accus-
toned and If they fail 10 put into
their efforts the ambition OF former
seasons. that Cuban trip will have 70
bear a large share of the blame. be-
You'd quSSHC"
However. there is lighter side 10
the situation. from a local point OF
view
IN the first place. the stars men
tinGPd as not competing are the men
on whom rests the largest share OF
the burden OF winning ball games. par
ticularly in the batting department.
Even If the others should show signs
of lapse, il will have to be radical
one to hurt. provided that the star hit
tiers are on deck and doing their duty.
Then, too. the Tigers have not been
the only team in their league TO test
the effect of winter baseball The
Philadelphia Athletics who made the
race with Eughie's men last year have
been campaigning the Pacific coast
and have played infinitely more games
and harder ones than those played by
the Tigers. Nor were any OF Connie
Mack's stars missing from the lineup.
Further. one nf them cot married. still
further tempting the hOodoo.
Hardest Task of All.
And another team, containing quite
a sprinklirg of American leaguers
from other teams, is now In Cuba.
about to open a little series of its own.
These men have been out of practice
for some months and should find il
difficult to get back into form.
Nor will they be able TO 60 direct
from Cuba TO their training camps.
Another period of rest will intervene
before that date. and the effect OF the
double break in training is almost GER
tam to effect some of them
II will prove a grand year To test the
truth of the theory that no man can
retain his top form in baseball With
out prolonged let-up.
That such a theory is in existence
cannot be denied. aside from the risk
OF serious injury, which is really what
worries the magnates most. when their
men are playing but not for their
regular employers. Jim Delehanty
steadfastly refused TO accompany the
Tigers TO Cuba. He had an excellent
reason. too. this being the fact that.
after his trip of last winter TO the
orient with Mike Fishers barns torm-
ers, he was unable TO recover his bat.
ting eye for Washington until the
season was virtually half over