Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-16
ATHLETICS AND CUBS OPEN
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impressive. so that after all it will de-
pend mostly on the pitchers as to which
team will win.
II there is any line to be had from
the batting percentages. then the Atm
the Cubs. but inasmuch as the two
teams faced entirely different pitchers.
and there exists a question as to which
league Is the faster. these averages
The one thing that is assured to be
| the greatest in the history OF the
game is the attendance. There mas
never been as much interest In series
of games as is manifested throughout
the country in the coming struggle.
| Ty Cobb's victory in the batting con-
test. for which an automobile was OF
| fered as a prize. will relieve the Ameri-
can League as well as the national
commission from investigating Lajoie's
| batting in St. Louis last Sunday, Tor
since Cobb won the prize 1t makes lit
tie difference how Lajoie got his eight
hits.
Cobbs victory is sure to be popular.
for while it is true that up to last
Sunday majority of the fans In the
American League cities were pulling
great change Of sentiment in Cobb's Ia
vor since the story Of how La1oie was
helped to eight hits came out
The fight for the honors was so close
also. all feasibility Of any further
wrangling is surely eliminated
That it is possible to build up great
| ball team in a few years is proven by
! the fact that the greatest players on the
All-Star team were practically unheard
Of four years ago. Cobb was re-
cruit then. and Speaker was in some bush
| league. So was Milan. and Walter
johnson had not been heard OF. Eddie
Walsh. true enough. had already shown
his ability for the Sox, but Mcbride
and Street were IN the minor leagues
| 1t would, Of course, be a remarkable
stroke of good luck to have any one
team pick up such a galaxy of great
ball players in a few years. and yet 1t
is not impossible. and. what is more. the
average team in the major leagues
would need but one or two Of these
players to make 1t a winner.
| Much stress has been placed on the
| generalship of Connie Mack and Frank
| Chance and the effect this will have on
! the result Of the worlds series, and yet
1t would not be at all surprising If the
| series was played without the slightest
evidence Of anything but the old tactics
| that one sees on the ball field every day
| having been brought into play.
| In the worlds series of previous years
4 there was little strategy displayed. The
players did nothing out Of the ordinary,
and in several instances some rather
stupid base ball which one would not be
| apt to see taienders pull off was crowded
| into the series.
| 1t reads all right in these magazine
| articles to tell of the wonderful general
ship that is in force during such strug-
| giles, but as said before, II is but seldom
| in such games that one sees something
out of the ordinary in the way of system
| or strategy.
That Washington has the nucleus for
! a good ball team Is proven by the fact
! that the AIl-Star team. which won four
out of FIVE games from the champion
| Athletics. had five Washington players in
its lineup. These were Street, Johnson,
| Elberfeld, Mcbride and Milan, not to
| speak of Cunningham and Schaefer. who
| filled utility roles.
These five men. when helped along with
couple of good ball players. proved
| winners. McAleer may he able to get
! Youngsters to round out his nucleus. He
| cannot be expected TO pick up any Cobbs
or Speakers. for players of that type do
| not drop into the game every day, but
| even players not quite good these
would do wonders for the Washington
! team
| Judging from the way Mack has worked
! Harry Krause, the pitching sensation of
| last season. II is not unlikely that krause
| will he found in one or more games
against the Cubs. Lefthanders are sup
| posed to have something the National
| League champions, and both Plank and
! krause may work against them If the
| weather is such to allow a we'll sea-
| soned player Of the Plank type to per-
| form. and both may prove stumbling
| blocks for Chances crew.
/ There is not the slightest doubt that the
| absence of Evers and Oldring from the
/ worlds series is going to affect both
teams But Mack's team may be more
i weakened by the absence OF Oldring who
was undoubtedly his most valua BILE out
II fielder. than the Cubs will be by reason
| Of Evers injury. for while Zimmerman
may lack the knowledge Of the game that
Evers possesses. he will make good this
shortcoming by his ability as batter.
III It is. nevertheless. to be regretted that
these two players were incapacitated. for
It will give the losers in the series
II chance to show cause for defeat. and
hard luck stories will again be in order.
In the games against the All Stars. the
catching of the Athletic backstops has not
been OF a high order. Thomas. who was
picked to do the bulk of the catching
against the Cubs. has not been showing
up well. Livingston has done much bet
ter, and 1t Is not unlikely that he will be
found In majority OF the games, though
Thomas is the better hitter OF the two.
No matter which one Of his catchers ta
may choose. Mack will be unable to put q
man In the field who compares with either
Johnny King or Jimmy Archer. and. "a
was the case with Detroit II Is behind
the bat that the Athletics win De handi-
capped most