The Washington times., 1910-10-31
Garry Hermann Declares Fog Knew Baseball Deal Before DOOM Signed
IS NATIONAL LEAGUE
WEAKER ORGANIZATION?
Showing of Athletics Against Cubs Has Given RisA to
Questioning of Older Leagues Superiority-Lots
of Young Blood In American.

McGraw>s men were at their best
when they played the Highlauders this
month Their victory was no luke
They simply were hitting, and Mathew
son was pitching a better brand Of ball
than he had previously exhibited dur
ing the season.
The crushing defeat OF the Cubs has
confirmed the opinion OF persons who
YenJLred last sumner 70 call attention
70 the waning strength OF the National.
IN tnlS contention only The srrenEth OF
the hrSt-divisi5n clubs IS weighed, as
they are the ones that must Dear the
DrunJ Of tnterlcague battling. Undoubt-
e4ly the second division clubs in the
National League have been 81 Myth
eneo. The Brooklyn, Boston. St -
and Cincinnati teams played far
pan TINS wear than last. But
nth place there has not been a co.
responding improvement
Inc swing OF the pendulum p
iated By the average length O.
players major league career.
from nVe 70 seven years. In
ana 1917 The American Leagu
wholesale raids on the NaJio
the Americans teams built e.
stars tax n from the old orza
far outclJssed the wrecked outfits -,
the National!
AL-SraT teams were thrown together
n cay, while teams that had been
perfected az the cost OF time, heavy ex-
ruined as GuiclIy, II 1Su Pat Donovan
had q splendid team In ST. LOUIS The
. invading American League took seven
PLAYERS from Donovan, and the Cardi-
mails have never been IN the nrst di-
vision since
In a Few years. however. the veterans
. began 70 fade away and in the mean
while the National League. through
necessity had been forced 10 dig I'D a.
Tot OF new talent This resulted IN q
back stroke Of the pendulum or playing
strength The rising stars soon were
firmly fixed IN the baseball armament
and all the time the WOTn-OuJ American
League veterans Were being replaced.
"Has-Beens" Out.
Players who started with the Ameri-
can League in 1900 and ISU have almost
all joined tise has been" class. Charley
Hemphiu. OF the HIghlanders, BOBBY
/ Wallace. OF the Browns. and Napoleon
D Lalole are noteworthy exceptions
T1eInp mn play el with the Boston Ameri-
cans IN 1900 LajOie Joined the Athletics
Z N Lll and Wallace Jumped 70 the
/ Browns after the season OF 1901
{ The new crop Of National League
stars Included several who are stu
playing good ball one was Arthur
I DeV-in, who Joined the Giants in 1904
q " NlLSe came In about the same time
DeFlln and Niltse now are considered
C.C-umerS. and although both still sre
young men and playing good ball thev
are approaching the crest OF their
{ careers and soon must start down hill
] developing many crack pitchers in
these EeaF5 the National I,eagJle gained
| strength, while in the American LEAGUE
! me veterans were dropping BY the way
side But now the youngsters Of 800
/ ana succeeding y=ars have grown old
1 In National LeaEUe livery while for
the last three years every team in the
American League has been recruiting
/ Connie Mack WAS the first ulanage- 10
get team Cf youngsters and expert
enced veterans 10 playing pennant ban
Veterans May Go.
! Il is probable that the vreckrng r-r-
F cess VIII hasten the reconstruction or
some National League teams Veterans
OF the Chicago team may get the grand
bounce sooner on account Of their de-
feat in the worlds series this yezf.
IN olher camps the work has been 90
ing on for some time Clark GrffFrr
. IS rernaEdng the Cincinnati team: JoF7
McS1raW has developed such promising
s[nleJes as Deyore. SnodgTass. Drucke.
E Merkle. Gld Myers. the PhfladeI-F,f.
team has -etrOgraded because cIioiIes
. OF veteran players have ruined dis
Clplne. Charley Doom asserting thai
the PhlLles never viii improve uutU
4 some good youngsters are put 10 vvOr5--
and the PittsbUrE team is another eX-
ample OF the folly OF sticking too long
. 70 The good old wagons
. Many L--.--N A,--11- Co-L ElaT1SOlS could be
made Take the National League head
4 liners o. i've years ago, and figJIre OUT
where tie pitchers now are Mathewsou
/ IS an eNc1ytiOu- He holds his own. Ru-
4 Brown OF Chicago is beginning TO slide.
and so IS Reulbach- Ames and Vflrse
no longer are In the front rank Yo11nr
men, Ike Crandal and DruCke, are 90
Ing 70 hold the Giants up next season
7 il they are successful
4 such great American League pitchers
as Johnson Ford. Collins. Lake
CoOmbS, WarhOp, Walsh. and many
others have attained high honors IN the
last five years Still another older SCI
inClIdiuE MUliiu, Donovan Whsta
+ Powell. Plank and few more, are still
. hanging on, but they are weakening
I fast