The Alaska citizen., 1911-05-01
BASEBALL PROSPECTS.

The baseball public may be pre- pared for some surprising develop ments during the season of 1911 in the National League" writes John J. McGraw in the Metropolitan, and l understand that the champion Phila- delphia Athletics are not altogether sure of their position in the Ameri- can League.
 T am not so familiar with the af- fairs in the American League, but in the National l am fully aware of the fact that New York, Pittsburg and Chicago will have to fight every inch of the way to maintain the prestige that they have held for the last ten years.
 To attempt to predict the winner at this time would be foolhardy, for the element of luck in baseball Is too large to permit of any degree of ac- lively safe, however, in saying that in my judgment the teams in the first division will be New York, Chi. cago Pittsburg and Cincinnati.
 It is very likely that our strongest opponent this year will be Chicago. There seems to be general impress sion that the Cubs have disintegrated because of their overwhelming de- feat at the hands of the American League champions last fall. do not share that view. The baseball public is often misled by the happenings of a day or even week.
 During the winter 1 was frequent ly asked if I thought the Cubs could come back. In asking that question these baseball enthusiasists evidently forgot that the Cubs won the Ma tional League pennants, and by big margin at that Not only can they come back, but they are here!
 T must confess that l was some. what surprised at the decisive defeat of the Cubs by the Athletics. The only explanations is that the Cubs did not play their game. Any club is liable to be beaten in close series, but the overwhelming defeat of the Chicago team shows conclusively that they did not play up to their stand ard.
 Tt would be the height of folly, however. to assume that because a series it had a hopeless future. We ilil5hl oo "ClA say tAnl OCSouoV Brooklyn beat Chicago three games out of four in one series last season Brooklyn was champion and that Chicago would finish last.
 The great difficulty in building up ball teams in this day, when the game has become a business as we'll as sport, is in securing what we know as thinking ball players. There are any number of ball players in the minor leagues who have natural physical ability, but 1t is very rarely possible to secure men who have that peculiar faculty of being able to think and act simultaneously It is no reflection on a ball players gen. eral intelligence to say that he hasn't that quality.
 Il know scores of players who are men of unusual intellect, but who are lacking in that ability to think and act at the same time. Give them a few minutes to consider a problem and they will arrive at a conclusion that is quite logical, but baseball games are not won on logic. The plays that win are usually the result of impulse. It is instinct with some ball players to make the proper play at the proper time. Hal Chase of the Highlanders is a player who possesses the faculty of using his arm and his brain at the same time, and apparent ly he does it without effort.
 Tt would be possible to count on the fingers of the two hands the men in the league who are quick thinking ball players. The team that is blessed with a majority of that class of play