Perth Amboy evening news., 1911-04-12
specia, by United Press Wire.

New York, April 12:-Six months
of undiluted Joy for the baseball
fan, In other words the 1911 base
ball season, opened today in both of
the big leagues
Today begins what bids fair to be
the most propitious year the nation
al game has aver known. Baseball
has grown so tremendously big and
is now conducted on such a compre-
hensive and businesslike basis that
it is pretty safe to predict that every
season will be a little better on the
| whole than the preceding year.
Knowledge of this fact prompts
President Lynch, Of the National,
and President johnson, of the Amer
lean, to predict that 1911 will set a
new record in attendance.
A remarkable feature of the sea-
son now opening is that the Chicago
Cubs. who won the National League
pennant with ease~iast year, are not
the favorites for the honor this year.
The short end in the betting is the
New York Giants, who finished SEQ
ond in 1910.
"A yllPO5luLA VI 1 We VI tAti y
well-known sporting editors In big
league towns found twenty-four PIN
ming their faith to New York and
only three In Chicago. OF the three
who picked Chicago, two were Chi
Pittsburg for the flag. IN the Amef-
lean League t~wenty-nine OF these
writer's selected the Philadelphia
Athletics to repeat. while one lone
dopester looked to Detroit for the
| winner.
1t Is easy enough to see why the
nous choice, for the team showed
but it is difficult to see why the Cubs
should run such a bad second to New
York. 1t Is probably because the
Giants made such a strong finish and
the Cubs went down to such inglor.
ious defeat before the Athletics in
the worlds title games.
The failure OF the Cubs to repeat
however. may be predicated on only
n basis-a fall-down on the part
of several of the old stars. The
Chicago team that takes the field to-
day Is practically the same team
that has won four of the last five
National League flags. Manager
Chances combination has proved un-
beatable in the National League, sc
that the only way it Is likely to lose
this year will be for the hitherto air
tight machine to blow" or for other
teams to exhibit unexpected strength.
Those who are pessimistic regard
ing Chicago put the proposition this
way: There Is more likelihood OF
Chances veteran team becoming
creaky than that the Giants, the
Pirates or the Cincinnati Reds will
not strike a swift and deadly gait
n maintain 1T to the end.
1t Is differences Of opinion that
make horse races and the same holds
true in baseball. National League
followers generally would not regret
to see some other team than the
Cubs cop the bunting for otherwise
the prospect of the National League
regaining the worlds title is about
as bright as the Alberta orange crop.
The team that Connie Mack turned
out last year would, In the opinion
of nine experts out of ten, trim the
Cubs nearly as often as they could
get together. And this is the team
that Connie Mack, If fortune goes
we'll, will hurl against the National
League winners again.
When Mack was asked for the
lineup for his opening game this
year. he replied: "Take your score
card of the first worlds series game
last year, put Oldring In place of
Strunk and you will have It," This
means that the crafty Mr.. McGilli-
cuddy is standing pat with a venge-
ance. 1t Is true that he has added a
couple of pitchers In Russell and
Collamore, but is doubtful If they
will do more than trail along this