The Calumet news., 1911-01-07
Will be Forced to Extend Them
selves to the Limit to Win
in American League
This Year
BASEBALL IS VERY UNCERTAIN
slioht Accident Might Result in
Throwing Worlds Champions Out
of Race-Other Teams Look
Strong.

great many fans already concede
ahe American league pennant for 1911
TO the Philadelphia Athletics. This
seems to many baseball men like a
hasty conclusion four months before
the season opens. The people who be-
lieve the result of next years race is
all cut and dried base their conclusions
upon several facts and many pet theo-
ries.
First they point out that i'm the his
tory of major league ball the same
team has usually won the champion
ship two or three years in succession.
When a manager succeeds in building
up winning machine he can almost
count on it's running smoothly for at
least two years. and it is not until
some other baseball leader develops
another first-class team that the cham
pionship changes hands. Just as a
great team takes some time to decay,
so it also takes years of experiment
and hard work to build up a great
tearn.
Connie Mack has certainly put to-
yether a wonderful combination, and
in all probability his aggregation will
be still stronger next season. To his
magnificent pitching staff he has ad-
ded Russell and one or two other
youngsters who should make the list
of boxmen even more formidable than
il has been. Last year the Athletics
broke the league record for games won
and finished the race I'm a canter. with
plenty of daylight between themselves
and the runner-up.
Considering these things, II looks as
II those persons who bank on the
Mackmen winning another pennant
were figuring conservatively.
However, il is the uncertainty OF
baseball that keeps the interest OF
countless thousands at fever heat. II
only required the addition of few
stars to enable nine composed mostly
OF washington players to wallop tho
Athletics i'm the practice games before
the worlds series. Minus Mack ant
Collins the champions lost to cubar
teams that, even considering the Phil
adelphias' lack of condition, the,
should have defeated.
Supposing that during some weel
early next season Collins should teal
off a finger nail or Barry should
bruse one of his heels. These might
he slight things in themselves and YET
affect the final result of the whole
league race. Then there are Other
teams which need only one or two
good men to make them even favor
ties for the flag.
Chicago strengthened at all posi-
tions, was playing remarkable ball to-
ward the end of last season and should
start with a run In the spring. In
Walsh, Lang. Scott and White the
White Sox have a quartet of pitchers
hard to surpass.
Detroit needs strengthening, but the
Tigers have over 30 recruits to pick
from, and IL one in ten of the new
men can make good the Tigers will
certainly be championship contenders.
Boston may not show as well next
year with Stahl out of the game, but
Cleveland has added new blood, and
while New York is somewhat of an
uncertain quantity under its new man
agement many baseball followers be-
lieve that all of these teams will be
well up i'm the running next year.
At any rate, II is probable that the
Athletics will have a much harder
contest ahead of them I'm 1911 than
they had this season.