Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19

NEW YORK, February 1S.-Pennants
are not won in the wintertime or while
the clubs are going through the condi-
tioning process in the south in the spring
months.
Nevertheless, at this time the fans OF
several cities are practically asserting
that their major league representatives
arc likely to land the championship hon
ors. There is a spirit of confidence among
the enthusiasts of Greater New York that
both their teams-the Highland and Low
land combinations-will be right up at the
top when all the returns are in. In Chi
cago supporters of the Chesty Cubs think
they will be able to come back and annex
their fifth championship In six years,
while in Detroit the bugs have the hunch
that Tyrus Raymond Cobb and his asso-
ciates will bring to that city ahother nag.
The inhabitants of the keystone state
count on two of their teams finishing on
the top rungs of the championship lad
ders. Philadelphia being positive that
there is no combination in the country
the equal of the White Elephants. ana
the Pittspurgers feeling certain that the
Pirates will do what Jim Jefries was uii-
able tod do-that is, come back
bers OF the Base Ball Writer'S Assocla.
ton of America and who devote most or
their time to thinking about pennant
races OF the future and of the past. agree
that in the National League the fight LOT
the gonfalon will be three-cofnered
one, and that in the American League the
scrap for the honors will be between two
clubs.
The teams that the majority of the
scribes fancy are the Giants, Cubs ana
Pirates in the National and the Whte
Elephants and Highlanders in the Amer
lean. The base ball writers. like the man
ayers, are making no rash predictions ana
have thus far agreed on only the teams
that are to be cellar champions.
Giants in the Race.
There isn't a dissenting opinion among
the scribes that the teams which will fin
ish at the wrong end will be the Boston
Doves and the ST. Louis Browns.
The Giants at present are the favorites
for the National League banner, for the
team came strongly at the finish of the
1910 campaign and played an article of
ball that was practically unbeatable.
Should anything happen to Mathewson,
however. the experts who are now pick
ing the New Yorks to finish at the top
would Immediately select fourt.. place as
the team PROBABLE position IN the race
at the windup.
The reason the Giants are picked as the
strongest competitors for the flag are
these:
The club has d great manager in John
McGraw, who always insists that he be
the sole boss OF athletics, and invariably
sees to it that the players are satisfied
with their salaries.
The club has one of the greatest pitch
ers in the country in Mathewson, one of
the fastest and craftiest baserunners in
Devore, one of the best hitting backstops
in Myers. one of the best fighting type of
ball tossers in Capt. Doyle and a whole
fit of good seasoned material and lots
of promising youngsters.
The Giants undoubtedly can hit and if
their pitchers do what is expected of them
and get better support than they got last
year it will be hard matter for the
Cubs and the Pirates to keep up to the
whirlwnd pace that will be set by Nc
Graws men.
The Cubs cannot be tagged as "has