Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-25
BY J. ED GRILLO.

While no one. perhaps, would figure Joe
jeanette having chance TO wrest the
heavyweight hOnors from Jack Johnson,
simply because he has never held the
prominent position the champion has.
Yet if there is such a thing as dope, jean
cite might prove a troublesome opponent
for the cOlored champion. On seven diff
ferent occasions has this pair hooked up
and while most of their bouts We're no.
decision affairs. it is estimated that they
stand about even.
jeanette surprised lot of wise men a
few weeks ago when he had to be given
credit for having the better of bout
with I-angford, and on this showing alone
he figures himself entitled to the first
crack at Johnson.
The chances are that such bout Will
be arranged, too. though, of course, it
will be one of those ten-rOund affairs,
which is apt to prove little. for jeanette
and Johnson have had about seven such
bouts.
When the Athletics beat MathewsOn
in the last worlds series the impress
sion was created that the Giants great
pitcher had gone back and that the end
of his career was not far off. But it is
a safe prediction that Matty Will he
one of the foremost OF the tWlrlers
again next season, his work in Cuba,
where he did not lose game, showing
plainly that his arm has not lost its
cunning.
Mathewson really pitched better bal IL
in the worlds series than he was
given credit for, but it was because OF
the weak hitting of the team behind
him that he went down to defeat. With
any kind of stickwOrk on the part OF
his teammates Matty would have come
out of that series with glory. notwith
standing the fact that he was pitted
against one of the best hitting teams
the game has ever developed
Manager Griffith's scheme to work only
his young pitchers in the exhibitor
games he has scheduled before the sea
son opens may put a damper on the en-
thusiasm of local fans for the TING be-
ing, for there are very apt to be a lot o.
defeats recorded unless these youngsters
are of a much higher caliber than i.
suspected and yet it is the proper thint
to do. 1t matters not how many eXhibi
ton games are lost If by reason OF play
ing them pitcher is developed or 1t /:
proven that none of the youngsters is
be better to lose exhibition games ant
get line on the pitching staff than tf
win them by working the old fellow:
and then learn during the regular season
| that none of the youngsters viii do
| Ii is hard to believe that the New
York club was serious in its claim
against the. national commission foi
| some hundreds of dollars for tickets
| that went astray in the mails. The
| chances are that there was some other
purpose behind this demand which will
develop later. Having assumed the
responsibility of handling the tickets
| the club naturally is responsible fol
| it's own actions, and to ask the com
mission to make good any discrep-
tancies is a huge joke. But the Brush
! system of getting people tangled vi
| may have prompted the demand which
| however. it would seem failed, since
| the commission refused to come across
| with the money wanted.
| Every winter the prediction is made
that Ty Cobb has seen his best days
| Last year it was stated that he haC
taken on so much weight that HI
| would be sure to lose his speed, and
| now it is the stage which threatens
to make Cobb an ordinary player. I'm.
fortunately for the other clubs. Cobb:
hoped-for deterioration lasts only dur
ing the off season. and as soon as the
bell taps he comes through in his usua
brilliant fashion.
When Charley Comskey allowed him
self to be induced to pick the creates
twenty ball Players" he got himself IL
a mess. In the first place he forgot t,
select Frank Chance OF the rival Chicag,
club and that started unfavorable com
Il at, though CommY handed out a post