The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-26
GAN MATTY AND VANGUARD 4
 BEAT BENDER AND COOMBS?

reason in man declaring the Athletics
 will win, or the Giants. Such argument
 is twaddle. Last fall, for instance, 15 or
 20 major league baseball experts, select
 ed the Cubs to trim the Athletics. We
 should rest content in the knowledge that there will. in all probab bilty, be series
 or brilliant games. with scores close, hits few and errors fewer It Is almost certainty that each team will win at l least two games, and 1t would cause little surprise if it required seven full games to determine the victorious entry. Fur thermore on account of the proximity Of Philadelphia to New York it would cause | little surprise were the attendance fig-
 ures to transcend all others that have ever been tabulated in world series.
 There is little doubt but that the ma | ioritv of the games will be pitched by
 Mathewson and Marquard, on the one | hand, and Bender and Coombs on the other Though Mathewson has not shown the form this season that he has demon- strated in others. he is still one of the most marvellous pitchers in the game to-
 day Bender is general par excellence and has a world of mysterious stuff which he has used with splendid effect for six years These two are the veteran pitch CTS of the teams-that is, the veterans of those who will be used more than once. The youngsters are Coombs and Mar auard Last season Coombs was the sen-
 sation of baseball and he won three games from the Cubs in the champion
 ship series While he has not shown poor form. as is generally the result with the star fingers of championship series in the following year, he has not done as bril-
 liant work or as fearful execution as in 1910, when his name caused fear through out the American league. On the other hand. Marquard, after laying dormant in the camp of the Giants for a couple of seasons. blossomed forth this spring and has shared with Alexander and Gregg the honor of being the real figure in the baseball world.
 It is unnecessary in our opinion 10 dis cuss the points of excellence possessed by the other players of the rival teams. Each aggregation has enough hard hit ters. dashing base runners, and finished flelders to win a worlds championship, if it's own pitchers show better form than the opposing boxmen. With teams on a practical parity, the outcome is almost invariably dependent on the pitchers. So the big question in baseball at the pres ent time is this and only this: Can Mathewson and Marduard beat Bender and Coombs? Answer that question cor reetly, and you have at your fingers end the name of the victor of the series.
 NGilntT lcdih Wal lAaNO dA oAN when the generals are considered. Cor nerilus McGillieurdy is the wisest man in baseball, but the man who approaches him as near as any other is John J. Me Graw.
 As far as We, are concerned we do not predict the winner. Our hope Is centered
 in the Athletics. There is a reason, too. Mack's team is made up of colle- glans and we always pull for the college boy against the man who has been pro fessional from the time of his weaning. And we have a certain fondness for Con nie for he has used his senses in collect ing his brilliant team, whereas all others depend solely on the length of their
 purses. There are many who do not agree We have no quarrel with them e H. w. R.