The Detroit times., 1911-12-02
Says They Lost This Year Only
BY a Fluke and That They
Will Come Back.
ATHLETICS TO BE SECOND.
Boston Is a Team That Will
Have to Be Watched Closely
In 1912.
BY TY COBB.
Sporting Editor, Pro Tenn, Atlanta
Journal.

Journal.
One OF the matters of most inter
est In baseball now is the outcome
American league. or course, | must
be biased in my selection for first
place, but / firmly believe that De
troit will be the winner next year.
The second position | give to Phila-
delphia; the third will be filled by
Boston and the fourth should belong
TO the White Sox. Cleveland should
be the next selection. New York fol-
lows Cleveland. and Washington
should follow New York. with the
lowly St Louis Browns finishing last
My reason for thinking that Detroit
Twill win the pennant is that | honest
~ believe We lost on fluke last year
Our first baseman got his arm broken
by one of Coombs' fast shoots in the
SIND game OF the season, up to which
Time we had won &c and lost only 6
games. indicating the class OF the
Tub
I'VE had showed Philadelphia I'M
er In the two games just preceding
hat In which Gamer the first sack
r. was injured. Gamers injury, OF
curse, necessitated our placing Del
hanty, second baseman on first,
nd when he began TO lose games by
his inexperience. II knocked out that
apreme confidence, that the Detroit
tam was endowed with, lacking
mich our play lost its decisiveness,
aid we gradually lost our grip. or
course, after the team started going
badly the pitchers lost their grip, and
tie entire crew in general was de-
mbralized However. at times we
slp~ed that latent strength and fight
Ing spirit that the Detroit team Is
nded for. doing we'll. think. by fin
isalng a good second, winning the
series from every club In the league.
net excepting Philadelphia, with one
eMeption-the New York Highland
ers. who beat us badly.
think we will have the same team
with the same strength and determin-
alton to show that last year We lost
only on a fiuke. Philadelphia. having
had a winner for two consecutive
years, will probably rest on its
laurels and will not be quite so de-
termined in It's play as II was the
last two years. We have strength
ened ourselves, OF course, this year
by getting several promising pitchers
and outfielders, and l think Detroit
win be well fortified with young
blood. ataa UNf AL 9"r
As to Philadelphia: They have not
secured many young men. The pitch
ig staff, while they did good work
4 the worlds series, TO my way OF
linking. did not seem to do any more
van they did In the regular sea
bn, when they were hammered hard
v the American league hitters. II
Dpeared that the National league
orlds series did not have the abil-
TO solve our American league
itching, and ] cannot believe that
g National league batters and pitch
; have the ability that those of the
nerican league had.
The pitchers OF the Athletics have
en- through several gruelling cam
Igns, and do not believe that they
II be nearly as good this year as
lore. They have Coombs, who has
an overworked, and Bender and
INK. who are getting old In the
ne. II any one of these three
uld not live up to their last years
rtation the Athletics chances are
a. and the teams that were easy
them last year will show marked
shgth and Improvement for the
ctng year. putting the Philadelphia
eh In trouble at the beginning of
tliseason. They have men in the
oieid who won't get any better.
wv. the White Sox will be hard
&c, to down at all times next year,
blhhet have not much chance 10
inoNel and -cannot be selected as
coendtrs for the American league
pant. The fact Is that their out
Il, is made up OF men who came
bk" this year very successfully.
Ifeyer, IL you will follow the dope,
will see that men, old In the
ane, like Callahan and Mcintyre,
70 come back and do good work,
onot be depended upon to follow 1t
in the next year. For this reason
40 not believe that the outfield
,ength OF the White Sox, as 1t
owed this year, will be repeated in
H. They have fine pitching stan
id an excellent infeld Harry Lord,
my estimation. being more valu-
Die third baseman for all seasons
ork than any other man in the game
day. I think that the selection OF
allahan for manager Is improve
emit over ex-Manager Duffy OF last
ar. Naturally, Duffy was handi-
pped by having to act on others
kgestions.
Now. Boston put in third position,
n they are likely to be the surprise
cfhe whole league and finish higher
1ey we're hard to beat all this year.
"a they were handicapped by many
afdents to their star players, and
bthe lack of a capable first baseman
shny time last season. Even with
pstched up infleld they were always
hard proposition for any club. and
ith the addition of Jake Stahl, a
bnderful hrst baseman and hard hit
sr as manager. and with ex.Man.
ger McAleer always close at hand,
Is president and part owner OF the
Boston club, I think the management
bf the club has certainly not lost any
thing by making the change. They
have wonderful young pitcher In
CrBrien. who win prove tower OF
strength to them this year.
r.