The Washington herald., 1912-10-06


10 to s to 2 to 1. This situation j:
but rather an encouraging feature
of the outlook. In my opinion, the
club which is the favorite in .
worlds series is under a big handi-
cap. There is lot of psychology
in it.
Youngsters ON Team.
THE Boston team is made up of young
PLAYERS, most of whom are entering
their FIRST worlds series They viii
start in the opening game with the idea
IN their heads that they are the iavor,
ties in the betting, and that great oea
Is expected of them, and that IT VIII Dc
a great disgrace If they lose atter nav
ing SO encouraged confidence as to RUE
betting favorites. Such nouons ae
liable TO hurt the playing OF the team
7 believe that the fact the ODDS Were
on the Giants last year in the series
with the Athletics did the club no gooo,
II Is bound to affect young men, even II
they do not realize II.
Rut see under what different circum-
stances the Giants enter the series this
fan. They have everything 10 gam ano
nothing 10 lose. The other club Is the
win by the majority. By reading the
daily papers, they have found out In
facts and figures exactly why they can
not win. where 1t is physical impossi-
bility to expect victory. The games nave
ALI been played over in percentages, ana
III il were not for Disappointing re"
thousand fans who have purchased ucA-
cts. and If it were not that soine " ..e
boys will be glad of their share OF tne
worlds series money this winter, II
might be well to call the games on now
and let politics have chance In tne
papers. Why, / read story the othef
day in which a baseball writer win an
obsession for figures showed accurately
exactly why Hooper will be 10 per cent
better than Murray in the comins
series. and that was one of the smahest
Iariances between two players in the
same positions on the opposing teams
therefore, the Giants go into the series
determined to win because they are MOI
the fayorites- II has stirred up the nsh'
in them. i never saw a ball club SO con-
ffdent of victory before a worids series'
and, after all, IL is spirit whicn wins
short tests. An example Of this devei-
oped when Larry Gardner the heo
sox's third baseman. hurt his nnger
coI,nIa of weeks ago. It was at first re-
Horted that the finger was broken, ana
that he would be out of the big games
But later IL was found that the nnger
was only slightly strained. and That II
would not interfere with his playing at
all. The BOYS were talking about II IN
the clubhouse.
II wish Gardner had broken his hand
so that he could have been out sure,
said young man who had recently join
ed the team from a minor league.
There was a shout of protest.
Sa,t he NJ want To win
ball games.'' said one regular.
81 want to see him in there with every
thing he's got" said another. when
we grab that series, we don't want any
excuses"
That's the way the Giants feel. They
are sure they are going to beat Boston.
and they want to beat the best Boston
team.
Managers See Teams.
Both rival managers have seen the
other team play within the last week,
and neither has gained much information,
so far as I know. McGraw usually pre-
fers snap Judgment. but he went to
washington last week and later TO Phila-
delphia to watch the Red Sox in action.
He preferred to see them In, Philadel-
phia because Connie. Mack had prom
ised to show Stahl all that he knows
about the Giants style of play and to-
use the New York system as far as pos
sfble. I accompanied McGraw to Phiia-
delphia to get look at the batters. but.
when you grind the thing right down.
such preliminary observations do not do
a man much good.
For instance. by watching the Red Sox
play. may get a line on how some of
the batters step and figure their weak
ness from that, but the conclusions are
uncertain. It's hard to find out a mans
flaws by watching him from the grand
stand. One game on the field Is worth
months in the stand. It has always been
my experience that the advertised weak
nesses of a club are never the real ones
when It comes to a test.
stahl has had scouts watching the
Giants for several weeks now, and he
himself was In the stand at q couple
of the contests last week. He did not
say what he had found out, but he did
not see much baseball. The series, as
all series of the sort. Is going to be
largely q question of pitchers, with the
decision going to which ever team can
supply the best batting to support its
twirlers and the best fielding to give
the man in the box confidence In short,
first, the pitcher must prevent base hits
and. second. the team must make thel
most of it's opportunities. II a pitcherl
starts out and is hit all over the park,
then his club has no chance OF winnitg
But II he can hold his opponents to a.
run or two, then 1t is up to the team
10 play the baseball at the bat and iinl
the field which will win for him That
Is how such a series Is a question Of
pitchers. But pitching will win no games,
and good pitching will only win with
support
The two leading pitchers to be dis
cussed in the public prints and IN cafes
and at other points where knots Of fansi
to talk It over are TesreauI
and Wood-"smolxy Joe" they call him
In the papers. 1T seems to be a fore
gone conclusion among the devotees oil
the game that these two men win work.
In the first battle. From evesy source
which has supplied the Giants with
news We have obtained the informationl
that the Boston batters are weak aseaansti
zpitbail pitchers. That has been theI
consensus Of opinion Of all our ti,pinRl
bureaus. Box scores bear the reportsI
put Against Ford and Mcconnell, oil
the New York American League club on
Labor Day the Red Sox were very dif-l
ferent. according to reports have seenI
Mcconnell pitch. He works his slowI
ball and his splitter all the time, seldom