The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-11-07
Athletics Look Like
Club Nationals Must
Beat Out for Pennant
BOSTON IS NOT COUNTED UPON TO repeat.
ALTHOUGH H MAJORITY OF REMNANT
WINNERS HAVE DONE so.
(By Joe 8. Jackson.)

(By Joe 8. Jackson.)
Chicago. Nov. 7.--Around the coun-
try. now that they have finished dis
cussing n dissecting the world se-
ries. the one topic of speculation in
American league centers is the prob
able winner of the 1918 pennant, and
the possible chances that the WASH
ington club may be the lucky organi-
cation. The Nationals We're a senti-
mental. IL not a betting. favorite for
the flag all during the latter half of
tho past season. Judging from what
the writer has heard in the last ten
days. in a trip touching q half dozen
cities that have clubs entered in the
next race. the we'll wishes that were
given Griffith and his club this year
carry over to the next contest. They
arc more hopes than Predictions, Of
course. But many fans incline to the
belief that. with a break in the luck,
Washington nay further outrage ira
dition. and force the building Of tenn
porary stands at Seventh and Florida
venue along about October ] next.
Anybody who lives in or near the
District Of Columbia will wisha that
this may prove so. But Gritiith's team
will have its work cut out for it from
the tart. When the Nationals start
ed their great streak, toward the end
OF May last, they were not given Sc
rious consideration. Their run Of vic
tories was regarded as a flash in the
pan, n they were looked to do the
same thing that other Washington
teams had done-fade away after a
brief show of form. They had a first
division berth cinched before any
body's alarm clock started ringing.
Next season they will be feared. and
fought. from the start. And they cam
not hope for another seventeen
straight, such as put them in the 1912
race. On the other hand. they should
make a better start than they did this
year. 1t was Memorial day before
they did anything. Six weeks were
wasted.
Boston, in the opinion of the writ
er. will not repeat. Ii 1t fails 1t wall
violate ~precedents. Inc Boston clup
OF 1903 came back in 1904. The De-
troit team of 1907 repeated in 1908
and 1909. Connie Mack Won in both
1910 and 1911. So in ten seasons the
failures to repeat are limited t. the
Athletics of 1905, and to the White
Sox of 1906. The belief that Boston
will not be u two-time victor is based
on he presumption that Stahl's men
cannot again go through a complete
season without a slump. and that
Wood. who pitched. his team to the
pennant. will not be able to do the
work in 1913 that he did this year.
Had the Red Sox suffered one little
run Of hard luck. no one knows what
might have happened. But the chanc-
es are that either Washington or the
Athletics would have won the race.
1t is fair to that Boston would
have been slow to come back. 1t was
off its stride at Washington, ten days
before the world series started. and 1t
was no. back on its feet when that Sc
ries ended. nearly three weeks later.
Had Hooper been crippled, or WaE-
ner disabled. New York would now
be the champion of the world. 1t
was a tight squeeze, as everybody
knows. Each of these players saved
one game single-handed, and helped
to win others.
Mack's team is likely to be the
one that Washington will have to beat
to win the flag. Consider the thing
impartially. weigh all of the facts. and
the Athletics should again be the IA
vorites 70 rthe big honors. But for
conditions that never have been fully
exploited to print. the Athletics al
most undoubtedly would have won
for a third time. Attacks of swollen
craniums and failure to observe train
ing rules put the Athletics out Of II.
At time attire the season was we'll
advanced. they had a possible chance.
But 1t was then too late. and they
could not come hack. az they did the
year previous. when thev cut down
a bigger Detroit lead than Boston
possessed at the time referred to.
In Mack's case the question appears
to concern itself principally with the
pitching. II the veteran leader gets
slab work he has a grand chance to
win. There will be no midnight joy
riding by his club mex season, and
there will be an abstinence from the
cup that cheers. Either that or some
landmarks will disappear. And Mack
is preparing himself for the latter
contingency. One thing that he does
not have to concern himself about is
his inield-the one really high-class
department of his team. These are
all youngsters. mostly good actors.
and all amenable to discipline. It is
"a quartet whose hitting strength.
backed by ordinary batting elsewhere.
makes it possible for the team to win
with pitching a little less classy than
that a team like Washington must
possess. The Athletics outf1eld never
was first class. and suffered greatly
by the loss Of Danny Murphy. But
even II his captain does n play.
Mack has Oldring. Strunk. and Mag
gert. Of his veteran forces. and young
Murphy and Walsh Of the juniors. he
sides some recruits. Flo can get a
fai~ sat NJ gardeners from his bunch.
Pitching. as said. is the thing that
will concern the leader Of the Attn
letics. Coombs was not especially
good this past season. md is likely
to have a big year in 1913. Bender
has learned his lesson. and may be
expected to do good work when used.
Plank cannot work often. but Is still
hard to beat when pitched once in
Ave days or once in four days II he