The Detroit times., 1912-10-03
GIANTS MUST
STOP SPEAKER
TO WIN TITLE
Unless History Repeats Itself
This Will BE an Impos-
. sible Task
GOT TO MATHEWSON
IN A FORMR SERIES
) During Inter-City Contests
Speaker Made Average
of 600

The Giants must stop Trss Speaker
to win the worlds baseball cham
pionship.
This is conceded by friends of the
National league, and 1t is supported
by facts and figures. Stopping Speak
er may give the Giants an expert
: ehce similar TO that OF the tenderfoot
who tried to hopple a cyclone, IL
American league rooters are to be
taken seriously.
Still there is one big precedent in
favor OF the Giants-world's series
. history shows that the stars have al
ways failed to deliver.
Hugh Jennings calls 1t the
psychology of the worlds series"
that the great should aviate and the
unsung ones shine.
Eddie Collins was expected to star
last fall. He did not. His work was
mediocre. The star was Frank Baker
OF Trappe.
To Iris Speaker. valued by Hugh
Jennings at $4,000 and cheap at
that, who this year has shared bat
ting and fielding honors with Ty
Cobb, that other speed marvel from.
Dixie, is banked upon to lead the as
sault upon the National league cham
pions, stand as a solid wall on the
defense and rampage around the
bases like a bull moose in the spring
time.
IL. l.
he accomplishes all OF these things,
but he will land a knockout punch IL
he is the man TO put the dent in
precedent.
, One thing in favor of Speaker is
experience. He is no longer
youngster. He has been through the
FIRE Of one important series-the In
tercity games between New York and
Boston in 1909.
And In that series--pause and pom
der-Speaker got to the then peer
less Mathewson for six hits In eight
3 times at bat and in the 20 times he
was at bat In the series he made 12
hits, an average for the series of
900.
Stopping Speaker is apt TO pile up
the Giants OH the field until the re-
mains resemble that misguided hero
who in yester years tried to stop
flying wedge, when flying wedges
were the popular means OF assassina-
tion of football heroes
: Unless Speaker falls a victim OF
that uncanny influence that has
downed so many stars in the all-im-
portant series, he will lead the red
hosed crew on a regular Boston tea
party, just as he has led them in the
league race.
Speaker has hit consistently all
season His average has lowered
around 400 since early spring Upon
one occasion he went hitless for three
games. Again he missed connecting
for two days. He gets his hits as
regularly as hospital patient gers
medicine. He Is the gang boss OF the
greatest wrecking crew ever put to-
gether In baseball, and all pitchers
look alike to him.
The American league pitchers-and
there are no better than Walter John
son, Ed Walsh, Vean Gregg, Russell
Ford and Earl Hamilton-failed to
stop the champions at bat or, with
the aid OF the catchers. on the base
lines. II is unlikely New York pitch
ers will do better.
II is probable that McGraw will go
into the series without much assist
ance from the erratic Marquard Rube
hasn't been OF much use since he won
10 straight and since his marriage to
Sherley Kellogg he has been about as
valuable as a last seasons bird nest
His marriage has aroused the wrath
OF McGraw and IL is said Rube will
not be used in the series unless ne
cessity compels.
This puts the winning up to Tes-
. reau and Mathewson, apparently.
Mathewson is not the pitcher he was
a few years ago and from experience,
Boston has no fear of him. Tesreau
is an unknown quality, but his most
ardent admirers admit he is unsteady
and has little that a hitting team like
the Red Sox need fear.