Evening star., 1912-02-04
BY j. ED GRILLo.

campaign. 1t is fact that the team i'm
ished seventh last year, and tha; a let
of changes have been made possible in
the lineup but just what effect this will
have on the teams strength and showing
the coming season no one is in position
10 say. One might venture the reelection
that the new men will be worse than
the old. but that is not particularly en-
couraging Even if it WAS assured that
the team will be stronger this year than
il was last il does not follow that it will
ainish higher. for while Griffith has been
busy and seems to have laid lines for gen
eral Improvement. his rivals have by no
means been Idle. On paper every one ofthe
other seven teams has been strengthened
since the last pennant race. This even
ar3lieS to the athletics. who should win
the next flag in Il common canter IN
less several of the regulars are incapaci-
tated and unable to play.
Boston, with Stahl back and Gardner
shifted 10 third. loo!!s 10. better than
last year This is also true of Cleveland.
Eyen Detroit can be worse for tie Ii
gtrs have the old pitching staff and j
whole lot OF youngsters to draw from.
Chicago with Jimmy Callahan al the
lie ad and q few good changes in the line
up, may be dangerous. -. Louis could
not be worse than last season. ana on its
showing against the Cardinals in the re-
cent pOSt-Sea2o on series the Browns might
be better.
New York, with a new leader and a
bunch OF Youngsters 20 Craw from, hg-
ares TO do better in general way, so
that If these calculations be correct the
To;.,. for the Nationals will be even naTd-
er 20 travel this year than heretofore
TEe question naturally arises as - tie
percentage that the team has been i'm
proved. There is no way To figure tn.s,
ITt.n n nj AN n
show, but il will have to be cons idei;i.j e
bcfcre there is even possible hope al il
finishing higher than neVenth. LAST Year
>.Nty-four games were won and nlnet|
lost. for a percentage of .iff New Iork
was sixth with an even brca., haviaS
Won as many games as ii lost. 70 make
that good "a showing the Nationals would
have to win thirteen more games than
they did IN the last re- ce and the team
would nave to be considerably improved
To accomplish this
There is undoubtedly lot of luck in
base bal. but it is pretty safe TO say
during a schedule of 10. games the fuck
about breaks even. SO that actual
strength is wnat counts. 1t vas OF
course a bad break to have Waiter John
son out of form early in the season. He
would have won five Or siX more games
if he had been fit. for in most OF the
games which he lost during the tirst
few weeks Of the season his teammates
hit exceptionally We'll and scored enough
runs to win with ordinary twirling.
Granting that johnson "a at n.Glself
from the outset next spring. there mey
be difference in the Nationals favor
of four or five games, but that a. not
enough to improve the teams standing
or Offset the Improvement that is be-
lieved to have taken place in the other
teams. OF course, If there should be an
unexpected collapse on the part of one
or two of the other teams and they
should fall below the .5oe mark, there
would be hope. but this is rather flin1sy
grounds on which to build expectations
On the face of the entire proposition
those speculatively inclined have a per-
feet right to lay good odds that the Ma
tiouals do not finish higher than ,ast
Year. This does not mean that it is IL
hope ess caye. hut is simply sized up on
PAST performance. and the fact that at
this time no one can have correct esti-
mate OF any. if any. improvements that
have been made in the team
1t is mighty easy and in fact a rather
pleasant diversion to sit back and figure
out certain lineup for the team and
credit eacI player with a high average.
but ball games are not Won in that
fashion and the actual deliVerance Of the
goods alone brings about desired re-
suits. Griffith may have the material
10 give tfis city team of which it can
be proud. but if he has he doesn't KNOW
IL, ncr does any one else.
Ii does not require d remarkable
stretch of lima gnatiou nor an abundance
OF loyalty to the club to figure how this
Or that player Will have improved BY
next season. out unfortunately these
dreams do not always come true In
base ball there is really no dope which
can lee relied upon unless 1t is to give
assurance that u team which is plainly
out-classed will be beaten out by the
majority OF its rivals
TIL Very first proposition which con-
fronts Griffith is one which involves the
hitting of his team 1t is very plain
that unless this department is strength
ened there is but little hope unless Grif-
nth has an entire staff of WaltereIohn-
sans to use on the rubber. Last year
the team finished next to last in hitting.
but Uutfielded Boston. New York and
St Louis Not only must Griffith lind IL
couple OF 800 batters To help Milan out
in the outfield, but he must find at least
two batters of ABOUT that ca liber to fill
in on the iniield. And when all that
is done ii should not be forgotten that
it takes more than one good pitcher to
carry aaeam along.
Building up ball team is not an easy
task. No matter how much money may
bc az Il managers disposal he cannot
give assurances that he will have 4
winner.
will improve his team he Is lucky and
this is not intended to reflect on his
ability manager. for there is hardly
a doubt as to his capabilities. But any
club which happens to drop INTO a batch
of good bah players can thank its lucky
stars for the very good reason that only
very small percentage Of the players
VINO are tried out every year make
good. OF course II II happens that Grif-
fith is able to select a couple of stars
for the outfieid and something on the
order of Collins and Baker for his in
field then his team will be made, for
II would give him n nucleus around
which il would not take much to make
contender for the flag. But these
dfop-inS are 80 rare. Once i'll a while
il happens, hut when you stop to con-
slider that of the enormous number of
players that the sixteen ma ior league
clubs pick up every fall and try out
every spring 1t would be impossible to
select Il single team which could hold
It's own III a big league race it becomes
plain that II is not an easy matter to
improve a loser into a winner
There is no occasion for any one to
fall for the next year baln," for under
even favorable conditions 1t will REQUIRE
Griffith or any other man several years
to turn this team into q first division
contender. OF course surprises are con-
stantly bobbing up in base ban. The un-
expected often happens though for some
reason or other none OF the local teams
has ever been benefited by these mira
cles. There Is. however. some encour-
agement to be found In the fact that
the right man to handle the situation.
1t seems assured that he viii set every.