Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-11-15
LOVE Of NAZUMA
CAUSED GIANTS
DOWN. ALL
By Sam Crane.

eral of them, developed among
the Giants in the last worlds Sc
ries?
That is a question that was ar
sued pro and con in recent fan
fest between several baseball fans
ana payers AT an uptown resort
,sst week where lovers of base
ball are wont to congregate to win
winter championships, dilate on
the strength of various teams, COM
mare different managers, clubs and
nIayers. try to transform the great
national game and Chew the rag
in general.
Strange to say, the players of
the party. two of whom partici-
lated in last seasons pennant
aces we're the ones who were the
most fnsistent that the yellow
streak materialized and lost the
Giants the gonfalon, emblematic of
the championship of the universe.
Snodqrass Not Blamed.
Snodgrass was not accused of
showing the tainted strain. be-
rause. as one player said, any
body is liable to muff a ball, even
On the easiest kind of a fly"
Fletcher and, Merkle, however,
did not escape so easily, for their
mistakes in the last inning-the
tenth. of the eighth and deciding
gane-were claimed to be due to
their failures to try for fly balls
that they could easily have reach
ed had they not deliberately quit.
FIetcher's fault of omission was
in starting for a fly hit over his
head into short left center, and
then when by an extra effort he
could have reached the ball, he
stopped, thereby losing all chance
to catch it and also mixed up both
Snodgrass and Murray, either of
whom might have got to the ball,
thereby causing them to cease try
ing for the catch.
MerlIle, it was claimed by the
fanfesters, made no attempt at all
to get a foul fly by Speaker and on
a bail that he usually "eats up" on
high was the fly, too, that Meyers,
who ran all the way from behind
the plate, missed reaching the ball
by inches only, and the chief is no
sprinter.
MerkIe and Fletcher, GuiI+v
1t was decided that faults of
omission, in not sticking to the
ball" showed the yellow streak
most decisiveIy. and that Fletcher
and Nerlde were the guilty ones.
Both Fletcher and Merkle We're
nervous; there is not the least
doubt of that; but nervousness does
not necessarily brand any player as
yellow"
What ! think was the chief
cause of those players failing in the
pinch was that the money differ
ence between the winners and
losers end was so big that when the
plays came to Merkle and Fletcher
To- cinch the big end the responsible
ity put up to them was too much,
and they weakened under the
strain.
| can remember that some Of the
highest wads" among them talk
ed between themselves as to what
players ought to be entitled to full
share of the worlds series receipts
and those who should get smaller
"divvys.' And, mind you, this was
going on when the season was not
half over They were money mad,
nothing else
Slump Broke Their Nerve
Then when their slump came.
and they dropped from their big
lead 10 4 paltry one of four games
and a half those were surely the
uoublous times. The non spenders
ughtened up closer than ever;
took to trolley cars or shanks'
mare: wouldn't even buy newspa-
ners lost pounds in weight and
went around with pinched drawn
faces. Woebegone and sick at heart.
They saw all that money they
had counted over so often gradually
drifting away from them They
were shattered mentally and phys
leaI0y They had lost their nerve,
ana wondered why they couldn't
win their games. They We're play
ing their money instead of base
ball.
Now, is it any wonder. thinking
as much of money as they did
dreaming about it, i'm fact-th1t
1hen the time came that they saw
$1,000 ebbng away from each into
the pockets Of the Red SoX, they
became nervous during the worlds
series?
1t was nervous streaks, not vel
low ones, that cost them the
worlds championship
But where does the difference
come in?" may be asked.
It's beyond me.
AATTY MCINTYRE BEST