The Washington herald., 1912-09-15
Boston Red Sox Picked
To Win Worlds Series
Beaneaters Have Played More Consistent Ball Than
Giants and Have Outfield Which Entirely
Outclasses That of McGraw.
Y BY EDDIE COLLINS.

\
BY EDDIE COLLINS.
second Baseman o< the Athietic.
Perhaps, inasmuch as have played
against both the Giants and the Boston
Red Sox. am in a position to make
some comparisons and draw deductions
as 10 the relative strength OF the two
clubs in the worlds series. Before I
launch on any such illuminating discus
sion. however. I want to say that COM
pairing two clubs IN short series is the
hardest thing in the world to do accu-
| rately.
A team may have played consistent
ball all summer and strike it's slump in
/, just the week OF the most important
series, as the best clubs will do. Where
as the opposing club may have played
in-and-out ball through the season. but
| run Into a whirlwind gait for the series
and breeze through with the games.
Therefore, In a set of FIVE or six or even
seven contests, IL Is hard to make COM
parsons on past performances, and any,
thing / may say is subject to the sudden
changes Of form likely to develop in such
series.
OF course. ] think that the Red sox
have a better chance TO take the worlds
title than the Giants Cor many reasons.
First Of all, I am an American Lacquer.
and next they beat the Athletics, which
proves concfusively that IL is good ball
club But aside from these two more or
less general reasons, i honestly believe
that the Red Sox Will take the cham
pionship. and / think that / would be
of the same mind II were a National
Lacquer. and tried to be honest with my
self and not be Influenced by my natural
sympathies. Many National Leaguers.
am sure, egree with me in selecting the
Red Sox as the winners.
Have Played Consistent Ball.
The dope gives them all the best OF
it. They have played very much more
consistent ball all summer than the
Giants-evener ball They did not have
their ups and downs as the Giants did,
but IL was steady pull all the way.
Therefore, the Red Sox are more liable
to be in their best form in the worlds
series than the Giants, as they have
shown no signs of breaking all summer
while the Giants have been good one day
and very bad the next. 1 always prefer
the club that shows the smoothest form.
The Boston team is a great all-around
ball team, as good, IL not better, than
the Athletics were when We won the
championship from the Giants last fan.
I do not think that the Giants are any
better. l have heard many capable
critics declare that they did not consider
the New York club to be as good
Many of the Boston players have great
ly improved in individual form this sea-
son under the inspiration of Stahl, and
the desire to keep up with the pace OF
a winning ball club. The most notable
among these Is Larry Gardner, / think.
He is one of the best third basemen, II
not the very best, IN the American
League to-day, and when he was on sec
ond he was only fair to middling. SHOW
ing him over to third seems to have made |
a ball player Of him. He is one Of the
hardest hitters on the team, and with |
Speaker, both left-handed swingers, ]
expect to see him discourage many a
uded pitcher in the series, espe- |
ciaI'y Mathewson. These two batters are
liable to hit Matty hard.
Sox OutheId Better.
There is no room for comparison be- |
tween the outfelds. Stacking the Red |
Sox's outfeld up against the Giants is /
like ranging a tug alongside a battle
ship; perhaps not quite as bad as that. |
but almost The Boston club has one
Of the best outfields that ever appeared |
in baseball. All of them are fast field
ers, hard hitters, and sure throwers. All |
of them are quick thinkers and heady |
ball players, as well. 1t Is one OF the I
great outfields of baseball. Hooper and 1
and Speaker was never better. II has
been his hitting and his fielding which
have done so much for the team. He /
has habit of delivering in the pinches.
The Giants are weak in the outfield. |
Day after day this season I have picked
up the paper to see that one or the
other of the three fielders had dropped /
a fly or let the ball get by him, and I
had cost tie New York club. the game.
The men are uncertain. Becker, for in
stance, who will in all probability play
opposite Speaker in center field. is an |,
erratic fielder and hitter He will make
4 couple of circus catches, and then drop l
the ball when 1t is right in his hands, II
and he is camped under IT, Snodgrass
is another in-and-out player, who seems II
to get excited in a big series like the
short one for the worlds championship /
He is so anxious to win that he hurts
his own playing by his anxiety. He does
not compare with Duffy Lewis. the i
steady master of his job, who is a sure
fielder and a terrific hitter now. 1t is
how he has improved in bait
ling this summer. II
An instance of Snodgrass' anxiety was
evident in the spiking of Baker in the
series with the Athletics last fall. III
never did believe that the New York
had done that Intentionally or
with the desire to cut out third base
man DOWN, Dut IN MS excitement ne did
not stop to think that het had no chance
to get into the bag, and he Just threw
himself at It. feet first. To rehash a
little ancient history. that second spik-
ng would never have occurred II Snod-
grass had exercised a little more Judg-
ment I'M running the bases. He tried to
go from second TO third on a short Il
passed bali. after he had turned toward
second and lost his start. 1t was all
iue 10 excitement. SnodgIass is not a
good ball player for a short series, be-
,ause he Is too highly strung, and is
liable to fall down through worry
Murray a Good Man.
Murray. Ia my opinion. is the best out
ielder that McGraw possesses in spite
If the fact that he did not get a hit j
n the last worlds series. He was Just ]
is all He is not the sort
" ball player who let's a series get L
IN his nerves He In one of the kind
Who says: Now I've got my chew of 4
obacco; let her 60" 1
Nothing worries him. but he met a
hitting slump at an unfortunate time
asst fall, and many persons thought that
le was a bad ball player for that rea- =
on. Any man Is liable to strike a :
lump. once saw ""Ty'' Cobb, the best
md most natural hitter in baseball, go i
o the bat seventeen times without get
ing a hit. He was meeting the hail q