El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-08-26

Whatever their personal preJu-
= y diees. hates, and shortcomings
IN general it cannot be denied that
John J. McGraw. Frank Chance anu
Ered clarke are the three sturdy
I,,,sI-ateers of the National league. Ned
HanIon may have been d bear IN ms
dav-he surely proved it IN MS pen
nant trust activities in Baltimore anu
Brooklyn, but Ned has passed 70 Ine
great beyond as an approved Ieaoer %
modern baseball machinery ana IN HI9
venerable decline must rdOft MS cap ~
the little brotherhood of three VINO LOr
the past u years have had the Ma
tionaI league pennant policy all 10
themselves
Fred Clarke Holds Record.
Fred Clarke is the veteran OF the
trio and holds the record OF pennant
achievement. Since 1901 his cup mas
never finished before the first DIVISION
and in that time the Buccaneers nave
annexed our flags and one WorId
pennant Pittsburg won three gon-
falOns in a row, beginning III ISV1-
Then New York broke in for two sue
cesses in 1904 and 1905 respectively.
McCraW A newcomer in the National
league, had begun to make his presence
felt But his old team crumpled up
after their second straight victory IN
1905 Then came Mr. Chance, the peer
less leader, and present thorn IN the
Gotham He butted into the limelight
in 1906 with a record run of 116 VIC
tories for the season and though ne
took a very humiliting trimming at
the hands of his neighbOrs. the White
Sox. that fall in the worlds series
tilt, he nevertheless engineered such
an array of talent together that the
gathering of three pennants and two
worlds championships the following
seasons was simply matter OF FORM
The peerless leader fell down on the
Job in 1909, losing to Pittsburg, which,
in turn, defeated the Detroit Tigers
out of their third straight bid Tor a
worlds championship the Cubs having
turned the trick in 1907 and 1908 Nc
Graw. who has always been there or
whereabouts, was quite peeVed Oy TINS
time. He had been knocking about Tor
a team-of young blood It made gal
liant bid in 1910, but was not quite
seasoned enough, and when the Pirates
fell by the wayside in the stretch run
old "Husk" Chance and his Bear Cats
were found showing the way to the
field on a comfortable margin, grim
satisfaction that had some of its edge
taken off when the Athletics wallOped
the wadding out these same Cubs IN
the annual worlds series unpleasant
ness.
NcGraw was ready last year, though
His youngsters had just the proper
seasoning and when the Cub pitcher
went to pieces and old Hans Wagner
broke an ankle little Johnny OAdnlS
nosed out Chicago and Pittsburg for
the fine pennant raised at COoSans
bluff a few brief days ago That. ladies
and gentlemen, is a brief synopsis OF
the lives and accomplishments Of the
Three Little Musketeers Of the Ma
tional league.
Who VIII Win This Year.
Who will win the pennant this year
we will leave to the future 1t is very
true that each Of the important trio
of generals is at the head of a very
capable army. At this writing, in view
of his lead and the fact that he con-
cludes the series at home while his
adversaries are on the road, Mr. Nc
Graw seems to have a bit the better
chance Out Chicago way-Or Pitts
burg way for that matter-they will
tell you that Mr.. McGraw is a very
lucky young man. They will point
with pride to the manner in which the
Cubs and Pirates halted the Giants
after New York threatened a walk
over, and prove by a hundred differ
ent arguments that Gotham has not
the best team The best team re-
sides in either Chicago or Pittsburg,
according to whether it is a Smoky
City or Windy City enthusiast talking.
They will show by a hundred manners
that New York is lucky to have gained
such a lead, while the rest OF the field
was slumberinS. but any time the
tortoise beats the hare it has some
credit due.
New York may have been better con-
ditioned to start the season than any
competitor with the possible exception
of Cincinnati. Still. McGraw held no
injunction restraining his rivals from
getting into condition on the spring
trip And weather conditions in Mar
lin were just about as eXasperatinS as
any spot on the globe
EverS Blasts Hopes.
Anyhow McGraw deserved some luck
after the manner in which rude tech
nicality thwarted his pennant ambi-
tions in 1908. There was a pennant
earned if ever valor deserved reward I
But he didn't get it-nO, not ct all
Curses on you. Johnny Evers- That
regretful year by the way, proved one
of the most striking illustrations of
the real class of the Big Three in I
the National league. 1t was a nip and
tuck drive down the stretch among the !
New York. Chicago and PittsburS
clubs with the prospect of a possible !
triple tie. Had New York lost one of .
its games in the last series with BOs-
ton, and then beaten the Cubs in the /
famous pIayoff. the three clubs would I
have had identically the same stand /
ing and a three cOrnered playoff would 1
have been necessary with possibly no 4
worlds series that year When this /
possibility arose Fred Clarke had al |
ready disbanded his club. but he game /
" issued 9 call for his forces to be |
in readiness to accept thu issue il 1t /
became necessary.
That 1908 episode is responsible fer 4