The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-03
AO l HE IS Both Contenders Have Great Ability, But SOx Should Conquer in the End BATTERY WILL PLAY AN IMPORTANT PART Red Sox Hurlers Are Dependable. Matty Is Going Backward and
 Marquard and Tesreau
 Are Erratic
By (. W. GREER

uals who compose both aggregations, | their official records in every department
 of the game, and after admitting the ! great defensive and offensive ability of
 each, present indications seem to point
 to the Boston Red Sox as the next
 worlds champions.
 Both teams compose a great aggrega-
 ton of ball tossers Both are well manz
 aged, and both have easily shown their
 superiority in their respective leagues.
 That the series will be one of the hard
 est fought in the history of the game is
 granted, but in the end the followers of
 Jakey stahl should conquer.
 Giants Going Backward
 The Red Sox, the champions of the
 American league, are coming-the Giants, 1 with all of their baseball ability, are un- doubtedly going backward. They hays
 been great team, they are yet a great 1 team, but the strain of pennant races and l championship contests is beginning to tell
 upon their playing. Already Math6Vson,
 one of the greatest hurlers that tho
 game has ever produced, has reached tho
 zenith Of his ability, and is undoubtedly
 on the backward path. Had he the great 1 endurance of former years. and could l face the Sox with his full ability in two
 or more contests, the result would prob
 ably be different. But it is not probable he can maintain his former pace in the
 strenuous struggles of the coming series,
 as one of the chief abilities of the Amer
 ican contenders lies in their ability to
 work the opposing pitcher The fact that the Giants have had the experience of previous worlds series struggles. should not injure the chance
 of the Red Sox to any considerable | tent It will be remembered that in 1909 l a I1pf fpor xxrffh fatfr ch,fS ,Sx- perlence in championship contests, went
 down in defeat before the Pittshurg pi-
 rates. The experience of a worlds series
 struggle would only be materially valu-
 able to team which is meeting an az
 gregation for the second time in these contests.
 The Hitting Department l In the hitting department, the writer
 comedies the laurels to the National
 leaguers. Not by any considerable mar | gin. but facing the same class of twirl- | ing, the Giants as a whole would prob ably have higher percentage than the 1 Red Sox. This concession Is made on the
 official averages of both clubs while i facing the ciasslest hurlers of their
 respective leagues. But even here there 1 is possibility for doubt It is hardly pos
 sibe that the Giant sluggers have faced
 in the National league hurlers with the
 ability of Ed Walsh, Walter Johnson, Van | ception of Walsh, these, men have been
 consistently defeated by American cham pons
 l The base running ability goes to the , Giants as far as records are concerned, I but it may well be argued that the work of Carrigan ct al. will handicap the Ma | tionals considerably in their attempts to
 purlon the sacks in the coming series. l In fielding ability the advantage is | evidently with the American league de- l lenders.
 l The Boston outfield stands head and shoulders above that of any club in the world today. They are sure felders, hard hitters. excellent base runners and com pose brainier bunch of players than l do the Giant gardeners.
 1 In the infield. with the hitting honors l conceded to the Giants, and the fielding fonors given to the Red Sox, honors are
 about even. The team work of both is
 brilliant. Individually their work is al-
 most unsurpassed, and it is therefore
 hard 10 concede an advantage to either contender in this department.
 Battery Work Important It is generally conceded that the bat tery work will play most important
 part in the series. Here. the writer be- lievcs the Red Sox excel ana upon this point mainly is his opinion based that the American leaguers will carry off the | honors of the conflict.
 Wood, O'Brien, Collins. Bendient and Hall represent most formidable corps of hurlers. Their work has been an inn portant factor in placing the Sox where
 they are today, and it is the belief of the writer that they will prove stumbling
 block to the Giants aspirations. On the other hand. McGraws chief assets are | Mathewson, Marauard and Tesreau Mathewson, as has been previously ob- served. is on the decline. Marquard and Tesreau, while both are hurlers of con ceded ability, are cratic and independ- able. Should TeMeau appear at his best in the games in which he is to work against the Sox, with his splitter working and with control. he will prove the most formidable opposition which the Giants | can offer. In his splitter he possesses the one ball which the American champions have trouble hitting. Marquard may re- | turn to his departed form, and work well against the Red Sox. but on the other hand he is just as liable to be driven | from the box in the early innings. In other words, he can't be depended upon | to work consistently. Matty. the peer
 less veteran. should go well against the Sox in every game in which he pitches.
 His great headwork will make him a for midable contender for the Boston hit | ters His work will be dependable. but it | is scarcely possible that he can display | the old time form to tile extent of conhs- l tently downing his younger opponents. l He may win his first game provided he | Is not pitted against Joe Wood in the 1 initial contest, but after that he will be
 working under great handicap, and will have great trouble In winning from
 the Americans.
 l SOx Hurlers Dependable | Opposite to the Giants situation. the Red Sox slab corps should go well in every contest. They will not win them all. but they cap be depended upon to
 make a creditable showing in every l game.
 l Here lies their advantage Their team mates will have confidence in their abil- | ity and can work on the supposition that 1 they can depend upon them in every contest. With the Giants it is different. With the exception of Mathewson. either
 twirler is liable to blow" at any minute of the game.
 | And so the writer picks the Red Sox
 to win. His opinion may be biased with
 his sympathy for them. but he has en- l deavored to make his choice after sin- cerely considering the ability of both ag- gregations from every standpoint. But fin baseball you can never tell. The Red l Sox may vouch for the writer's Judgment and emerge victorious from the contests,
 but on the other hand the Giants may l xt,o{r op{o A