Evening journal., 1912-10-12
BY GRANTLAND RICE.
Manhattan VS.. Smoky Joe.


Manhattan VS.. Smoky Joe.
OF all sad words from tongue or pen,
The saddest are: "Wood pitched
again"
sadder than any throbbing note,
That old Doc Chaplin wrote;
Ave, sadder in It's sombre skit
Than life's worst message.
please remit"
Wood pitched again--tell me no more,
The ultimate, the final score;
Waste no vain words In praise or
blame,
Explaining which side copped the
game;
Who had the works-who had the
stuff,
Wood pitched-that's enough, bally
well enough.
Wood pitched again 20 bitter
praise
o Blighting Echo of the Days;
Sadder than any New York cop, or
Gould you slip me Ave, old top?'
Aye, in each dreary, Harlem nat.
Sadder than Baker at the bat"
o Death! Where is thy sting like
this?
o Gravel Where is thy serpent's
kiss?
o Baker, Bender. Coombs and Plank.
You look like money in the bank.
Compared TO this last scratch OF pen,
Wood pitched again"
~
BOSTON, Oct. 12-Manhattan Isle
can now look forward to at least one
note of joyous cheer: Joe Wood is
out of the way for a breathing spell,
and J. Stahl has yet to show another
winning pitcher. Now if only a
combination earthquake. tidal wave,
guncotton tiare-up and volcanic erup-
tiOn would detonate beneath Mr.
Wagner, the Great White Way might
turn off the trickling tear and offer
merry laughter in its place. It's
something to have oWod out OF the
way, but it doesn't matter much who
pitches as long as a ball playing
centipede whirls his tenacles over the
field and renders batting null and
nil by blocking every egress. When
Professor Keeler suggested that bats
men should hit EN- where they amt, -
he has evidently never seen Heinie
! Wagner at work. Hitting EN- where
they amt involves the technical pro-
cess of hitting 'em out Of the lot or
fouling em back into the stands. And
even then il would be a gamble
The Battle in Boston.
The Red Sox obtained the Jump and
the Giants now have their main
charges left. Mathewson looks to De
a better man than any slabman that
Stahl has outside of Wood, and if the
Old Master ican wrench of today's
battle the Tale CT the Two Cities
will bring US to Chapter 8, all square.
and the tall likelihood Of Rube Mar
guard hooking up with Smokey Joe
back in New York. There have been
too many sudden turns in this series
to figure anything certain until the
last clammy athlete has persisted in
the last round Of the last game It's
anybodys series still, for while Wood
was tipped to have the edge over any
Giant pitcher Friday. Mathewson or
Marquard we're equally tipped to have
the call over any contender Stahl
might have left.
It may be that ]. Garland can pick
Collins or Bedient in winning mood
But the Giant defense has settled now
into it's normal swing, and with
MathewsOn pitching therell hardly be
any array Of six runs piloL up against
his we'll known name.
Where the Edge Rests.
The Red Sox now carry the edge
in games won, which is considerable
edge at this stage of the jubilee. But
the Giants evidently carry the edge
in pitchers left for the next battle il
we are TO judge by the dope alope
and not by some unexpected turn.
The Giants look like quite another
ball club with Art Fletcher back al
his true stride and now that he has
gamely recovered his grip, II isn't
likely that he will break again.
Fletcher, playing as he did Thurs
day and Friday would have given Ma
thewson a to / victory over Collins,
and these two slabmen are carded 10
work today unless Stahl switches the
battle plan by pushing Hugh Bedient
to the front for a tryout. If Mathew
son fails Manhattans outlook is
about as cheerful as a morgue at 4
a. m, where even the Silent Guests
! are said to be depressed and moody.
But if Mathewon wins there's Mar
guard ready for Wood on Monday
with longer rest aud home field
TO work on
Outside of Joe Wood.
Stahl 50 far has been able TO win
only with Wood, and Smokey Joe
is beginning to show the strain. He
was careening badly yesterday when
Heinie swung in behind him with the
greatest inheld play any series ever
saw.
Taking no credit from Wood, IL il
hadn't been for Wagner's super-bril-
liant work at short-work bordering
on the miracu,ous-the Giant attack
would have nicked Joe for at least
twelve hits and from three to five
runs.
: So if anyone tells you that there s
only one Wagner, meaning Honus.
. refer him to Merkle, Fletcher, and
Devore, who IN turn whaled base
hits over second, where all three
would have scored runs, only to have
; a human flash cut in. whirl out an
extended init and save the day.
There may be nothing in name as
our old college chum from Avon in
. sists, but If We ever own a ball club
and a guy named Wagner applied for
job at short, he can name his own
terms, if 76 years old, blind in both
eyes and bereft of one leg. Our idea
OF a regular ball club is to have a
bloke named Wagner playing short.
Back to the Pitchers.
Now that both teams have settled
into steady form-playing safely anc