The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-09-29
THE BIC SERIES
Athletics and Giants Tuning Up
for Championship Contest.
Personnel of Teams Changed
Slightly.

New York. Sept. pa week more of
major league play, week or ten days
following to settle the worlds cham
pionship and the baseball season of
1913 will have passed into history.
The past week saw the pennant con-
tests in both National and American
leagues settled beyond. dispute, and ar
rangements for the big series between
New York Nationals and Philadelphia
Americans for the worlds title duly
made and promulgated by the National
commission. Accordingly the real
crucial series of the year will open
at the polo grounds, New York, on
Tuesday, Oct. Z, and be fought out
there and at Shibe Park, Philadelphia,
until the winning of four games gives
either the Giants or the Athletics the
right to inscribe the legend worlds
champions, 1913" on the clubs banner.
The Giants We're good, but slower in
clinching the flag honors in their league
than were the Athletics in theirs. For
the persistency of the Phillies on the
one hand, and the caye-in of Cleveland
on the other were largely responsible.
The Mack mems final and finishing
blow was struck last Monday at Phil
adelphia when the Detroit Tigers were
artiStically BANKED in both games of
a double-header. The Phillies hung on
to the giants coat tails the week
through and only succumbed to the
inevitable on Saturday, when the Bos-
tons won their third game of a seven
game series, thereby making it mathe-
matically impossible for Dooin's men
to win out even should McGraw'S ear
nest but weak hitting workers lose all
their remaining games. 1ngloriously
the Giants lost on the day the pennant
was won. But it was none the less eff
fective, they won the Giants third con-
secutive pennant and the seventh in
ha n1I he tri1 1lT0h O
their fifth championship flag.
The coming struggle between these
two teams will represent the last word
in baseball ability, tested by the
long grind of seasons campaign. 1t
bids fair to be one of the most inter
eSting in the series of contests for
world laurels. The personnel of the
two teams is not greatly changed from
that of two years ago when the Ath
letics got the better of the series by
four games to two. Experts generally
figure a decrease in defensive strength
by the Mack men, chiefly through the
loss of Jack Coombs. and a correspond
ing gain by the Giants through the ad-
dition of Tesreau and Demaree to the
box staff, while Mathewson and Mar
guard still remain to counter Bender
and Plank. This leaves out of the
reckoning, however, the large group of
Philadelphia colt pitchers, any one of
whom may unexpectedly come through
with brilliant performance, and pos
sibly turn out to be the star of the
series.
Conserva ton of pitching talent has
already been started by the Athletics
leader He gave his veterans a good
rest last week, Bender not showing
once on the mound and Plank only
for few innings in one game.
McGraw had to win out his string
to clinch the pennant and Mathewson,
Marquard and Tesreau came through
with startling performance. Demaree
was less successful All of the quartet
will doubtless be given just enough
work the coming seven days to keep in
condition for the big job ahead of them.
Mack Is Not Optimistic.
Connie Mack, manager of the Ath-
letics, is far from being optimistic
over the winning of the worlds S Sc
ries. This was learned today when
personal friend.
Mack fears what may be done to
his pitchers. He is fairly confident
that Bender and Plank will deliver
when necessary, but he realizes he
canrot place the entire burden of the
series upon them. The balance of the
work will be done by Shawkey and
Bush. All this week Connie proposes
to work with Bush perfecting, if pos
sible, his slow ball. Baron Houck
will not appear in the worlds series.
One of the surprising things is that
Mack may break up that wonderful
100000 infield.
Harry Davis in the Series.
McInnis proba bly, will not play in
all the games. He does not hit when
a hit is required. Although his bat
ting average is great, his record for
making hits with men on bases is not
as good. During the worlds series it
is likely that Harry Davis will be sub
stituted for McInnis when men are on
bases and a hit is needed.
Lapp will do all of the catching ex-
cept when Bender is on the firing
line. Schang will do the receiving for
Render hut only for Render