Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-02
By Rube Marquard.

neCted with this thirteen
combination, after all I never
have been superstitious, but after
watching this present 1918 campaign,
as far as it has gone, I must con-
TESS that it has me wavering.
To date il has been a mighty funny
year for both leagues, The dope has
all gone topsy- turvy. We Giants
were picked to run away from the
field: and. truth to tell, l myself
thought that by this time we would
have a much greater lead than we en-
loved a year ago at this time. Then
il was believed we would better the
Cubs record of 1906, when Chances
wrecl1ing crew won 116 games in one
campaign. .,.
I am as confident as ever that the
Giants will eventually triumph
though undoubtedly it will be stlfter
fight than we anticipated. Ihousn
WHY we haven't been and are not
making better progress is more than
I will venture to explain. There SIM
ply is no explanation.
Some sort of jinX seems hoNerlhg
over organized baseball in general
as exemplifed in the big leagues,
save only in Philadelphia. Its blight
has not affected Quaker Town-at
least. not as yet. Connie Mack
Athletics are running wild toward
another pennant. The Phlllles re
fuse to be shaken in their purpose OF
having a little worlds series all in
Slumber Land. Players are not I'M
mune from the evil influences OF the
wear. save only the very old timers
Mathewson Still Great.
There has been, there is, and there
viii he only one Christy Mathewson.
Who ever saw him better than
against Brooklyn a few days ago?
He pitched nine innings of shut-out
ball delivering only 70 balls, despite
the fact that he used IA pitches III
one inning, the eighth. That more
plainly than anything else points out
the complete mastery he mad over
the ball and over the batsmen.
other leading pitchers in both
leagues are seasoned performers. Ed
die Plank, the great sOuthpaw who
broke in about the same time as Mat
tv. is Nack's main reliance. "Ch1et
Bender, the tried and true Indian, has
won almost so per cent OF his
games
Now this season may eventually
adjust itself along safe and sane
lines: but so far it surely has devel-
oped any number OF unusual kinks.
We will glance over several of the
most startling instances as briefly as
POSSIBLE.
Cohb's Throne lettering.
To begin with. Ty Cobbs throne
has been usurped for the time by
"Shoeless Joe" jackson, of Cleve-
land. l do not see where Ty has
much kick coming. for he is still
away about the $50 notch, which is
mighty fair batting for most any
major league performer. But read
ily understand the sentiments of the
Georgian Peach as the result Of his
recent slump. To a 400 hltter IKE
Cobb $50 appeals in the light OF
about O67 to the average pitcher.
Who this spring would have be-
Iiayed that Pittsburg would nov
be trailing in the second division,
with Just about one chance in hun
dred for a look-in at the worlds
series prize? In great many re-
spects no team in the league can
show as much strength, on paper, as
can the Buccaneers. Clarke has a
rafting good infield, a we'll balanced
outfield, hitting strength, defensive
! strength. speed what was usually
]
major company and a we'll balanced
| catching department.
Yet two months after the season
opened Fred Clarke was trailing the
Boston Braves, club that was the
! laughing stock of the league when
/ the campaign began. It is true that
! Pittsburg's catching corps has suf-
| fered greatly from injuries, it is also
! true that the pitchers have never
| been in first class shape. But al
/ most without more than mediocre
battery strength. this team might be
expected TO stay somewhere close to
| the leaders.
Champions Start Slowly
The worlds champion Boston Red
SoX furnish another example. They
finally have crawled up somewhere
in the neighborhood of where they
belong in the American League
standings. But for the first six weeks
of the season the team that last fall
won from US the highest honors Of
baseball showed a little better form
than the tailender of the Johnson cir
cult.
For some inexplainahle reason the
aggregation simply could not pull to-
| gether properly. Il is rue that the
fun strength was not in The field.
| But Boston's showing was worse than