The Detroit times., 1913-06-11
Leader of Maps Believes That
Worlds Champions Have a
Chance To Repeat
ATHLETICS CONSIDERED
WEAK AS TO PITCHERS
cleveland, Chicago and Boston
Are Strongerst Teams, Says
Nap Manager

That the Reo SoX must De CONSUL
esed 10 pennant factors Is the belief
Impressed by Manager Joe Birming-
fAam. Of the Maps.
"Just a present the three strong
sst clubs in the league are Chicago,
Boston and Cleveland" declared the
youthful leader Of the Battlers. III
abe Athletics pitching staff we're In
better shape. / would include them,
hut Coombs is out Of the game, thus
leaving the bulk Of the work up TO
Bender and Plank, and neither Is
young enough to carry the burden.
both are great pitchers, but each
n Z man who needs his rest. Plank
has had trouble with his arm and It
may bother him some more. Houck
and Brown are 800 pitchers-no
better.
AS for Washington. It has no
license to think 1t is better ball
club than Cleveland. In the first
place. 1t has not the hitting strength,
II In not az strong In the box as
Cleveland. johnson is a wonder. I'd
be crazy not to admit that. Groom
a q good pitcher. With better hit
ting team behind him, he would win
more games than he would lose.
Hughes has lost his power to beat
O, while Mullin is man who needs
strong batting team behind hint
A for the recruits, I must see more
Of them before | venture an opin-
ION.
why rank Boston and Chicago
% high IL that they have the pitch
ers. Boston began the season over
confident. Then it got crippled and
was forced to make the western trip
without its manager. Now II has
gone home for a long stay. Stahl
will be on deck again as manager
and perhaps as a player. Joe Wood
n himself again. and he should be
able to work every fourth game.
look for him to start another long
winning streak, as he did In 1912.
They'll be in the first division by
the time we come back from the
east next month.
1.-The White Sox will not be as
hard to beat on the road as they are
on their own grounds. where they
are almost invincible You see, the
Chicago infield IL soft and the Sox
not a. hard hitters as clubs like Bos-
ton, Philadelphia and Cleveland, are
placed on q more even plane as re-
CARDS batting. Balls that would go
through the inflelders In Cleveland
IKE q shot, are slow rollers in Chi
10
aot have that help, but Callahan has
he pitchers and club well fortified
with capable substitutes. Texas
Russell II looming up like a wonder.
while Walsh Is lowly but surely
ehowing his old-time form. Those
two, with Scott, Benz. Lange. CT
3Utte and White. to help will bother
sny club.
What have I to say about my
own club? Nothing much except
that we are out there every day try
Ing. We have no cutters on the
club. Every man is game. We are
making q lot Of blunders in the field
And on the bases. but we are trying
and we are winning. what more
can we do? The public must ex-
Dect mistakes. Turner is the only
real veteran in the infield now and
no 10 playing out OF his usual posi-
ton. Johnston and Chapman are
entering upon their first real year
IN fast company. while Olson, like
Turner. ia out of his position. The
outfield Is lacking man Of big
league experience.
Not Hard On Youngsters.
Most OF our pitchers are young
Oters who have lots OF things 10
learn. They are learning every day,
sometimes at the cost OF a ball game.
Such must be expected figure that
We have beaten ourselves in six or
seven games. i am surprised that
we have not lost more. We would
have lost more had It not been that
the fellows are game to the last man
and work to overcome the ground
lost by their plumbers.
II will not promise that there Will
b any cessation OF these mistakes.
When q young club Is working 50
hard and trying TO accomplish so
much, bad baseball must be looked
Tor. All we can do is TO excuse the
ones at fault, pat them on the back
and tell 6em not TO do II again.
Referring to the charge OF Clark
0f1mth, the Washington manager.
that Birmingham was resorting to a
style of ball that was tabooed years
ago. the Nap boss says:
"A few years ago they used TO roast
~ for playing listless ball for failing
70 show any pepper. They declared
the Maps could hit and that was all.
Now that we have walked up and are
ehowipg as much ginger as any club
IN the league, they roast us again and
~ we are bulldoxers and all that
] think I will write a letter of apol.
ofy 70 Mr.. Griflth for taking three
out Of four from his team and ask
him to forgive us because OF our
youth and inexperience.
Nevoh win Johnson.
y II presume II was rather rough OF
~ 20 take the series from them. and
bGat walter Johnson. too But then.
en- GFUoa Ct this managerial Job
on6 / have . bunc hof youngsters who
oyO altogether too fresh. They are
- rsw they aid not know enough to
- tie propoe respect to the aged.
no nogt tine We play Washington
til then % forget that bush
|>oGuD oeuR ard - polite to such
nns1kD - ~ eans - Mr.. orififh.