The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-03-24

Hamilton, Bermuda, arch "a
Frank Chance was called upon re-
Gently to fight his first battle as an
American Lacquer. He engaged with
a young British army officer in a dis
cricket and baseball. Both were like
the Scotchman who said she was will
ing to be convinced, but curious to
him."
"four. American game is doubtless
ly very fascinating." said the English
man. but do not think l would are
for it. 1t strikes me it must be some
thing like Tipping the dice-too much
speed and recklessness for the proper
display of skill and science. Why,
half the game must be luck"
Now there lies Il chance for some
good missionary work by the Yankees
before they again hit the good old
L. $. A.. Imagine such sacrilege as
an %insinuation that our national pas.
time is not the most scientific of all
behind the scene with McC1raw or
Chance in some of the memorable
pitching duels between Matty and
Mordecai Brown, he would have
learned something.
Two Kinds of Luck.
Let us see just what figure luck
does cut in baseball" said Chance in
discussing the incident. There are
two kinds. good and bad. We will
consider first the bad, for as a gen.
eral rule the good is overlooked.
conditions over which the power and
mind Of players have little or no con-
troll. These embrace injuries, un-
avoidablc accidents, and all sorts of
adverse weather conditions. including
rain in the fourth inning when your
pitcher is on razor edge and the other
fellows are hanging c the ropes.
|. There is no way of coping with
bad luck. 1t sneaks up from behind
and strikes just as you are winking.
1t has ruined many a ball club. 1t
stalked into the am of the Phillies
in 1911 and disorganized a team that
by all right of ability should have
been in the thick of the fight to the
end of the season. 1t struck in the
guise of a leg fracture to John Titus
and followed with a serious injury to
Charlie Doom, and later indefinite
suspension for Sherwood Magee. II
pursued it's same course in 1912, crop.
ping out before the season opened
with a fractured wrist for this same
forms Of injury and illness till carce
ly a sound man remained among thu
Quakers.
Yankees Meet Hard Luck.
"Look at the New York Yankee.
for the past several years. Chase de
veloped smallpox in the south in 1909
and scared out of his teammates al
the benefits of the training season
Sweeney, the only reliable catcher o
the team. was out Of the team abou
half the 1910 season, because of brok
en- fingers. More thar half the veter
ans were out anywhere from two t.
six weeks in 1911.
The hard luck jinx cannot b
fought-only avoided. 1t is powerles
against a team that carries competcn
McGraw is the best fortified manage
in organized baseball. He could los
almost any four Of his stars. outsid
his battery men. without greatly I'M
pairing h strength of his team.
Last year I was taught forcibl
the value of real substitute worth.
do not wish to take any credit iron
the victory of the Giants when I sa,
that if I had had just one Arthu
Shafer would have chased Mac clea
/, to h wire so close he wouldn't hav
had any time to snap a nap. None
would easily have remedied. the evil
we might have bought Butler-bu
that is another story.
Good Luck Figures.
I'VE will now turn to the brighte
the good luck-side. Really ther
is more stperstitution connected witt
1t. But then I'm not y very strOn,
believer in either end of It. agre
with Connie Mack that. through
long campaign of 1874 games, the real
genuine. dyed in the wool luck vii