Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1913-05-25
Athletics and Phillies Are
Winning Games and Fans
Are Rejoicing. +
MONTY REVIEWS WORK
Says Doom Has One Of the Most Won.
derful Pitching Staffs Ever
Gotten Together.
(By MONTY.


New York, May 24.-Philadelphia. O
happy town. glee is thy name. While
other cities are filled with weeping,
wailing and gnashing of molars, the
Of bliss, for their prides, the Athletics
and Phillies, are winning games. For
over three-fourths of the time since
the season began both clubs have
been in first place, and the way they
loom up at present makes it appear
not improbable that they will be
there when the baseball year ends.
The Athletics look like a sure thing
for the honor just now and the Phil
lies like ding good bet.
To many the Phillies have been a
surprise, but to those who have
watched closely the progress of the
team in the last few years, they APP
pear simply to be coming into their
own. A hard hitting and steady-field-
ing infield has been kept intact for
the past three years, Luderus, Knabe,
Doolan and Lobert have played con-
sistently good ball all the way. The
catching stfaf has been practically the
same for two seasons, with Manager
Doom and Killifer doing the bulk of
the work, and the pitching staff and
outfield are vastly improved. Also
tremendously superior substitutes
have been lined up. Consider then
the fact that, for three-fourths of the
way, the Phillies led the race % 1911
and they fell only when bcoKen leos,
suspensions and sickness decimated
their ranks. This team, much better
cred a surprise only among those who
fail to take cognizance of things as
they are.
Doing has one Of the most wonder
full pitching staffs ever gathered to-
gether, when it's members are in
their stride, which they certainly are
at present. Seaton, Alexander, Chal-
mers, Moore, Rixey and Mayer are
gems of the first water, the Brennan
and Nelson are useful on occasions,
The Giants and Pirates at the start
of the season seemed to have the best
punches of hurlers extent, but Mar
guard and Tesreau, the expected
leaders of the New York corps, have
gone to pieces apparently, and the
Pittsburg moundmen all seem to have
suffered kinks in their arms. During
the first month of the pennant gal
lop, the pitching of the Phillies was
SO good that an average of three runs
a game would have been enough to
grab victory in more than half of the
contests.
One thing that has figured promin-
emily in the success of Dooin's tribe
to date has been its knack of winning
the close games. Whenever the team
lacked but one run of enough to win,
when the final innings came along
there almost always has been some
sturdy batsman who would step up
dllO oAoAAA OuC OAC poi eASoAoA iIAc Ihet'
brought in the deciding tallies. Lo-
bert, Luderus, Cravath and Knabe
figured particularly strongly in this
class of pinch batting and the high
standing of the team at present is due
largely to their delivering in the cru
cial moment.
The Phillies did not lose single
one of their first six series of the
year. The best showings made by
any of their rivals were by the Car
dinals and the Braves, which escaped
dropping two and the latter splitting
up at one apiece. The Dodgers,
Giants, and Pirates were whaled I'M
mercifully. the vast years champions
taking the count in two series.
The Athletics have been winning
their games in a way entirely differ
ent from that of the Phillies. Meth
err has shown mediocrity in any par
ticular department, but the Phililes'
margin over rivals has been largely
in the pitching The Athletics have
encountered pitching almost equal to
theirs but have outfielded and out
batted the rivals. Also there is more
team play in the ranks of the Connie
Mack crew. The Athletics, however,
do not seem to be well fortified
against disaster as the rival Sleeptown
club. If injuries should overtake both
clubs, Mack's men would suffer heav-
lily, whereas the Dooinites could send
in substitutes able to hold up their
end capably. But the Athletics sell
dom have been afflicted with injuries