Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-13


tenders for the top position will be, il
| by that time.
Not until the real test comes will the
strong teams show. The. others may
hold their own for awhile, but when
| the double headers pile up and it Is
| necessary to play nine or ten games in
| single week, then it is that real
strength shows. Teams which lack
| the pitching strength to stand the
| strain OF double-headers will not have
| a chance in this race. The team which
is fortunate enough to get away to a
Tying start will have an advantage.
but, as l said before, it is the team
which can hold its own for the home
stretch run that will come pretty near
to landing on top.
we have chance, but no team can
feel assured Of landing the coveted
nag this year unless it has the breaks
II is going to be hard fight from
start to finish: because the teams in
the American League this year are all
well balanced, and winning ball games
Is not going to be an easy matter, re-
CARELESS of how the teams are sched-
uled."
Griffith does not believe it good policy
to take chance of running a pitching
staff for the sake of winning a few
games early in the season. Johnson
having pitched the opening game
against the Athletics. but Grifith
does not propose to work him out Of
turn. He will pitch both Groom and
hughes before Johnson works again
AZ the team later in the season is in
the running and it is question of a
Few games to cinch position. the best
pitchers will be worked to the limit,
put early in the year no chances will
be taken with the pitching staff Grit
nth believes that the team which can
make the strongest finish this year is
the one which will win the pennant,
and he does not believe that a team
which has used up its pitching strength
during the early part Of the campaign
Tor the sake Of getting good position
Will be able to make a good finish
For this reason he proposes to nurse
MS pitchers along SO that when the
crucial period of the race comes his
pitching stan will be ready to stand
any strain.
In the two games which Boston and
Philadelphfa have, played twenty-seven
runs, nave been scored, which does not
speak well for the form the pitchers OF
the two contenders are showing. The
start of the Red Sox is particularly dis
appointing. because the impression was
created by reports sent out from the
training camp that the team was in bet
ter fettle this spring than ever before.
A runaway race was predicted for the
Red SoX, and yet the team has shown
but little in the two games it has played
Nor have the Athletics shown to their
best advantage. Their pitchers, barring
Plank, have been hit rather hard, and
there will have to be material Improve -
ment in this respect if Mack's team ex-
Poets to land on top this year
1t has been as good as settled that
Frank Laporte and Joe Gedeon will be
carried for utility purposes this season.
E1fhnr f1na in mr. mt Toll ov,1
In this respect have an advantage over
Acosta and Calvo, who are strictly out
fielders.
Rebel Williams. is to be farmed out
but where has not been decided When
the minor leagues put in their claims
for drafted and purchased players a few
weeks ago the Portland club of the
Northwestern League put In claim for
Williams. Griffith does not want Will
liams to go to any club. where he cam
not have a string OH him. SO when he
wired Portland with reference to Will
liams he was informed that Williams was
not wanted there. Griffith is now trying
to find a. berth for the youngster He
wants him with a club where he will be
given a chance to develop, and from
which Washington can recall him next
fall.
In his stand against making any fur
Their concession to Ty Cobb Owner Navin
Of the Detroit club has the undivided
support of every club owner in both
major leagues. Regardless of what Cobb
may be worth to- the Detroit club the
time has come when halt must be
called on salaries If base ball is to exist
1t is true that the club which wins pen
narits and figures in the worlds series
makes lot Of money, but when the eight
clubs of league start out in the spring
they all have hopes of making this goal
yet only about half OF the teams can be
successful enough to make large returns
on their investment.
Under existing conditions salaries are
so high that clubs which finish down in
the race have.a hard time. making both
ends meet. 1t is not a good business
proposition when a club has to win a
large majority of its games in order to
have a balance on the right side Of the