Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-09-21
WORLDSSERIES
OF1S13 SHOULD
Be AHUMME R
McGraw's Clan and MaCk's Tribe
Balance Quite Evenly in the
EARLY Dope Scales.
By W. J. AL'Beth.

year SHOulu IuTnlSn one OIL the
most thrilling struggles of worlds Sc
ries history Such a classic is good
or bad according to whether the con-
testauts are evenly matched. Not
only are the Polo Grounders and the
Shibe Park lads of about kindred
so erratic the latter part Of the sea-
son that almost anything may be eX-
pected in the great clash.
There never was such a worlds Sc
ries as that between the Red Sox and
Giants last fall-at least, from the
standpoint of the spectacular. There
were few pitchin~ duels, but the
great majority of the contests were
smuggling jublees in which one side
or the other was put to utter route.
As a rule there were no half meas
ures. Either q team was very, very
good or it was very, very bad. And
cropping out with the most inexcusa-
bic bush" league stuff on every hand
came a series of plays Of such eX-
ceptional brilliancy as fairly knocked
the spectators off their chairs.
Went Eight Games.
This series went eight full games
including one extra inning tie which
is the very best proof of the balance
of the rivals. Boston outplayed New
York in the first half and outlucked
it in the second. But for an error in
one of the early games Boston would
proba bly, have won in four straight
no, h. ,r,t -yst
of a fight put New York on even
terms with the Red Sox and in
position TO win with the deciding
game, an error blew the title. New
York had the game bagged before
Snodgrass' muff got the Hub in
winning mood Fred MerKle com
pleted the job by his failure to 80
after a little pop foul from Speakers
bat.
Now. during the series both Snod-
grass and NIerkle showed several
wonderful plays that helped to save
games at critical stages. but all this
was forgotten when their faults lost
the championship.
Luck Cut In.
Luck played a very important part
in the worlds series of 1912. Math-
ewson, the very best pitcher on either
team so far az real work is CON
cerned, didn't win a game, while
Marquard breezed through to two
easy victories. The Giants couldn't
get a run for Big Six" while they
simply slaughtered the Sox every time
the "Rube" took hand. The most
wonderful catch ever shown on ball
field was produced by Harry Hooper
a. the psychological moment. Ii cut
a homer off Larry Doyle and saved a
championship to boot. Hooper miglt
never be able to make such another
catch. That was the i'll fortune of the
Giants.
II is the element of uncertainty
which lends such a charm to organ
lied baseball and the uncertain GER
tainly enhanced the last worlds Sc
ries about tenfOld. There never were
two such uncertain and erratic op-
ponents in the autumn classic as the
Gotham and Hub aggregations the
day they lined up for the first Skin
mish Had either side played all sea-
son after the fashion of the worlds
series it would not have finished in
the first division Of its company.
Both Are OF Color.
Both the Giants and Athletics have
been going in rather slip shod fashion
for a month Were they to start the
big doings tomorrow it would be a
puzzle to dope it. The team with the
luck would win. But before the end
of another two weeks the prospective
rivals are likely to settle down to real
business. NCGraw and Mack will
doubtless bring their forces to the
wire in the very best shape for bit
ter fight. With both teams travelling
at their best PAGES the series should
be a hummer just as it would be
hummer if both We're at their worst.
Should either team arrive at its true
form while the other maintained the
erratic behavior that characterized
the stretch run of the pennant races
the competition in the annual classic
would very likely develop into much
of a farce.
The Giants have the greatest op-
portunity imaginable to go round the
world this winter as champions of the
universe. I do not see how the Ath
Ietics can beat McGraws bunch if it
is able to get back to the form 1t
showed the first three months. With
out 300 hitter McGraw went
through a disastrous slump that last
= nearly two months. That speaks
rolumes for the pitching at his COM
Depends on Pitching.
Pitching is great deal of a world
series argument. In this line Nc.
Graw laws it all over Connie Mack,
The crafty leader of the Athletics has
only two very much overworked vet
Grams a his OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Eddie Plank and Indian Bender. Both
have been worked to death. Mack
has a bunch of young talent which
has been very errauc all season. They
NAV stand up under the strain Of
worlds series and again they may not.
Outside Of the slab McGraw can
just about hold his own. Meyers and
Mclean are better all-around men
than Schang and Lapp. The Phila-
delphia infield has a shade on the
Giant inner works. but the Giants
have the better garden trio When
the Giants We're hitting 10 form theV
could hold up their end in this de
partment with the slUgging Nackmeu.
And what McGraw lacks in hitting
power he more than makes up for in
sheer SDeel