Evening journal., 1913-10-07
BY GRANTLAND RICE.
Tritten for the united Press.

written fOr the United Press.
NEW YORK, Oct. 7.-Hovering
over the Polo Grounds early today
a gray ghost from the Roman En-
pire looked down upon the mottled
scene as he stihed a thick and wide
spread yawn. II was old stuff to him
for 1900 years ago he had been one
of the all-night crowd that stuck
around the Coliseum waiting, waiting
for dawn and the click of the turn
stiles that he might see Iron Man
Spartacus face some hard hitting
Numidian lion in the fiTs4 of all bat
ties for the worldwide championship.
And back within the Eternal City
arose loud howls and lamentations
as the frenzied populace accused
Nero of disposing of all choice seats
to spectators. politicians, and other
horn-skinned species of the tribe
This crowd that waited had Moth
ing on the sombre apectre from the
days of Rome's greatness, for he had
beaten them to it eighteen hundred
years. The only sLift was that the
Coliseum had faded before the Brush
Stadium-that Spartacus and the lion
Of Numidia had vanished to make way
for the spiked feet of the Giants and
Athletics; for Bende,'s smoke and
Bakers bat-for Mathewson's brain
and Meyers wallop.
For the third time in eight years,
The Giants and Athletics mandarined
still by McGraw and Mack were
pointed head-on toward balloon s.
championship of the world. Each
had wrested away a series and now
they we're gathering for the decisive
test-for the rubber triumph.
THE UPSET DOPE.
There was first to all the prospect
that in this first meeting Christv
iMathewson and Chief Bender. the
games two greatest veterans. would
again open the jubilee in another bat
tile Of brain. arm and soul.
And beyond this was the added lure
that In this clash even the eagle-eyed
experts had in the main acknowledged
themselves befuddled and befogged
with the dope. scattered to the ever
lasting winds. For as batting and
pitching are merely relative qualities.
il was simply a question as to whether
strong pitching could stop heavy bar
lting or heavy batting could break
down strong pitching-the old. moth
eaten theory, again, of Irresistible
force versus an immovable barrier
THE MYSTERY SERIES.
/ This, above all, ever played. was to
he the mystery series" of the game.
Mack had the cloutmen. il was con-
ceded. but whom. in addition to Ben
der. was he to call upon TO hold the
Giant attack in check? Would he fall
back upon the uncertainty Of mex
r1, 4
stuff, but who were unknown auanti-
ties under such a FIRE?
! And while Mackian supporters were
wondering whether Connie the Crafty
would call on Bush, Shawkey or
Brown as aides to Bender and Plank.
Giant supporters we're equally puzzled
as to whether McGraw. at the last
moment would shift Doyle and Snod-
grass through injuries, and replace one
or both with other men?
THE STAR MIXTURE.
Another point which added 70 the
lure of this present series and the
mystery thereof was the weird mix
ture of so many ages Of stars.
There were. first of all. Mathew
son and Plank, serving their thir-
teenth year before big league bats;
Bender, the Indian, with ten years
lservice-these three large topics of
fan conversation. The central theme
being as to whether or not they we're
still there with the unallayed goods
Then came comparison of those in
their prime, such as Collins and
Doyle and Merkle and Murray and
Oldring. And with these the young
sters-Burns and Eddie Murphy
; Demaree and Schang, Shafer and
Shawley and Brown and Bush.
All sorts and conditions of base
ball flesh formed this championship
meeting and so many and varied the
terms that no man could say in ad.
vance what the answer might be.
THE CENTRAL FIGURE.
Il there was one central figure