Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-10-08

III the tide of victory in the Athletics
O.
be so sure about the Mackmen and
victory. We have selected Connie
and his great ball team to beat the
Giants. but although they won the
opener and showed more skill and
class. there was something In the
play, the determination. the stick
to-ltiveness Of the McGrawites that
makes them loom up holder
and stronger this dark, drear
October morning than they
did before the signal for war
was sounded. As result of
the game. as a result of their defeat,
the Giants have no grumble to offer.
They were fairly beaten. and the
breaks" were as much for them as
they were for the ''other fellow"
Really. some lucky mortal must have
been on the McGrawites' side, for
they did as well in every way, and
better in some ways than expected
while the Athletics played just about
the kind of ball they were thought
capable of playing
G
So, in regard to luck, neither team
| could be said to have had an ad-
I vantage. Some will say, perhaps,
that Bakers drive in the grandstand
for a homer was just a piece of good
fortune, and others will say, too, that
Skaters evident miscalculation of
Schang's long wallop in the fourth
inning which eventually netted three
runs was more work of the horse
shoe man on the side of the winning
crew. All this is true, but the
Giants had their breaks, too, and
their three runs in the fifth inning
came about as much the elements
of luck as through their superior
powers at the bat. Another thing
the Giants admirers and rooters is
sure to make much of now that
iShafer can be blamed for the loss
of the game, is the fact that through
injuries Snodgrass was lost to them
and Shafer, who took his place, has
| been found wanting in that particu-
lar position. And, again, the Giants
| can say that Herzog, who got into
the game because of Snodgrass's
ailment, didn't come through with a
hit and help in any particular way
to circumvent defeat. This, too, is
very true, but that is baseball the
year around and the world over.
Shafer, at third would be better than
Shafer in centre field, no doubt, but
the change has let Herzog into the
game and before the series is over 1t
| Is a mighty good bet that that same
bird will make his presence felt He
was the life of the team yesterday
| and he did everything that was put
up to him but hit. He played as
| well as Shafer could have played at
third and there is no obtainable proof
that Snodgrass would have done any
better. With the shift and all it
looks to me as If the Giants have
not been weakened. Snodgrass failed
dismally last year in the tight pinches
and Herzog was the hero of the
series.
o
Well, to get back to the game
again, the Athletics failed to outbat
the Giants, although they hit the ball
hard. and the Giants pitchers failed
to stop the Mackmen. These were
the contentious offered before the
series was on, and after the first
game was over no one could honestly
look back and say the result bore out
his prediction. He may have had
the winning team and all that, but
who would have dreamed that the
Giants would wallop Bender for
eleven safe hits and that Baker
would send the ball over in the same
old grand stand for a homer? No
not that-not that-and there were
many things about the game that
didn't come off, either according to
Hoyle or according to j. p. N.
%
The Athletics proved that they are
batsmen of the high order that has
been claimed of them. They hit the
ball at all times and they hit so hard
that safe hits are bound to result.
The first six men in the batting order
are all sluggers, Murphy, Oldring,
Collins, Baker, McInnis and Strunk
follow one another to the fear and
trembling of the opposing pitcher.
One or the other is always doing
something and yesterday 1t was two
others-Collins and Baker-especially
Baker. On their terrific hitting and
on their superb playing the Athletics
ought to win the series, but the
Giants might make It more interest
ing than comfortable for them. There
lis one thing to the Giants--they are
game and they have a game man 10