Atlanta Georgian., 1913-09-23

League and Holder Of the Worlds
Record for Consecutive Victories at
Nineteen StraightD
LOOK for the greatest worlds Sc
ries of history this fall. It's al
most a dead certainty that the
Giants and the Athletics VIII figure
BIS principals. l could not conceive
two better matched contenders. I
am confident that my team will win.
We are about due I think We
certainly are due for one triumph
out of three starts. Anybody VINO
saw US in action against the Athletics
In 1911 and against the Red Sox in
1912, must admit that the luck broke
against us.
With any Of the favors of fortune
we would have won both those Sc
ries. Home Run Frank Baker took
the wind out of our sails in 1911. Two
"pinCh" home runs decided the issue
against US. The Trappe slugger
niCked me for one and Matty for the
other. Followers Of baseball viii
realize the fluky nature Of such wal
lOps, an that is not said in a spirit
60 detraCt in the least from the class
Of Connie Mack's aggregation
We were not Outplayed last fall
by the Red Sox. Everything broke
Just right for Jake Stahrs Speed
Boys. Do you recollect that five out
Of the eight games were billed al
Fenway Park in the Hub? Despite
that, after the count was three to
one against US We carried such a
pluclly fight that We should have wor
out in the eighth game had some of
our players thought less of the swag
and more of the ps slime when we
had the argument bagged
Luck Against Matty.
Christy Mathewson never pitched
more sensational ball in all his life
than ne showed the Hub last October
Three winning games were all booted
away. l didn't have near the stuff
that the old veteran showed, but ]
got away without extending myself
Somehow the boys stood up well be-
hind me. They slugged the Boston
pitchers and clinched the battle be-
fore they had been fairly started.
Assuming that the Athletics and
Giants meet again in a couple Of
weeks for the highest honors in base
ball, | wish to state right here that
We will have a much better chance Of
winning than we had two years ago
That goes for me, even If Connie
Mack could boast the same strength
now as then. He was lucky TO trim
u5 in 1911.
Every contest was a battle from
start to finish. save the last one We
cracked wide open then. I think be-
cause the Athletics-which was that
year a numbering bunch of swatters
enjoyed one of those rare days on
which all pitching looked easy to
them. Nobody could have held them
in check once they got started.
| intimated above that the Athletics
had some luck to beat us. Eliminat-
Ing Bakers home runs, we would
have taken their measure a great
deal easier than Boston stopped US
last fall. Though We won only two
out Of six games we gave a mucH
better account OF ourselves than we
did against the Boston boys
We should be able to play much
better this fall than we played last
for, believe me, we were so terribly
eff form that We would not have
finished in the first division had we
shown no better speed all year
George Burns has added great
strength to our out1ield. What applies
to Strunk in worlds series experience
goes also for Burns. But Murray and
Snodgrass are both seasoned men who
have had the benefit of two former
trials Snodgrass had lot of tough
luck last year Murray was the SEN
sation Of the 1912 classic after falling
down badly against the Athletics.
McGraw's Batteries Best.
l think our greatest strength lies
in he hot feVrf Loo Nr-sayN
mand. In this department We over
shadow Connie Mack We Outrank
him both in force of numbers and in
quality. Chief Meyers and Larry Nc
Lean form = "atChing team that for
all-rOund merit will at least match
the very best pair of backstops that
Mack can start. | mean in handling
pitchers, throwing, holding up run
ners and hitting. our pitchers lay it
all over those of the Athletics.
We have four experienced tossers
to two for Connie Mack. MathewsOn,
Tesreau. FTOmme and myself will all
be in share when the big blow off
arrives. l eliminate Demaree-one OF
The very best pitchers that ever
grasped a ba aseball--trOm these calcu-
lations. l stand ready to stack him
up against ShaWkey, Bush or Brown
any day
DemaTee is one Of the wisest and
coolest boxmen | ever saw. He may
cut a big figure in the post-sea son
games ] give the veterans prefer
ence simply because it is the custom
for managers to bank on tried men in
such important engagements.
Bender and PLANK have been away
off form throughout the past two
months Mack has had to work them
to death ClinChiDg the leanant. In
1911 they had the pennant Cinched
weeks before the end Of the season
and were able to rest up.
Granting that Bender and Plank
should be as effective now as in the
fall of 1911, ! still would contend that
we had an edge on the Athletics for
the worlds highest honors of base