The Washington times., 1914-08-23
TYRUS COBB Is PULLING
FOR BRAVES TO SEIZE
OLD LEAGUES PENNANT
Detroit Star Admres Game Fight Being Waged by staIngs
Outfit After Poor Getaway-"UnIess Somebody Stops
Them" Says He, they'll Cop That Banner"
By fY COBB,
Worlds Greatest Al.Around Player.

Those baseball followers who have
been bemoaning the lack Of q real
race in eithe- major league have no
longer any reason to kick about the
state of affairs in the National, for
the Bostons are certainly speeding
some, and unless somebody stops
them very soon, they will just about
win that old pennant.
Personally, l hope they do, not be-
cause have anything against Nc
Graw, the Giants, or the Gotham
people, but for the reason that
George Stallings is q great personal
friend Of mine, and / admire the fine
manner in which he fought his way
to the top. Most managers would
have given up trying to figure in the
pennant race after getting the sort
Of start Stallings got, but old George
never has been known to turn loose
task until the last dog was hung.
He said at the beginning of the sea-
son that he would be a factor in this
race. and even when people would
look at the standing Of the clubs and
laugh. he kept on repeating It. A
month ago stallings told some close
friends that he was going to cop the
bunting. snd I know that in his own
heart he meant it. He may not come
first At the wire, but you can take my
word for 1t that he will make the fel-
low who beats him to the judges eye
travel some.
When Boston won three straight from
New York on the Polo Grounds and cut
the Giants lead to three and a half
games. even the most biased Gotham
adherents had to admit that McGraw
had q fight on his hands. The moral
effect Of this cleanup right in Nc
Graw's stronghold Ii likely to be far
reaching. Boston naturally will be
full Of pepper and confidence. while
the Giants, having had SO recent q dem
onstration Of The fact that the club
duel. cannot help losing little of their
cockiness.
The argument. is being advanced that
stallings will kill his pitchers before
the wire Is reached: but 1t seems to
me that the Giants boxmen are in Just
as great danger OF oollapsfng. Rudolph,
Tyler and James are doing practically
all the work for Boston. il Is true. but
Mathewson. Marquard and Tesreau are
Mcf3raw's only reliables. and they are
working Just about as hard. And don't
forget that Matty. great pitcher that
he 10. can't be listed as younster any
more, and il fully as likely to weaken
physically as any CT the other five
Having to pitch ten innings,
waiting for the Giants to get him
run, as he did IN the final game OF
the recent series with the Braves, takes
q lot out of Big Six"
A player who Is in a slump. or who u
having bad luck with the breaks Of the
game, always Is glad to get on the
road It is a mighty hard thing to
link" when the fans whom you figure
on as your friends start riding you.
On the road you expect TO ge panned.
but II cuts to the quick when the home
folks show themselves to be tickle.
There il a man on our club now who
Is playing good ball on the road. but
who had to be benched while We were
home because the fans were after
him 30 hard. Everything he did
seemed to be wrong and the way he was
jeered whenever he made an error or
failed to come through with a hit in
wise enough to see that the boy would
never be any good under such circum-
stances. SO he told him to rest up until
the club went on the trail and then
showed him back into the lineup.
I believe that the element which
roasts home player hardest
consists largely Of Tin horns" who
make piker bets on the games and then
feel that the athletes are criminals il
thev do not win. There are many
times when even the better classes of
fans will express disapproval, but they
never make 1t a habit like the petty
gamblers.
You will see this same spirit shown
wherever money is bet on sporting
event II the ball club loses, the men
are dubs and cutters and everything
else: II a horse Is beaten. the jockey
pulled him: IL fighter is licked. he
had II all framed up to lie down. We
can congratulate ourselves that there Is
no licensed gambling in baseball. or the
game wouldn't attract a man who had