Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1914-10-11

Evidently they don't miss a |
whole lot by not getting to practice in .
the afternoon at the Shibe park. They
may not have been familiar with the
landscape, the color scheme or the sun
and shades, but they seem to have got
along wonderfully we'll in their ignorance. |
With their youth, vigor, speed, skill and
yet seasoned experience as represented
in Evers on the field and Stallngs on the
bench. the Braves ought to be able to
hold their own against any team. 1t has
seemed to us from the first that they had
a better chance than was commonly sup
posed. or reflected in the betting. They
may lose the series. but 1t is our notion
they will go down fighting hard. Or they
may win and not upset preceuent. There
stands the freak record of 1906 to confute
and confound. Al that, we think there is
less disparity between Boston and the
Athletics today than there was between
the Sox and Cubs then, all the odds being
in favor of the cubs who lost. But for
Walsh, owen and White, the Sox could
not. even with luck in their favor, have
won And II pitchers are to decide the
worlds battle this year, what shall we
say? 1t looks as II things were almost
even, especially in view OF the way Chief
Bender was treated Friday. A collateral
interest in the present worlds champion
ship centers in the Federals' persistent
challenge for consideration OF course
it will not be needed, is doubtless not in
tended to be, but refusal on the part Of
Boston or Philadelphia will nevertheless
furnish the Feds with new hook on
which to hang new claims for existence
another year. or course, the organized
champions would have all to lose and
nothing to gain in point OF standing to
accept the Federal challenge.
The gambler striving for graft out of
tickets and the professional fake dopster
have come to be part and parcel of every
worlds series. So far as the injury they
do the game, the dopster seems the worse
TO us. Here, for instance is the fellow
who every year pretends 10 be able to
dope out the contests so scientifically as
to figure out in advance just how many
hits. runs and errors each man will make.
And the worst Of II is that he finds fans
to fall for it, OF course. his power of
hurting the game would be nil otherwise
But he has his following, superficial
thinkers who never stop to reflect that
his dope never comes within a gun-shot
OF the results. If they would only take
time to bark back a year or two and
compare this rot with results they would
soon see what fools we mortals be"
some OF us. If base ball were SO trans
parent a game as to be susceptible Of
such analyses made in advance, It
wouldn't be worth fig as a sport and
wouldn't have lasted all these years. OF
course. the fact is that the dopster knows
no more about how a game is coming out
than the most ignorant Of his credulous
followers. Tho only thing is that he
finds it possible to make a good living
by making his followers think he does
think ttat he Is able by some occult
science which he has slowed away in his
fertile brain to tell beforehand Just what
every man is going to do. So far as
worlds series contests are concerned. the
wise fan who keeps records in mind,
hazards little since 1905, when one team
beat another Incompatible better than
itself.
The biggest factor in being a success
full manager is the ability or the ma
yuma to get the players. No manager
is apt TO succeed in building up a win
ming team without these and the addi-
tional element OF a free hand. Connie
Mack wins pennants because he is let
alone to exercise his own judgment. If
he were harrassed and restricted by a
lot Of fellows who, however clever at
manipulating finances, knew nothing OF
base ball, he, too, would fail in time.
The history of the New York Americans
Is the best evidence OF this we know or
For our part. We can't see what was
to have been gained by the Western
league champions playing the sixth team
in the American ASSOCIATION, and now
that Kansas City won the series, we
fancy Sioux City would see the thing
from our viewpoint Denver beat the
American association champions in ls1;
and 1912
Poor old Joe Tinker and his team were
nosed out OF the Federal pennant at the
last minute. not so much by Indianapo'
lis, which won the flag. as by Kansas
City taking that double-header from
Chicago.
We rather opine that George Stallingr
was dong a little stalling when no pulled
that one about punching Connie Macl
on the snoot.
So Hank O'Day predicted Boston woul,
not win game, eh? Could he have lie
his anti-Evers prejudice control his judg
ment?
Are they going TO be able to say tina
the most the Athletics won was the tos
Of the coin?