The Washington herald., 1914-03-08

that he had only done something which
It had been customary to do in the league
all season None blamed him for IT.
Another big crisis was when the Giants
lost the deciding game TO the Cubs in
lsoS after Merkle's mistake had made the
extra contest for the championship neces-
sary. Again none found fault with
Fred" He felt badly enough himself.
Or course. there was little conversation
In the clubhouse after that battle, silence
generally prevailing all along the line
because-that defeat meant a big loss to
all Of us, both in baseball prestige and
money. But the most anybody said to
Merkle was. Tough luck. Fred
And. believe me, Merkle felt badly
enough that day and for many days
afterward, too. without any brief or ex-
tended mention being made of his mis-
take. McGraw never brought the subject
up again, and II has been a closed book
In the clubhouse conversations by his or
ders ever since the day we lost the 1903
championship. Any player who discusses
II is liable to be fined. But none of us
wants to.
Matty Defends snoderass.
Snodgrass and Merile made a couple of
miscues in the final game of the 1872
worlds series with the Red Sox which
gave Boston the big championship after
the most closely contested series in the
history of the game and one that re-
quired eight contests to settle because of
tie. Snodgrass was supposed to be the
chief onender in that last inning, but
ne was not the target for any remarks
by the players or manager when we rot
back to the hotel or later in our car ON
the train to New York. Although L
pitched the game, did not hold the error
up against Snodgrass- It was one the
greatest player in the world might have
made under the same circumstances
And he came back and made a really
hard play on the next ball hit Oddly
enough, another member Of the New
York club. dfssruntled by the defeat, lost
his head while returning from the
grounds to the hotel In the taxicab with
Snodgrass and began to bawi him. Nc
Graw heard about 1t and gave this critic
Of Snodgrass an awful tongue lashing.
When We were on the train on the way
back to New York somebody asked Nc
Graw to have a drink. Then for the nrst
time his brief speech indicated how bad
ly he felt:
mo. thanks" he replied. 'T can't af-
ford to take Q drink now because I've
got to start to figure how to win the pan
nant next year"
Big leaguers are nervous and hfgh
strung and are always bustling, even on |
the field. They dress and undress fast
and dash for the dining-room and taxi
cabs. but as rule, they take victory |
and defeat without much sign Of emo |
tton- Even when the Giants had won
the worlds championship back In fso6, |
there was not lot of celebrating after
the anal game. OF course, some OF us |
ssng and whistled as we dressed. but
; chance observer might have gathered |
from our actions that after ali II was |
sniy an ordinary victory to Us.
Fsslt-Anainr scarce.
There b little jealousy and little fault
inding In the big league. I have found. !
Managers do everything in their power to /
prevent this. one of the evils Of the /
game fifteen years or SO ago, when n i
,atcher would throw down young
pitcher In order to save the Job OF q /
,eteran. Leaders do not pick the spots"
,or their stars any more and on vim
ling- clubs there are no favorites.. Only L
he young pitchers are placed in easy \
Iameas where they should win, % that L
hoy will get confidence in fhemsslvks.
fCnun<shk MA -. An. u71,~~a.- $780, n