Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1914-09-24
JINX MAY BEAT
M'GRAW'S men
Superstitious Belief That
One Team Cannot Win
Four Straight.
PL A Y E r S NERVOUS
That ,JinX Is at Work Is Shown BIZ
Timidity Of Some Giants on the
Playing Field, and Braves
Confident.
P L A Y E RS NERVOUS
(By Monty)

New york, Sept. 2l.-The jinX OF
| the fourth straight pennant is play
ing an actual part in the wilmington
rather the losing-of the current
National lea.u flag. Not only ,s ne
| running true to form, so far as he
has been able 10 go, in bringing the
Giants in to a position where their
thrice held championship is in peril
but he is breeking the backbone and
confidence OF the team. If the Giants
are beaten out by the Boston Braves,
those who say the jinX had nothing to
do with the deciding of the race will
be mistaken.
Ball players are superstitious-at
least good many of them are-and
there are only four exceptions to this
rule IN the membership of .McGraws
team. Their feelings over their
fourth straight jinx affair from a
real factor in the winning and losing
of games. Many of the players are
afraid TO take a chance On the bases
now that they would negotiate nine
times out Of ten ordinarily. They
reveal their nervousness also in hest
tating over where a ball should be
thrown when they have it in their
hands.
The four glaring exceptions are
Christy Mathewson, Jeff Tesreau
George Burns and Arthur Fletcher
Matty and Tesreau have been doing
some Of the best pitching of their
careers. Burns has put up by far
the best game of any outfielder in
the National league. Fletcher has
been practically eating up the ground
around shortstop. Burns and Flet-
cher together have driven in more
runs, as we'll as scoring more, than
any four other members CT the team
RUDE Vanguard has been pitching
just as we'll as Matty and Tesreau so
far as statistical figures go, but he
has entered the box each time lately
with the firm opinion that the jinX is
going to make something bob up and
beat him. AS a result he has yieul-
ed just enough runs to win ten
straight g;A,stes for opposing teams.
Compilations of his record of con-
secutive losses differ, but ten is prob
ably the correct number, Or at least
as good for the purpose as any other.
Five of those games were lost by the
Rube by scores of 1 to 0, and nearly
all the rest by margins of only one
run each, with scores like 2 to L
,, and to 2. The Rube's work in figures
is good enough, but he always has
managed to give ground before the
one or two rallies OF the other side,
falling back just enough 10 let the ad-
versaries win. and then putting the
clamp ON tight for the rest of the
game. Fred Merkle, Larry Doyle,
Milton Stock, Chieg Meyers, Larry
Mclean, Bobby Boescvher. Davy Rob-
ertson, Jack Murray, Art. Fromme, Al
Demaree Fred Snodgrass and Eddie
Grant all admit that they think there
is something in that jinx business
siter all. Mclean, Boescher, Fromme
and Grant are especially disconsolate
over the way the iinX has been act
ing, but instead of fighting against
him, they seem TO have resigned
| Themselves to something that cannot
be helped. The little hesitancy that
this feeling insecuring has caused in
numberless plays has been just con-
siderable enough to lose the plays
by margins and therefore lose the
games.
Tie links is working in still another
way. The Boston Braves are just as
superstitious as the Giants, their
manager. the miracle man, George
| Stallings, being probably the worst
afflicted of the whole club. He has
| told his men that the Braves are the
children OF destiny, that the jinx will
| not let the Giants win their fourth
straight pennant and that the Braves
are nominated to succeed them in the
| championship. The players enter
their games with that idea in mind
| and sincerely believe thinking that
the sameh is already as good as won
| if they Just get there and try and
4 that they can not be beaten by any
body. That is one OF the reasons why
the Braves, only a fair team at tne
| most from the standpoint OF lndlvl'
! dual powers in the various posfNons
| are always doing the right thing at the
| right place and doing it quickly with
i out the slightest hesitation.
I We have heard a lot about psycho'
4 logy entering prominent factor
i into the decision of many kin of inn
II portant sporting contests this year
where does it loom up any stronger
than in this Gants-Braves toul
straight jinx affair?
! If the Braves land this pennant
: there will be good many more con
verts to superstition in the ranks o.
the diamond. 1t will not be however
that the iinx himself ruled there
should be the fourth straight pennanl,
for in the first place there lis no sucl
I thing as a jinx of that kind, or O
jNany other kind for that matter. Bu
HE fact that the players thought th'
INK was doing his dire work chang
e,l them and their play on the bas
j field. To that extent the jinx OF tn
|; fo,lrth straight pennant will have de
.heaten out. He has caused tnem =
lose Aat least dozen games IN ina
way. snore than the margain petweel
defeat and victory will be.