Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-10-14
BRAVES VICTORY
CROWNTNG UPSET
OF ATHLETIC YEAR
Mackmen Still Believed to
Be Better Individually
Than Boston, But Over
confidence and Stallings
Beat Them.


club whose individual members were
believed, and still are thought to be, in
ferior to another, could have so decisively
won from the team Of superior players is
the question which even the joy-mad fol-
lowers of the Braves are asking
Lack of condition and overcouhdcnce,
which increased the extent of abso-
Lutte cocksuteuess as the day for the first
game of the series approached, explains
best how the Athletics were beaten
This is practically admitted by members
of the Mackian team themselves. Natu
rally when the team arrived this morning
at North Philadelphia they were not in a
garrulous mood. They did not care to
discuss the series even with their closest
friends. The weather was a safer and
saner topic. However, when one or two Of
the men did mention casually that there
had been a setback in the ranks, due to
severe drubbing administered by the
Braves, they seemed to think that the
answer was just what has been stated
above.
Connie Mack. like his men. is true
sportsman. He never produces alioiS. To
be sure, he has seldom had the uppurtu-
nifty in the last Il years, but even when
his team suffered defeat as II did In Phla-
delphia and Boston during the last few
days he gives the other club full credit.
"They licked us and licked us fairly,
was the way the Wat"rlooed general nt
baseball nut it, "a great club won tho
series" he went on, 1t played better ball
every game and the result would not have
been fair to Boston If we had not been
licked in four straight; that means, OF
course. on the form showed by the two
COLL he to- D
the Braves, and a truer word was never
uttered. but Stallings has too much Of the
Jack johnson in him for me to include
him in my congratulations
From his short statemeut IL is evident
that Connie Mack heads the list of those
who believe that the Athletics were fair
ly and squarely beaten. but who also
believe that the MaCkmen were not
themselves in the series. While Mack
would not say why hc thought the Ath-
letics were not in the proper conditloh'
their complete confidence explains 1t.
During the last few weeks of the Ameri-
can League season the Red Sox began
70 make n fight for the pennant But
the Athletics did not get out of the !eth-
erEy into which they had dropped. In
stead they simply took il for granted
that they were going to win the pen
nant without half trying. They got INTO
this rut and stayed there. During the
tTmenWhen they should have been getting
on edge just few days before the series,
they were not doing so. This does not
mean that the members OF the team were
not working to get physically mt, Tor they
were But they were not looking on the
series with the proper mental attitude.
They couldn't see anything but them
selves. and that meant that when they
went into the games with the braves
they were so astouuded by each success
sive defeat that they could not get INTO
fighting form.
Stallings' men, on the other hand were
tust the opposite Of the Athletics They
had been told by their manager that II
thev went in and played the ball that
was in them they could beat the AthetlCs
or any other club. Their mental atttudt
differed from the Athletics in that theE
knaw they had 10 fight to win while
their opponents thought they could WIN
without hghting. The result was that,
led by Captain Johnny Evers the Braves
fought every minute of the four games
In the first game played In Boston lH7
third of the series, the Braves tought one
of the gamest baseball battles ever Was'u
iE the history OF the game. h4t 80 I,
would have made just as good a hSht IN
any other game and as game one II II
had been necessary.
staIIIngs himself is a fighter and he
makes his men fight. II he mas man
in his club whom he thinks mas teHu-
ency to weaken at the knees IN PInCIl,
he delivers a series Of tongue e-1ashlhE7
10 that man until the player is iar more
afraid not to come through than he ID %
face a critical situation
The Braves leader says he has great
hghting club and 10 that fact he attributes
its success. After the game Yesterday
In Boston. he said Of his team.
"I did not think that we would win m
four straight games, but / never had the
least doubt that we would beat the Atm
Ietics | have the gamest, best nghtins
hall club on earth and we fought the
Philadelphia bunch just as We haa pan
ned and, Just as we expected the result
uas victory No pitchers can show me
NOR. than mine did IN this series. am
lad that we did beat the Athletics four
straights for Of all the poor sports In
the world, Connie Mack is the worst
Much had been said before the series |
NJ the failure OF the Boston players |
thoroughly TO comprehend the meaning Of |
defeat" but II was not until after the |
nrst game PLAYED here az Shi5e Park that
this was actually proven 20 be fact,
Less than an hour after Dick Rudolph |
had outpitched Chief Bender he was talk /
ing OF his teammates and how they felt
about It.
club don't think that anybody can lick |
them. They know they have 10 play |
hail hut they think they can do that, |
PLAYED a great game behind me and the |
way they went after the Athletics makes |
me feel just as the rest do-that nobody |
can beat us
Following his second victory, won yes
terday 3 to l. over the Athletics at Fem |
way Park In Boston, Rudolph declared |
that he could not see the Athletics as /
bittersr They were the "a siest team |
10 beat" Richard declared, that have |
been up against this year, OF in any other |
OF the seven years Of my pitching ex-
perience."
s'I had heard much about the way they |
slugged, but soon found they could |
moi live up TO their reputation ia |
rather pitch against the Athletics than
the worst teams IN the National and
American Leagues. and I know that my
average would be far better, They swung
AZ anything / sent up 10 them, whether
low. high or wide. They did not show
ans batting judgment at all l was nerv-
ous during the first three innings OF the
frst game but after / had pitched 10
the entire team once I figured that |
had their measure"
This statement by Rudolph merely goes
10 prove the mental uHftuess Of the Ath-
ietios for the series They did just what
Rudolph said they did-they swung at
anything They were so sure IN their
own minds that they could knock the
young splitter from the box that they
used little Judgment IN attempting 10 /
hi the bail The result was that when |