The Washington herald., 1914-04-01
By EDDIE COLLINS.

Just why the Federal League picked
out one lone club in the American League
upon which to make its grab is hard to
explain. but when the desertion of Falk-
enberg. Kaler and Blanding all came at
once 1t made an awful hole in the Cleve-
land roster OF players What the loss of
one pitcher for even a part of the season
means TO a club has been already dem
onstrated in the case of Wood, of the
Red SoN, but for club to lose at one
fell swoop three such dependable pitch
ers as Falkenberg. Kaler and Blanding,
means a task in team reconstruction
which seems almost impossible Of accom-
plishment
However. any man who can do as much
with the Maps as "Dode" Birmingham
did last year. when he gave the Forest
City the best ball team IL has been able
to boast in years, one that was in the
running from the start OF the season
until Washington put it to the bad in
the closing weeks Of the campaign, is
apt to find a means TO recover from the
blow dealt him by the outlaws and give
a good account of himself in 1914.
Cleveland Club Fails.
The Cleveland club in 1913 failed where
the Boston team OF 1872 succeeded; in
other words, the latter maintained a con-
sistent game. whereas the former did
not. Any club that can go through sea-
son. as the Red Sox did in 1912. and win
about every two games in three played,
and at no time lose over three in a row.
or win more than six or seven consecu-
lively. is playing what l would call good.
consistent ball. and championship ball.
besides. This Cleveland failed to do. II
had its good and bad streaks, but in
variably when the club ahead showed
signs of slipping. and a victory or two
would have put Cleveland in the lead,
that team could not rise to the occasion.
In every crucial series the Red Sox en-
gagged in during its banner year, it won.
This is only to show that the Maps
have the goods, and. from a Cleveland
standpoint. il is to be regretted that
''Birmy'' cannot start the year with the
forces he left of with in 1913, so that
he might show how a years experience
had benefited him in the race for the
flag. AS 1t is, he is starting the new
season under a big handicap.
A Good stan.
But at that he has no slouch of a
pitching staff minus the outlaw jumpers:
Vean Gregg. Willie" Mitchell. and Steen
are nearly a whole team in themselves.
Believe me. l would rather face any
other bunch of twirlers in the country.
even the Washington lot including John
son. OF course, l am in no position to
compare him with Plank. as l have never
faced the latter in competition, or with
''Rube" Waddell when he was in his
prime. but to me Vean Gregg has looked
better than any southpaw l ever faced.
Any left handler. or any pitcher for that
matter. who can hand a batter three
balls and nothing and then curve over
three strikes, and do IL right along,
will take of my hat to, and that's what
Gregg has done to me more than once
Mitchell is not far behind his team mate;
only his tendency to wildness is a handi-
cap. while with Gregg his lack of con-
troll is very often an asset.
But the two big luminaries on this
club are Lajoie and jackson. What a
pair of sluggers! I'll bet they have re-
ceived more free trips to first from our
pitchers than from any other staff in
the league, and possibly shat is why we
have had better success against them:
we've never given them a chance to hit.
AT that, Cleveland beat us nearly every
game last year. Larry or Joe" or
ing defea1
How shall I pitch to this fellow La
toieF' innocently asked one Of our young
pitchers Of Connie" Mack before a game
last spring. You take it from me.
KID" spoke up Plank before our man
ager had a chance to answer. Pitch,
and then duck you head, or he will be
apt to knock It of. That's what I do"
And the same goes for Jackson, and
serves to illustrate how these two are
respected as batsmen. 1t almost seems
as though they alone could bat a club
into the first division berth.
The development OF Memo Leibold
into very creditable outfielder supplied
the long-felt want Of a good lead-or man
for the Maps Chapman came into his
own at short last year, and now he
would be hard to improve upon at that
position. Not only defensively. but Of
as well, he Is of the agrees
sive type, and while not a 800 hitter.
he is a good baserunner, and led the |
league in sacrifice hits by a big margin. !
Steve O'Neil was another youngster !
in years who enjoyed a banner season |
behind the bat, and now is boosted as
strongly in Cleveland as Schang and |
schalk are in the cities where they play.
The Maps certainly look good on paper. |
Ind II 1t had not been for the desertion :