The Washington herald., 1914-05-03
Poor Start of Pennant
Teams Blamed on Feds
Matty Giants Star, Says Players on Macks and Nc
Graw's Clubs Have Tendency to Loaf
Other Baseball Gossip.

Athletics and the White Sox. Galatians
club was mentioned as the dark horse
of The race before the season. and that
was about all OF course. IL will be
impossible to draw any accurate line on
the various teams in either league before
the International clashes this month.
when the Western clubs meet the East
ern. Especially is this true of the Amer
lean League. because the Eastern repre-
sentatives appear to be SO much strong
er than the Western. with the possible
exception of the White Sox.
At random guess, I do not hesitate
TO say that ! would not be surprised to
see the White Sox get out in front and
repeat the performance of the Boston
Red Sox of 1872 when all experts had
counted on the Athletics to come through
in a walk. Callahan has a very strong
club, one that has more strength than
it is generally credited with. Much Of
this lies in the pitching stan, which
looks like the most alright in either
leagGe. OF course, Callahan has been
meeting only St Louis. Detroit and
Cleveland. the three teams rated as weak
ones, so far.
Likes white Sox.
But il an club is to give the Athletics
a rub, 1 expect to see il come from the
White Sox, rather than the Washington
team, which was the preseason choice
for the runner-up in the race. l saw
Washington and New York play one
game in their recent series in New York
behind and won that contest, fighting all
the way like the old Cubs.
The chief weakness apparent to me in
the Washington team in this one game
was the base running, although the bat
tiers did not seem TO be singing the ball
to much effect. This may have been due
to the good pitching of the Yankees
stable. Let me pick out an example of
the style of Washington base running to
illustrate my point As things turned
out. one run in the earlier innings would
have won the contest, since New York
tied the score in the ninth and finally
took the game in the tenth.
With two out and men on first and third
base, the runner on first started for Sec
ond. Sweeney made the throw straight
to the bag without any relay OF the ball
from the shortstop TO the second base
man, as most of the clubs work this
play with a short throw. The man on
third base stood there as If he was root
ed and never budged. He did not try
to draw a throw to the plate. nor did
the runner going to second stall to give
the player on third a chance to break
was that the runner going to second was
thrown out by three feet.
The game was a pitchers battle. in
which one run might win. 1t seemed to
me that the play was for the man on
third TO draw some fire in this situation.
The Giants would have worked IL that
way, anyhow, or the men who made the
mental boots would have found them
selves fined. I would also like to say
that I'll bet Clarke Griffith had something
to say to those two boys for their base
running when they got back within talk
ing range. or else the Old Fox has
changed vastly since he left the National
League and don't believe he has.
Griffith used TO be one of the worst
managers in baseball 10 bawl out man
for a bone when he was with the Gin
cinnati club. He is also smart leader
on the inside game, and after ne lost his
game because Of poor base running b.
one run in the tenth. it must have dug
into his pride. After contests managers
and players analyZs 10 see where the
PLAYS were made wrong This is particu-
larry true Of a close contest where one
play turns il.
recall a game two years ago in which
Lzr-y Doyle made a wild throw. After
that there was a lot Of activity in the
contest but We finally lost by one run,
which would not have been the case IL
D0yIe's throw to first had been accurate.
Na1y Of Us had forgotten the throw in
tire excitement Of subsequent events.
After We got into the club house. McGraw
exclaimed:
Doyle, ! wish you had that throw
down your throat"
Watch the White Sox. 1t is a tough
club to head once it gets out in front.
iCOVsrEnt. 1914 by the Wheeler syndicate. Inc.l