The Washington times., 1914-10-05
Braves Victory Macke Would Please the Fans SPOR
Braves Victory Over Athletics
Would Be Popular, Says Ty Cobb

bunch. Roston, Detroit and Washing
| fact that the Philadelphia outfit is
ahead of them all is in itself proof that
| Connie Mack has a bunch of talent that
| nobody can afford to belittIe.
For a good part of September the
! at one time it looked as though
/ Boston had proper chance to
catch them. Lately, however. they
have started to hit the ball again.
ing the worlds series, there viii be
| nothing to it but n cleanup. l don't
care how strong Boston's pitchers may
! be. if they strike the American Leag-
uers in one of those awful spells of
slugSing. goodnight. l have seen the
/ Macks rock the fences with the best
| offerings of the american League 3
star Fingers, and hardly think that
| Stallings has anybody better than Wal
| ter johnson, Coveleskle. Dauss, and
, fellows of that sort
| They gave Walter one Of the most
! awful whalings he ever got in his
| life not so very long ago, driving him
| from the box in three innings, so
| they aren't going to get much the
worst of it from any curver who has
| the bad luck to find them in one of
| these orgies If they are just going
along normally. there is q good
chance to beat them by banging their
own pitchers however. With the ex-
ceptions of Bender. all of the Phila-
delphia slabmen have been getting
touched up rather freely lately, even
| Eddie Plank. who was going great in
the middle part of the season.
Giants had for the very good reason
that the Braves have confidence in
| themselves. After climbing from the
| cellar to the pennant in half a sea-
sons play. they do not regard any
thing as impossible-nor even as i'm
probable. I reckon. They will go into
, the worlds series believing that they
can lick anything in a uniform and
| that is half the battle.
The Giants, on the other hand, were
beaten before the draw" so to speak.
If they had been asked to face the
Macl<men again this season. they
would have expected another 1acing
and they certainly would have got It
cessful attempts to win the big bunt-
ing, McGraw's men must have come
to the conclusion that it wasn't in the
cards for them to wear the proud title
Of worlds champions and maybe they
are Just as well pleased TO avoid the
humiliati on of another massacre.
Connie Mack has his own explana-
ton of the failure of any club to win
four successive big league pennants.
After you have driven q ball cluo
at top Epeed just about so long" says
the willy leader of the champions, the
players get to be like an old horse. al
ways looking around for you. L. say
Whoa
You can whip them into a trot for
a little. while, but unless you keep
everlastingly at them, they will try to
stop every few days. They just seem
to get tired of the everlasting strain
and hustling, and even the lure of the
world's series money will not keep
them going. They would rather take
life comparatively easy and win or lose
just as things may come than put their
whole hearts into the battle and scrap
like fiends for every point
TT probably is human nature after
aal. Few of us can maintain top speed
constantly, and when We have had
tatse Cf success we are often convinced
that the game isn't worth the candle
and that it is pleasanter to take things
easy and enjoy life than to work our
heads eff. Three-time pennant winners
seem actually to get tired of winning.
They would be willing to keep on get
ting the worlds series splits forever if
1t involved only a short squirt, but they
don't like the idea of enduring the
strain through a season of 154 games
Of ball"
For this very reason look for an
other champion in the American
League next season. 1 believe that the
Athletics are tired of lighting their
way to the front. and that in 1915 even
Connie Mack, with all his genius and
tact. will find it impossible to keep
them going at the pace demanded OF
a winner. Some other team which has
not had q worlds check for a long
time, or possibly never has seen the
color Of one. ought to be able to step
in and break the Mack's strangle hold
on the universal championship pretty
soon. will admit that with their
present lineup the Philadelphians are
the best club in the world, and there
is no reason to believe that any of
their stars will go back next gear But
these same stars without the fighting
spirit and the keen desire TO win will
not be so formidable as another club
which may have less real ability but
Will play harder. When the Athletics
start to slip 1t will be because of
mental let-down and not because arms.
legs or batting eyes fail. Those play
ers will have all their physical talents
long after their Wills are unequal to
the task of keeping them "on high"