Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-10-01

impaired with the meteoric ascent OF
Boston Braves from eighth place in
to the head Of the National League
8 umn at the end of September, the
hietics' campaign of 1914 was tame.
hile Connie Mack's six-time champions
h not make record this year which
Auaied their Incompatible fight through
ne season of 19l3 there was never
me from the opening of the season on
pril IA, until the flag was mathemat-
ally captured September Z, when there
as really any doubt as to the ability
~ the Mack forces TO win.
During the early weeks of the seasons
oRress the Athletics were not playing
Mith their wonted precision. Though the
tching was considerably better at the
Art and throughout the season than 1t
3as in 1918, the batting and general play
N the Mackmen were below their
ahdard.
frhere were several circumstances OF
a, unfortunate nature which combined
give the Macks bad start. In the
Sst place, they had won so easily In
w. Ltfat overconfidcnce in their ability
8orked to their own detriment on the
feld Then, too, soon after the season
karted, Jack" Barry was put out OF
He game for several weeks by being
'piked by Moeller, of the Washington
fub. The Indifferent work of Orr at
MORT. which finally led to his being sent
lack to Sacramento, Pacific Coast
Beague, lost a number of games. THESE
&hings, with the failure of Collins ana
3aker to hit UP to form, prevented the
lthletics from forging ahead at the be-
inning.
La was not until midseason that the
4thletics began going at their usual
S~ride. though they took the lead in the
rGHce at a somewhat earlier date. Ghat
the entire offensive and defensive game
,was slightly off Is shown by the fact
that 1t was past midseason when they
went into the lead in club hitting ana
fielding.
While not wishing to detract from the
ability of any player on another CLUB, II
Is surely fair to assert that if the Macks
had been hitting at their natural cup
Eddie" Cicotte, Of the White SoN, ~ouid
never have let :hem down with one lone
hit at Shibe Park in the middle OF May,
hor would Faber. of the same club, nave
duplicated the feat a month later at
Comiskey Park The only hits made In
Nose games were by McInnis and Lapp,
the latter being an infeld
scratch one This shows conclusively that
the deadly batting power of the famed
Athletics was in n state of lethargy.
When the time arrived, however. FOR
them to get out of the rut the Athletlcs
responded to a man. with the result that
after June they were never out OF first
place, though they were pressed fairly
hard at times by the Boston Red SoN,
who today stand in second place.
Beside the inability of the Macks to
get off we'll this year, the increased
strength of the Red Sox, Browns and
White Sox tended to make the champions
appear at times weaker than they really
we're There is no question that during
the early part of the season tho st. Louis
club was stronger than II had been in
vears; that the Red SoX is as good CLUB
today as II was when ii won the pennant
In 1912; that the splendid pitching of the
White Sox hurlers this season increased
the strength many per cent, of that club
there is no doubt. All of these factors
we're against the Athletics.
II must not be thought. however, that
there was no development in the ranks
OF Comics men during the season. The
contrary is true. The regulars, that Is,
the catching staff, the intield and the out
field were with the exception of tho
the positions i'm 1918. The Improvement
was In the pitching. Where Mack used
three and four pitchers a game In 1913,
he used one and two In 1914. The con-
sistent work of Shawkey. Pennock. Bress-
Ter and Bush this season was a striking
contrast to the work of the young pitchers
last season. This quartet after the sea-
son had been well under way, were used
In regular rotation along with the veteran
mainstays, Plank and Bender, Though
not worked in his regular turn all sea-
son. Weldon Wyckoff did fairly we'll. His
continued TO keep Rim from the
ranks of great pitchers where his natural
ability should put him. Bender and Plank
rarely have had better seasons than this
last Bender leads the American League
In percentage. His pitching was superb
and Planks was all that
could be desired.
When the Athletics emerge from their
dugout next Friday week to meet the
Graves In the first OF the worlds series
games, there will be but one new face
on the pitching staff. This is "Ruhe"
Bressler. He is the only one OF the many
recruits Mack took TO the Jacksonville
training camp last spring who has
proved that he is a hurler OF major
league ability. Bressler has developed
steadily from the beginning OF the year.
and, thanks to the coaching of Eddie"
Plank. is now an effective cross-iring left
handler.
The other new men who will cut in on
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