The chronicle=news., 1914-09-17
THREE YEAR HooDoo
lMlY HnP 0eImlTS

IUTk dtAAAU UOOIHeu u lOObe tu6 -NA-
'tional league pennant of 1914?
They won 1t in 1911, and in 1912
and in T913.
But
No National league team. no
American league team. no hig league
team since 'lS8s-tWenty-six years
ago-has evaded the hCodoo that pur-
sues three-tine winners. .S !4i$i
Anson won three 'pennants, tried
for fourth aid failed. Aii 'S.
Hanlon. Clarke; Chance, Jennings
i--all;tried and failed. q ss@al
Six Of the greatest managers the
game, has ever seen stood in the same
positiQn that McGraw stands today.
Lut could not beat Nemesis. Ii
Just tive 'managers,9 and only two.
havet ever won the fourEtines crown.
In the professional association, the
first big league in baseball history,
Harry Wright's wonderful Boston
team won the pennants of 1929
As. Nor was 1t any fluke. The Bos-
tons SO completely overshadowed the
other teams In the race that their
fourth pennant was won by tre-
mendous marsin--A.SS9 to the second
team's 1875. Harry Wright might
lave gone enawinning still more pm
nants. but the organization OF Che
National league in 1875 made in
roads upon his playing staff and
brought his winning streak to an
I end 'ti,''' 7.,- as,t- 4 i# ,1i,-1t f'-
lz@In the American association In
I; ;1S&5-6-T-S Charlie Comiskey's st.
Louis Browns ,won four successive
l.ennaats. Here again it was a ease
|of' team So tremendously strong
that no other aggregation had much
For look-in. Indeed. in 1888 CONF
iskey sold. three of his greatest stars
to other teams and was still able to
lead, the race to its finish. David
E0utz. pitcher, went to brooklyn, and
Iiali Gleason, shsrt stop. and Curtis
Weleh. soutfielder. went to the Ath-
letics. but 70 great was Comiskey's
strength that he did not miss them.
In the only four-time winners
were teams that cast every. other
team in densely dark shadow. And.
on the contrary. whenever team
Won three pehnants without that
tremendously dominating strength 1T
went down to defeat on the fourth
attempt.
Decidedly Interesting in Nc
Graw's present effort is the fact that
lths team giving him the most trou-
bic Is Boston. for history shows that
1.-TWO other. Boston teams hnmbled
lthree-tlme winners. In 18S0-1-z
Anson's Chicago team won three
Iconsecutive ipennants. In 1883 he
made a valiant struggle for his
fourth pennlnt. hut 1t was not to
be. True, he was beaten by only
four games. but those four games
iweve - GOOD - . nillion, and II was
the Boston team that had the winr
-Inipg margin. N ,qsz .sitlps.,
Ned Hanion also fell victim to
lsoston'a power Ito bring winning
streaks to an end. In 1S94-5-6 Han
don's Baltimore Orioles taad. by the
way, McGraw ixione Of them j. chased
.ictoriously around the National
league circuit. lin 1897 the Orioles
tried for their fourth pennAnt. and
lost IT. by precisely two games. And
again II was Boston that had the
winning margin. tr ESQ g.. It.
Boston knows the other end of the
string also. for Selee's team won
three pennants in 1S91-2-3 and lost
|out 10 Baltimore In 1894.
Fred Clarke gave Pittsburg three
pennants in 1901-2-3. and then
cracked worse than any other three
time winner before or since, finish
ing In fourth place.
Clarkes revenge came in 1909,
Frank Chance led his Chicago Cubs
to pennant victories in l906-7-S,
only to be beaten out by Pittsburg
the following year by six and one
half games. t
In the American league but one
team ever captured three successive
pcnnants. Hugh Jennings and his
Detroit Tigers were the best fighters
OF Ban Johnson's league in 19O7-S-9,
hut their bid for q pennant in 1910
was far from successful, both tile
Athletics and New York beating
them out.
History says It is 6-to-2 chance
that McGraw's Giants will not win
the pennant of 1914.
And. more than that. remains the
fact that fate plays queer tricks on
John NlcGraw. In 1904 and in 1905
he won National league pennants
and In 1908 he won the world s
championship. The topmost honors
were his. Yet fate filled his cup
with woe. for in 1906 lie did not
even win the National flag. In
i911, in 1912 and in 1913 he won
the National flaS, but his team made
. sorry first OF 1t In the worlds
championship battles.
McGraw has not likely forgotten
how Boston beat his Baltimore team
IN 1897 and kept Hanlon and himself
cut. OF the premier honors that ne
long to four-ttme winners. Great