The Washington herald., 1914-04-05

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beat the Boston club out. In 1910,
the Chicago Cubs won their fourth
National League championship.
The next season they put up a
good fight. but in 1s12 they did not even
finish second, while last summer they
were never really in the race. The
Giants took the woS,d's championship in
1906. In 1906 the club was not a danger
Gus contender. and the next year McGraw
began tearing Lis team apart and re-
building. letting out lot of the old stars
The decay of the Red Sox is one OF
the great disappointments OF big league
baseball to the owners of the club. while
1t is one of the big surprises to ex-
perienced baseball men. When. the
Giants and Cubs and Pirates and the
rest faded after their triumphs, II was
generally due to age and the wearing out
OF important parts. OF course, the tear
ing up Of the old Cubs. which was a mag
nificent machine. was a real baseball
tragedy. But in the case of the Red
Sox, nearly all the players were young.
not one, with the possible exception of
Jake" Stahl, being past his baseball
prime when the team took the champion
ship IN 1872 All expected q sustained
triumph which would mean two or three
more pennants. Then blaa! What is the
reason for this?
That Boston pitching staff looked like
one OF the best ones I have seem" de-
clared McGraw after the American
League team had beaten US In 1872. Wood
is a speed marvel. although his motion
is hard on his arm, and viii not last In
the league as long as man with easier
action. Bedient Is the boy I like the
looks of. and expect great things from
him."
But Bedient has not shown much since
he practically won the big victory for
his club in 1872 by his splendid pinch
pitching after Wood had begun to weaken
in the strain of the series It may be
that Bedient Is q man with that strange
style Of makeup which results in him
doing his best only In short spells when
the strain is hardest. There are few
ceptions rather than the rule.
Climate an Asset.
Take Babe. Adams. of Pittsburgh.
Adams was young and had never been
rated as much OF a pitcher until the
worlds series Of 1903, when he stepped
out and was mostly responsible for the
Pirates being on the winners end of the
money Since that series. he has not
been the marvel 1t was expected he would
be. although he showed more steadiness
last /year than at any time since the
1903 worlds series
But this young Bedient looked to me
like one of the coming pitchers Of the
game In the 1919 series. He stepped into
the box practically recruit in that inn
portant set of games and pitched the
Giants to death. Under fire he was very
cool. and there was no working him into
losing track Of what he was doing. Yet
last year he did not look like any world
beater in the American League race.
What is responsible for this decay of
the Boston pitching staff?
I may be wrong. but I believe that
climate has good deal TO do with the
showing OF twirlers and what they ac-
complish. The Boston climate is not con-
ducive 10 pitching condition have mo-
tied that myself when the Giants have
been playing there. There II often q
cold east wind which sweeps on the
ocean and seems to, settle in the very
marrow Of . pitching arm As man
grows older he feels this more, and II
has struck me frequently IN the last few
years The careful follower Of the game