The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-02-01
NATIONALS NAY
BAR ATHLETICS
FROM 1914 RAG
MUST BEAT OUT
GRrFFMEN TO WIN PENNANT.
THINKS NEW YORK NEWS
PAPER MANIFESTATIONS HAVE
STRONG NINE FOR COMING
SEASON.

WASHINGTON. Jan. S1.---In scan
aing the American league prospects
Is they loom up now IT is hard to see
anything hut the Athletics, says. T, T.
Knox In the New York Evening Teie-
gram. The Nationals no doubt must
De considered. ST. Louis would have
10 be cons dered II 1t had Walter
Iohnsor--not jnferTiug tina; without
Johnson the Nationals are not bet
Ter bali club than the Browns. be-
cause they are by several blocks. but
Walter johnson - fust about 80 per
1ent Of the defensive strength Of any
organization that he is associated
with.
Give Crf7th another topnotch
pitcher 10 help out Zoe" Poahiinr.
who should DO tust as good. If not
hetter. work this year than ne did
jAst. and Johnson ard the Nationals
soald be In position 20 make the
Athletics do Highland fling all along
he pennant h2ghws.-- But without
This extra pitcher II !z hard 10 see how
sny assortment Of American league
players az they are now distributed
can stop the onward rush OF Edward
Collins. J Franklin Eeker. Charles
Bender. Joseph BGsh. Edward Plank
ard some half DOZEN others whom
Mr. Mack has irzinaei with Il 1t OF
zSecal baseball knowledge
Cleveland won't De any stronger
than IL was last season and possibly
nes as strong, X was fortunate &c
srssh as well sls Il did, considering
the e-rAstc style o. game Il PLAYED II
would ros be surprising. however, 70
see the Boston Red Sex show some
81 the same form that caught the
Athletics mapping n 1911. and carried
the Sex through TO q worlds cham
psonshtp.
Has Some Ability.
yt hs-x been said time and again
that the Red Sox were a lucky team
20 win the title IN the American
league Lots OF critics have vouch-
safed the opinion that there were at
least rwo other clubs In the same
league that were stronger than the
Fed Sox individually and collectively.
That may be true and It may not It
stands 10 reason, however that a team
20 grab a title and then beat the best
that the National league could send
against IL had To have at least an Ink
ling of what bats and gloves are made
for.
The Red soy were not in their
stride last season. There was too
much Internal dissension-~too much
team pnlitics--tn permit of baseball
fseing played Every one seemed to
~ pulling In the wrong direction.
Things are different now. "Biil' Car
rigau appears 10 he popular with the
PLAYERS and that means a great deal.
II n manager stands ace high with
his ball players he can get them to do
~ bot Of work on the hall field that they
rlight otherwise shirk without Earring
the3r regulations, In other words,
when a manager ia liked by his play
crs II is found that there are fewer
average players on the club.
Playing for Their Records.
Average players" as they are
called, are players who are always
playing for their own average. III the
field they will not try for the hard
ones because they realize that If they
don't get near the ball they can't very
well he charged with an error.
Whereas. If they do try hard for II
and get in front of the bail and then
boot IL the official scorer Ia apt 10
charge a miscue opposite their names
AZ bat they don't like team play when
it lis essential to do something that
will not boost their averages. In this
way they may be able to bat near
the 400 class, but they are not as
valuable 10 a club as the player who
fs only hitting .270. but plays the
game" They are not good batters
for hitting behind the base runners.
OF ali the teams. however, Wash
ington has the best chance of over
throwing the Athletics, ~ their throne
Ia to be pulled from under them dur
Ing the coming season. The Nationals
pack n lot Of baseball ability around
with them, and II they can get away
little better than they did last sea
son they I,ili make quite n fuss. /!
they had started like they finished
last year Connie" Mack would have
needed every ounce of strength in a
finaf drive to putt through
Jailed for Taking Change.
PETERSBURG, VA, Jan. 31.--John