The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-10-07
SIDE LIGHTS on
THE WORLDS SERIES
LUCK WILL BE THE BIGGEST
FACTOR IN DECIDING THE
CONTEST
BY FRANK @. MENKE
fDaily Sport Letter. I. n. 81

New DIX OeI- Luck pr0DdDIy
will be the biggest factor n deciding
the baseball championship of the
world
With the teams almost evenly
matched in pitching power. with the
teams close together in batting pow
er the fielding edge of the Braves
Offset by the base-running advantage
of the athletics, it i likely that the
club that wins the series that starts
Friday, will be the club that gets the
breaks OF the game.
When it is admitted by baseball
authorities that luck is 70 per cent.
in baseball and that ability counts
only 80 per cent in the grand total,
1t will be seen just how little depend
ence can be placed upon the dope"
that is furnished by figures.
If the two teams were to fight it
out for stretch of 80 to so games,
the team that was superior in ability
eventually would rise triumphant.
But in a series limited to seven
games, it's different story. One
lucky break may give one team the
edge in the early part OF the series
and that advantage will be big
enough to carry them thru to victory
before the other team has a chance
to recover.
Luck has figured largely in every
world series game to date, and there
is every reason to believe that the
coming series will be no exception.
And as things look now, its the team
that gets the most breaks right at
the Jump that will grab the cham
pionship.
The Red Sox defeated the Giants
in the 1912 series not because they
were superior ball team. but very
largely because they got the breaks Z
of the game. The muff that snod-
grass made in the ninth inning of
the final game was an inexcusable
Epiece of work-yet it was wonder
fully lucky break for the Red Sox
The fly that Engle drove at Snod-
grass in that game was the easiest
chance that had been offered to
|Snodgrass thruout the series. 1t was
"a drive that was directly at him. He
didn't have to move ten feet. 1t was
so easy that he took lit too easy and
dropped it, His error lost the game
and gave the Red sox the title OF
world champions.
1t was luck for the Red Sox-
sheer luck. Butlthe:r luck didn't be-
gin in that game, Several times dur
ing the early part of the series the
breaks and riding along with
the breaks they rode to victory
Back in 1906 Robe. substitute in
the White sox ranks. delivered a
brace of hits that gave the White Sox
the champions OF the world. Robe
was regarded as the weakest hitter
among the '.hitless wonders Yet 1T
was Robe who delivered the punches.
Can anyone deny that the hits he
made at the critical moments were
not hits of luck for the White Sox2
| If Robe had been 900 hitter fan
dom might have expected him to de-
lliverAa timely swat. But he wasn't q
800 hitter. He'd gone hitless day
after day during the regular season,
yet when the world series was played,
hea smashed out the Wallops that
were fatal to the Cubs.
In nearly every world series in the
past there are records Of breaks 8
that have come at some time or other
in nearly every game. And, the win
ner of the series, invariably has been
the team that has garnered the larger
shares OF the breaks" There have
been times when the division OF
breaks has been about even and
neither side has been favored. But
those times have been rare.
John McGraw is among the many
men who declare that ability counts
for only about 80 per cent. in decid-
ing ball game.
"A game is TO per cent. luck re-
marks the Giant leader. IF you're
lucky you'll win, no matter what a
dup team you are handling. And, II
you're unlucky, you won't win, no
matter how many stars you have In
your lineup
Christy Mathewson, hero of hum
dreds of diamond due1s, agrees with
his chief.
There have been times in my ca
reer when have lost games that |
should have won had the breaks
been with me- says Matty.. And
there have been other times when
luck was with me and won, al
though | had nothing on the ball, and
had no license to win.
"A team can go into a game and