El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-07-11
- TEW YORK. July 1L-Prepare for ,
~ little laugh at our expense. 1

~ a little laugh at our expense.
= All ready? All right. here goes
the Athletics will not win the Ameri-
can league pennanL About once a year,
If not oftener. each one Of us feels Ger
tain of something that nearly every
body else derides No matter how 9TH
ers may differ with the opinion II con-
tinues 10 exist Here is our once-a-
year. There may be human beings
somewhere that share this view OF the
situation in the Ban Johnson circuit
but If there are we are forced 70 the
truthful admission that we have failed
10 meet them yet However, that state
ment gOes-the Athletics viii not win
the American league pennant Of 1914
and we only ask that the loud guffaw
be POSTPONED until October so that all
can be sure that the correct side OF the
mouth is doing the haW-haWing-
If the Athletics are not going TO win
the pennant- who is2 That's a natural
question. and as for the answer 10 it,
be something more pointed along these
lines about the first Of September, but
as for the present we can't even guess.
How is il then that we have this idea
the Athletics will lose If we can't name
the winner That also sounds reason
able But the answer TO that is easy.
There are five clubs in a more OF less
compact bUnch-DetrOiL Washington,
Chicago. Boston and St LOuis-any one
Of which may come along and nose out
the worlds champions in the home
stretch
Athletics Sixth Place Club.
The way things look through our
glasses, just now, the Athletics are the
weakest club among the first six in the
American league race. Sixth place is
where we think they really ought to
finish If all the clubs would play
strictly TO our reckoning of form from
now on to the end. The Tigers. Sena-
tors, White Sox, Red SoX and Browns
All appear TO US TO be stronger clubs
than the Mackmen and from what we
nave seen OF Lhem-and heard-these
clubs all have played better ball to date
than the Athletics.
Another question. then-how is it
that the Athletics have led the league I
for so long a stretch If they have not
played the best ball2 The answer is !
this, only this-their reputation has
scared every rival club Fear on the
part Of the opposing side has Ightened
the task Of the Mackmen- Whenever
a champion and challenger meet in
any line Of sport, If on strict ability the
two seem perfectly evenly matched, l
who is the favorite? Isn't il always
the champion2 Whv2 Because the /
contender is awed by the reputation Of
the title holder, bUclIing against some [
thing that figures to carry an edge Of !
superiority whether it actually does or /
not
Other Clubs Uncertain.
Though the other clubs-any ball !
player in the league viii tell you So
realize that the Athletics of this year
are nothing like the Athletics Of a year /
ana three years ago, the cOntenders Z
forget this when they engage in battle I
with the champions, and subconsciously I
Rre swayed by the idea that they are (
ID against something that can't be /
beaten Games are not decided strictly
on the merits Of the battling teams this /
year when the Athletics are party to ]
them The other clubs get uncertain !
of themselves. fidEet around and won 4
der constantly what the Mackmen are
gong TO spring next just as they did /
when IN their prime The fact that I
they do not spring the old tricks
double squeeze plays and such-in the I
way they used to makes little differ !
ence- The contender is Just as much m !
IN the air as II the Mackmen were go
ing TO do 50, and a margin Of about /
IS percent Of the fight is put on the /
SIDE Of the Philadelphians in this way. !
In word, more bad baseball has
been played against the Athletics than /
against any other team in the league
that in a nutshell, is why thew have
been up there as the ball players saw
But the other clubs are beginning IN !
get next TO themselves, and to the Atb-
1e1cs-uo the real state Of affairs
Gradually they are getting their con- /
-ldence when they buck the 1913 Den- !
lanI machine beginning TO play the
same game against the champions that I
-ney DO against one another. And, IN /