The Washington herald., 1914-06-14
BIG LEAGUE GOSSIP.
BY CHRIsTY MATHEwsoN.

The Tigers look like a hard fighting
team this year. and / believe that club
is going to take a lot OF beating before
1t comedies the championship. There is
great spirit in the club, better than
ever before, SO the players tell me.
on eacn play.
We've got a better pitching stan
than we had when We won the cham
pionship in 1909," said George Moriar-
ty, because we've got men to go in
there and take their regular turns If
we had one more seasoned worker, we
could not ask for anything else. Our
infield is strong and the outfield looks
like the best in the league. II the
Yankees are a sample of the ball being
played in the East, we don't need to do
much worrying for a time. The New
York club has been beating the other
Eastern teams. The Athletics really
won the championship last season in
the first weeks of the race when they
were beating the Yankees and the
other Eastern clubs and got that big
lead. They won't have that lead this
year. They haven't gotten their start.
Then. when a team that has won the
championship begins to believe 1t can't
pull up, 1t is beaten easier"
Moriarty told me this after the first
game of the series of the Detroit club
with the Yankees at the Polo Grounds.
The players on Jennings team believe
they will win the pennsnt.
IT think have hit on the explanation
of my spring slump" declared Cobb, as
he was getting dressed after the game.
when l was chewing the rag with him.
Il cannot concentrate as well In the
first months of the race. A player il
naturally too ambitious to hit them into
the grandstand then and tosses away
chances swinging bis head of when he
might hang up a base hit. Later in the
season. when the fight for the league
lead gets close, he sets himself better
mentally"
I heard a funny story recently about
one Of the teams that Charley Carr made
up out of his pupils at the baseball
school at Hot Wells. Tex. His team was
playing a club from one of the small
towns down that way. and the game had
been close all the way up to the ninth
inning. which began with the score tied.
The pitcher for the visitors weakened
when the Carr club. recognized as the
home representatives, because they were
playing on their lot, went to bat for
their half Of the ninth. Carr's team got
the bases full, and the visiting pitcher
went worse than ever. and passed the
next batter. forcing in the run which
broke up the game. Carr was talking 1t
over with his pupils later and declared
that it was bad work on the part Of the
pitcher.
He should have taken chance on
laying the ball over" announced "Prexy"
Carr.
II don't know" announced the man
who had been passed. which crowded
home the winning run.
why don't you know demanded
Carr.
Because had been hitting that bird
hard all day, and I might have niched
him for a double or triple. Then We
would have had couple more runs"
Carr was disgusted.
II can't recommend you for a Big
League berth yet" he announced to this
student. Didn't you know that we
couldn't make more than one run? That
was all that was needed to win the
game"
Probably the batter Is still figuring over
It and believes he would have done bet !
ter to have made double or a triple
instead Of drawing the base on balls.
sg-@
Tinker has his eye on the pennant."
auoth baseball scribe. II Cal has his
eye on the pennant he b looking !
through . telescope