Evening journal., 1914-10-26
athletics As Good
As IN DAYS Of OLD.
Mack'S Wonderful Machine
Is Only DOwned Tenn
pOrarily
LOST SERIES TO
BETTER TEAM

The Athletics aren't through. The
Braves beat them four times in
row, but the great Athletic machine
still is intact, unless Collins goes, az
rumored, and are still possessed of
the terrific power of old, still able to
crush nearly every opponent that
stands in its way.
The Athletics were outclassed in
the worlds series and this has
caused many persons to believe that
the grand, old machine has lost its
drive and its smashing force. But
such a belief is erroneous. The
Athletics today are just as good
as they we're in 1910, in 1911 and in
1918, when they crushed the CUBS
and the Giants. They lost
this year because they met a team
that was their peers they wers
beaten by team that was travelling
at a clip that no power in baseball
could stop.
The Athletics lOst-but not without
honor. They were beaten, but they
were beaten only after the most Bit
terly contested series in the world
history. The Braves triumphed
largely because they played better
baseball and partly because the Ath-
letics, Over-anxious, threw away
many batting chances. The Athletics
were beaten the third game through
an error in the judgment of their
manager. They we're beaten in two
others by remarkable, almost mira
/ culous plays by Walter Maranville,
] the Braves shortstop.
And so, just because they were
beaten four games in a row, is no
reason to heave sighting remarks at
! the Athletics. They still are in our
midst, ranking as one Of the most
wonderful baseball machines of this
age or any other.
The Braves, travelling at the clip
they set in the worlds series games,
could have beaten any collection of
baseball players in the world. Prob
ably it would have taken them more
than four games to beat an outfit
composed of all stars, such as jack
on, Speaker, Cobb, Walter Johnson,
Mathewson, Tesreau, Daubert, Coi-
Inns, Baker, and a few others of the
same type, but they would have beat
en- them ultimately. The Braves
were the irresistible force.
But just because Boston beat the
Athletics is no reason for anyone to
believe that the Athletics have gone
; back The Philadelphians rank as
the greatest hitting team in baseball
/, history. But in that series their war
clubs were almost useless before the
magnificent pitching of the Boston
trio. The Athletics made them utter
ly useless by exhibiting the worst
display of hitting judgment that ever
! has been seen in a worlds series bat
! tie.
= The Athletics were over-anxious at
: the plate. They wanted to convince
. the public beyond any question OF
/, doubt that they were batting won-
, ders. And their anxiety led them
into pitfalls. They swung at every
thing that offered-and the brainy
Boston pitchers offered them, in the
n main, the kind of balls they couldn't
M hit with any degree of success.
n The Braves wOn-and they deserve
q all the praise and all the glory tha
goes with a victory so decisive, ana
so wonderful as theirs. No ont
should take from the Braves any o
AZ the full merit for their victory b,
saying that they beat a team that Il
Is disintegrating. They didn't beat sucl
a team. They beat the same team
that swept through to victory in tn
worlds series of 1910, 1911 and 1911
in such easy fashion. The Brave
beat the team that until their comini
n ranked as the greatest in baseball
history. They beat the wonderful
p" Athletics, because they proved them
selves Just a bit more wonderful.