Evening journal., 1914-10-03
Bic BATTLE
IN worlds Series
Competing Clubs Form Per-
fected Baseball
Machines
ARE ABOUT
EVENLY MATCHED

Fandom In general, while lauding
the great Athletic machine. and pre-
dieting what II will do in the worlds
series. seems to entirely overlook the
fact that George Stalllngs, of the
Braves, has assembled enc of the
greatest baseball machines that ever
represented the National league.
The Stallings machine is new IL
doesn't run quite as smooth as the
grand Philadelphia machine because
It's cogs are new and all the rough
ness on some of the cogs hasn't had
time TO wear away. But, neverthe-
less. that Boston machine has
terrific drive, q terrific power, and
an endurance that is marvellous. And
fandom soon will lind that the Ath-
letic machine hasn't such a huge
edge on the little-heral1ed but great
Boston machine.
The Athletics probably will finish
the season with a higher rating than
the Braves. They will have won
more games and lost fewer. On the
surface this would seem to show
that the Athletics are Ear superior
as team. But, in digging under
the surface, you will finu that the
Braves, since the latter pert OF July,
have played better and more consis-
tent baseball than have The Athletics.
When the 1914 season opened Con-
nie Mack had his machine intact. He
sent it along on it's course. He didn't
need to experiment, didn't need to
tinker Tho machine was perfect.
But how different was the case with
Stallings
Stallngs had to spend nearly three
months of the 1914 season i'm eX-
periments. He had plenty of ma
terial but what was the right com
bnatiOn? Tha, was his problem.
Outside of Evers at second and Mar
awhile at short, he wasn't sure which
men had qualified for the different
positions. He placed Schmidt at first
and kept him there, although the big
German made mistakes during the
early part of the year that lost games
for his team. But Stallings saw a
diamond i'm the rough. Constant
| playing and the resultant gathering
experience had developed Schmidt
| into one Of the most reliable first
sackers in the game
Stallings didn't know what Gowdy
could do behind the bat He had TO
/ experiment He wasn't sure which
of his outdelders were the three
needed for regular duty. Again h,
had to experiment. Tho pitchins
question was a hard one for him tC
solve He didn't know that the right
combination was James, Tyler and
Rudolph until he had tried out some
Of the others who pitched poorly and
lost games for him.
Until the early part of July, Stall
ings had TO juggle, experiment and
/ tinker. Time and again he seemed
to have his machine i'm working order
ID would make o few perfect revOlu-
/ tlons-and then one or another of
] the oogs would slip. He had to tear
the machine down again and rebuild
Il was along about July that
Stallings got his machine into real
working order And then he sent Il
along on its way. The result was
that the Braves have played the mos
sensational ball in the history of thu
game.
The team seemingly hopelessl!
iammed into last place. started will
the precision Of a clock and the speel
of a cyclone. Terrible and relentles
II moved along, smashing 10 shred
every bit of opposition that Offered
. never stopping, never hesitating i
its whirlNind dash from the lowlies
depths to the crest OF the Nationa
8 league.
When Stallings got ais machin
into motion the club. in last plac
had a standing of 2S games won an
40 lost-a percentage of .412. TIL
: Athletics on the same day--July z
q had a standing of 63i having won
games and lost only %.
- From that point on II is fair
Judge the respective qualities of th
u two teams-and the judgment favor
d the Braves by a healthy margin q
that day the Athletics were "a IN
"a games, or 2l9 points ahead OF q
~ Braves. But look at tho standings 4
i' day and you will find that the Brav'
- have reduced that edge wonderfully
les The Athletic machine started on
~ winning streak just about the san
% time as did the Braves. II kept apa
y with the Braves for many weeks tn,
le the Philadelphia machine stoppC
Something was wrong and som
le thing still seems TO be wrong II
. AAhAhAANnf AAtNA knAhAAt 81 ARAu vi
games over their nearest riva
seemed to crack" Weaker teaI
L. came along and beat them. The r
AZ Sox, runners-up in the pennant fie
II beat them six out Of the last sew
N attempts. and the Athletics have COZ
le preciously close to losing out in thu
le pennant fight.
i The Braves, pitted against fierC
! opposition than the Athletics, ha
II failed to crack" They have go
4 along day after day playing bett
N baseball than the day before TIT
a machine has been working constant
IS for nearly three months But ney
'u once has the machine stepped.
moves today with the same pl
.k cision. the same terrific power that
IN did in July. before it's cogs h
- grown tired
lu Day after day the Braves machi
- seems TO grow better Day after d
~. the rough spots seems TO or,
=, smoother. and, looking az It from q
a. a. angle, II seems that George Stallin
av, 80 viii send in to the worlds series
machine which may rank with {
II. great wonderful machine that h
i brought so much baseball honor a
glory ia Dhf1ndaIphf~