Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-10-12
Star Second Baseman
Blames Saturdays Defeat
on Inability to Hit, but
Says Team Is Not Beaten.
Athletics "StiII in the Ring" and
Hope to Show oId-time Form
in Boston Today-"Then Look
Out"
BY EDDIE COLLINS


getting away from that fact. Unlike the
hrst game that we lost when we were
beaten SO decisively and when we had
no excuse to offer, our second downfall
was the harder because OF closeness OF
the score and the manner in which It
was made. 1t has always been my con.
tention, and the majority of the baseball.
knowing public will agree with me, that
1t never hurts so much to get trimmed
good and proper by some big score nearly
as much as 1t does by one run, and that
is why this last setback comes SO much
harder to us.
1t seems as though It we're the irony
Of fate that follows in the wake of Eddie
Plank in a worlds series game Just
take look back at the game he pitched
against Mathewson. of the Giants, last
year. Saturday was almost a duplicate
of that one, or as near as It is possible
for two performances to be, and the re-
suit was the same in both instances All
because we could not make a run, or
even come close.
There is no getting away from the fact
tnat James. for Boston, certainly pitched
beautiful game and deserves a world
of credit. On the first day Rudolph won
handily and was much of a mystery to
our batters, but this big fellow James
looked twice as good to me. The way
he was moving along, didn't see how We
were ever going to get run. When you
stop to figure that we only got one clean
hit, the other a fuky infield tap, that
only two men got as far as second and
that only 2S Athletics faced him in the
whole game, you can begin to get an idea
OF what we were up against. That's
pitching, that is all, and you must give
credit where credit is due.
But as good as was big James work
our own Plank's was not far behind
While in the matter of hits and steadi-
ness James had considerably the better
of it, when it came to the pinch. with
men on bases. Plank was always the
master of the situation.
In the very first inning Boston came
near to getting away with lucky break
After Mann had been retired, Evers got
a life on a swinging bunt in front of the
plate that Plank could not even make
play on. Gathers playing in place Of
Connolly famed, but Whitted finally
worked his way TO first via the base-on-
balls route and things looked dangerous
with big Schmidt up. However Plank had
his number, and his best was a fly to
Strunk.
DEALS MISTAKE HELPS BRAVES
Again, in the second, n base on balls
started trouble. A sacrifice by Maranville
put Gowdy on second. but Deal hit TO
Baker, who nipped the Braves catcher go
ing to third. Then play followed, which
was duplicated later on, that beat US
out of the ball game. Deal took a big
lead off of first and by a quick throw
SChang had him caught off, but Deal
made a break for second and made ii.
Likewise in the fatal ninth, with one
Strunk was lucky to hold the hit to a
two-hagger after the ball got over his
head, and again Schang caught him away
have him go the other way and slide into
third safely. II Deal had made the play
intentional and got caught off in order to
make the plav that he did and go to
third, 1t would not hurt so much but
to think tnat an opponent can make a
mistake and still get away with it to his
advantage is discouraging. to say the
least.
A nice play by Barry probably saved
Plank trouble I'm the fourth after Schmidt
and Maranville had singled Likewise in
the sixth two Bostonians were on the
bases, but our left-hander tightened and
no damage was done. Thereafter until
the ninth the Braves did not threaten.
But in this final round they managed TO
squeeze over the run that beat us. As al
ready described, Deal doubled and worked
his way to third with only one out. IL
looked pretty good for Us when Eddie
famed James and made 1t two down
F1N1 NHyfNI fan
drooping liner, which I feel that l ought
TO have got; at any rate, | would give
anything for another try at it. However
the hest I could do was just touch 1t, ana
the run was In.
HELPLESS BEFORE JAMES.
All this time we were absolutely help
less before James simply do not know
how TO explain it, know I have never
seen our team apparently so lost against
any two pitchers as we have been against
and James in this series. or
course, the two mentioned have done
great work, but during the season have
seen SO much better pitching. and still
we hit 1t. Take the players individually
| cannot recall when we have all gone
SO bad at once. All of us have expert
enced slumps at one time or other In
our hitting. but never so many at once
before. Go right down our batting or
der. Eddie Murphy, the leader-off, has
come the nearest to holding his own; he
has managed to get on one or more times
in each game Oldring has been nowhere
near his true self and the same is true
Of myself and Baker In order, When can
any of YOU remember of seeing "Stutty
NlcInnis strike out twice In one game be-
fore? Not this year, l am sure OF that
And the same is true right down the
line, Seven hits in two games does not
sound very good for a club that Is sup
posed TO have reputation OF being called
sluggers.
Those are simply the plain, hard facts
we have not hit a lick-reasons therefor
-Ca) too good pitching against US, or 90
he entire club off its stride-take your
choice.
Rudolph, unquestionably in my MIND
will come back at US in the opening game
n Boston today, and We will go at him
better prepared than we did on opening
II Shtbe Park If we can cop the hrst
game In Boston l viii feel confident that
Ne will come through all right. otherwise
hey will have US on the defensive, and Il
Sih be hard going.
sDetensiyely / am satisfied We nave
more than held our own; it's only the
H