The Washington times., 1914-10-12
BRAVES HAVE FIVE STAR PLAYERS.

How can this be? No one knows, save
or these two reasons: The Braves are
? IT only club or inspiration, but a
ar better ball club in every detail than
alyone, save Stallings, has giver them
edit for being. They are said TO have
ut one or two stars, when, as matter
~ unbiased record they have at least
We stars, and a number of others al
most as good. This is the first reason.
Tie second is that Mack's club is in a
neavy batting slump that has taken
way. for the time being, its greatest
fective fee for victory. This slump
scarted several days before the series.
Yank pitchers made the heavy Mackian
hitters look foolish. Rudolph and James
made them look like bushers. Rudolph
and James are two great pitchers-two
Of the greatest OF the year. But does
any one believe that under normal con-
litions they are great enough to hold
mis- Philadelphia machine in two games
q a batting average of about los? If
hey are then the Mackmen have gone
ack-and this is part Of the answer.
There has never been an exception to
ne raw. iron law that rules sport. You
eign for Just so, long, and thcn you
NJ the Chutes and fade into the mists
There has never been an exception.
ND the Mackmen are human. Save for
ne slip, they have ruled the field since
30 They are due to go back-as things
20 I'm baseball They are not what they
sed 20 be- and 1t is not likely this ma
hine will ever win an American League
Dennant.
But for all that they are not yet
trough. II they emerge from this bat
ing stump they still have the brains.
he courage. and the morale left 20 &c
out and make terrific battle 70 hold
their throne and retain their crown.
But to win they must depend upoA
some new talent. Bender and Plank
nave had their shot and failed against
Rudolph and James. Mack must now
'sll back upon some youngster, sHch
as Brcssler. Bush. or ShaWkey. STALL
nEs believes in letting well enough
stand pat. He saws he will shoot D:ck
Rudolph against the American cham
pions today and come back with S;ll
James tomorrow.
StHlIings says that he will win now
m four straight games. This doesn't
-ourd possible But no one thought
Thai Stallings was possessed Of reason
or Judgment when he predicted tHat
mis- Braves would Whirl in against the
Mackmen with such ferocity that tHc
great machine would b. overwhelmed.
Yet this is what happened on Shibc
Field-and the Braves at home. Slnce
sTe in June, have been the hardest
-luh In the world TO beat. They have
home average above .S30-since June .
and back at home against the Athletics
hey are more confident than they
nere against Giants, Cubs. or Cardinals.
To a man they believe they have
NaCks club whipped and coWed and on
ne run Which brings up TO US tho
most interesting point Of the entire
campaign. Here we have the young
Braves pitted against the greatest nj
~nine in the game. Yet Jim Gaffney,
the Braves owner. told us that StallinFs
had but one fear-and had but one
tear all along Can you guess il? Not
in a thousand years. This fear Was
hat his club would be TOO nVer""m'-
gent and would expect To win too EASILY.
ran YOU imaRine--or could YOU have
imagined some weeks ago-a Boston
National club being so ovcrronfident
2 ga,nst the Athletics that it might not
take the series seriously? Yet tGis
vas Stallings' chief fear.
Every man on my club. he said.
all along has believed that We out
rIsssed Mack's team in every way
? nd that the result was a CinCh-that
Philadelphia never had chance. And
iu place Of trying TO put courage INTO
fheir soUls-T've had TO try and 70 H,ak"
rhen believe that while the best club
hey still had to fight"
II was Just as IT, twelve years ago,
Pat Nelson and Jim Jeffries were to
meet and Nelson's manager was trying
10 prevent Bat from being over conf
dent. It's the most unusual sporting an
gle that has ever developed in all the
vide broad history Of sport. The most
unususl and the most interesting. No
wonder that Boston and all New Eng
land is i'm q raging turmoil over the
Brave cause and is pulling its collective
heart out for a Brave triumph
Il could easily sell 10000 seats" says
Jim Gafney this afternoon. and he
could. What's more, he could easily
sell 10000 seats, II the general claInor
for tickets is any indication Of the wide
spread interest. We have seen ball
clubs before that were admired and
feted by the rome populace. But never
as deep in home affection as this cour-
? ageous band that has come from such
depths to such heights by the sheer
force OF fighting coursge-matched with
fine ability. of course, but no finer than
many clubs have known around second