Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-08-30

Are John McGraw and his New YORK
Giants doomed to lose the National
League pennant of 1914?
They won it in 1911, and in 1912, and
in 1913.
But
No National League team. no
American League team, no big league
team since 1SSS-twenty- years ago
has evaded the hoodoo that pursues
three-time winners.
Arson won three pennants. tried for
a fourth and failed.
Selee won three pcnnants, tried for
a fourth and failed.
Hanlon, Clarke, Chance, Jennings
all tried and failed.
Six of the greatest managers the
game has ever seen stood in the same
position that McGraw stands today
but could not beat Nemesis.
Just two managers. and only tWo'
In the Professional Association, the
first big league in the history OF
base ball, Harry Wright's wonderful
Boston team won the pennants OIL
1S72-73-74-75. Nor was it any luke
The Bostons so completely over
Swallowed the other teams in the race
that their fourth pennant was won
by a tremendous margln-S99 to the
second teams 1926. Harry wright
might have gone on winning still
more remnants, but the organization or
the National League in 1876 made IN
roads upon his playing staff and
brought his winning streak to an end.
In the American Association In 1880
S6-S7-SS Charlie Comiskeys st. Louis
Browns won four successive pennants.
Here again it was a case of team
so tremendously strong that no other
aggregation had much of look-in.
Indeed, in 1888, Comiskey sold three
of his greatest stars to other teams
and was still able to lead the race to
its finish. David Foutz, pitcher, went
to Brooklyn, and Bill Gleason, short
stop, and Curtis WEIGH, outfielder,
went to the Athletics. but SO great
was Comiskey's strength that he did
not miss them.
Four-Time Winners Strong.
So the only four-time winners were
teams that cast every other team in
a densely dark shadow. And, on the
contrary, whenever a team won three
pennants without that tremendously
dominating strength it went down to
defeat on the fourth attempt.
Decidedly interesting in McGraw's pres
ent effort is the fact that the team CIV
ing him the most trouble is Boston, for
history shows that two other Boston
teams humbled three-time winners. In
1902 Anson's Chicago team won three
consecutive pennants. In 1888 he made
a valiant struggle for his fourth pen
nant. but it was not to be- True. he
was beaten by only four games, but
those four games were as good as mil
lion, and it was the Boston team that had
the winning margin.
Ned Hanlon also fell victim to Bos-
toms power to bring winning streaks to
an end. In 1S94-5-6 Hanlon's Baltimore
Orioles (and. by the way. McGraw was
one of them chased VIGOROUSLY around
the National League circuit. In 1897 the
Orioles tried for their fourth pennant and
lost it by precisely two games. And
again it was Boston that had the win
ming margin.
Boston knows the other end of the
pennants in 1929 and lost out to Bal
timore in 1894.
Fred Clarke gave Pittsburgh three
pennants in s1901-2-3, and then cracked
worse than any other three-time winner
before or since, finishing in fourth place.
Clarke's revenge came in 1909 Frank
Chance led his Chicago Cubs to pennant
victories in 19O6-7-S. only to be beaten
out by Pittsburgh the following year by
six and a half games.
In the American League but one team
ever captured three successive remnants.
Hugh Jennings and his Detroit Tigers
were the best fighters Of Fan Johnson 8
league in 1907-S-9. but their bid for a
pennant in 1910 was far from successful.
both the Athletics and New York beating
them out
Now let US summarize: