The Washington times., 1914-09-13
GIANTS-BRAVES CONTEST
BEST PROVES HONESTY
OF GAME, SAYS TY COBB
Majority Of Players in National League Are Pulling for staInos
Club to VIM But Even the Most Remote Clubs Are Not
Giving Slightest Indication of Letting Up
BY TY COBB.
Worlds Greatest All-Around PiayerA

Raseball's absolute honesty, which
is generally believed by the public at
large but doubted by a few so-called
"wise guys" is being proved III a
most convincing manner right now.
1t is a well-known fact that the
majority of the players in the Ma
tional League are pulling for" the
Braves, ard that Stalling:' club
would be a very popular champion.
Probably 80 per cent of the men in
the game would rather see the
courageous Hub boys cut into the
worlds series coin than anybody
else. Yet you will notice tha: no
BODY is throwing any gamec to the
Braves. On the contrary, every
manager is using his best pitchers
against them, and the opposing
players do not hesitate to wallop
the ball or make brilliant nelding
plays even when to do so means the
loss of a game for Stallings.
Sentiment is a very pretty thing of
the field, but it has no place on the
diamond after the umpire has called
Play BALL" So all the support the Bos-
tons are getting from the other clubs
in the National League is in the form
of good wishes and not good deeds.
Maybe some fellow playing the outfield
secretly hopes that a Boston batter will
break up the game with long hit, but,
all the same, if that hit happens to
come into his own territory, he will
make every possible effort to grab 1t.
even if he runs the risk of crashing
into a stone wall or sliding on his ear
to connect
1t would be the hardest thing in the
world for big league player to throw
a game even if he wanted to. think.
There is a story told of the visit of a
big time" aggregation to Cuba one
winter, and of an effort being made to
toss off game, only, to have an out
fielder gum up the plot by brilliant
catch.
l do not vouch for the truth of this
yarn. and can't think of the name OF
the club said to be involved, but it is
worth repeating just to show how it
man to make all the plays he possibly
can.
The story is to the effect that the
American players thought they would
some money by framing up to lose
game and betting on themselves. The
Cuban fans are dead game sports and
will back their Habana and Aimendares
outfits to the limit to beat a YANKEE
time, and 1 do not imagine that they
have changed much.
This time the Americans did not have
any trouble getting their bets down on
the Cubans, however. for they had been
%IA scto nd
professional gamblers were on the
home talent. The big leaguers put Up
considerable quantity Of cash on the
Cubans, and talked it up that they
would make the game look like real
contest by playing to keep even or
ahead until about the eighth or ninth
inning.
II happt ned to be one OF those tough
games, wherein the pitchers have it all
over the batters- The Americans man
aged to get one run off the Cuban fling
er early, and they didn't break their
necks trying for any more. PROBABLY
they wouldn't have made them anynoE,
for the finging was great. Had the
Yankees pulled any very pad neidlns
pIays the crowd would have been sLs-
picious. so they went along snapplly
until the eighth, when the word was
passed to let the Cubans go out and
win
fcred in this round were so easy that
il would have been a dead give-away to
have booted any of them. so the clubs
went into the last half of the ninth with
the score ! to in favor of the Ameri-
cans. Then the visiting pitcher was it,
st!ucted to pass a couple of men, which
would bring up the heaviest batter on
the Cuban team, a man who was likely
to bust one at any time.
~.
pitcher handed him one right in his
groove. and he pasted il exactly on the
nose. IL looked like a sure triple AMI
victory for the islanders. but the Ameri-
can center fielder, forgetting all about
tie plot. and also the fact that he had
hot heavily on the Cubans, tore across
the field and made what was said to be
the most sensational one-hand catch
ever seen in Cuba. The runners, OF
course, had started 10 tear around the
turr. off a triple play and end the %ame.
The other Americans were ready t.
murder the demon outfielder, but the
funny side of the thing struck them
before they had avenged themselves,
ard he was spared.
This story doesn't sound exactly like
recital of fact 10 me and | am not
asking my readers 20 swallow II.
repeat il merely TO show that habit is
gets msed to playing ball on the level
probably would be SO clumsy about
framing anything raw that everybody
in the park would be wise TO him.
Stallings isn't asking for any help.
of course. and he wouldn oe party
10 anything crooked. even If the teams
which want him to win should lie down.
You may be sure that every game from
now until the end OF the season will
be a fight il either New York or Boston
in, -, nd hn
merits Some of the second division
teams may loaf a little while playing
each other. but they will put their best
foot forward when graphing with the