Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-10-09
PHILLY BRAIN BEATS BOSTON BRAWN-
is GRANTLAND RICE'S CONCLIJSlo,,
Alexander Outpitches Shore in Spite of the Great.
Number of Hits for Red Sox-Visitors Foilod
in the Crucial Moments
By GRANTLAND RICE

The God OF Battle, according to Napo-
leon, goes with the side that carries the
heaviest artillery. This theory may
operate perfectly in the red game Of war
but II doesn't always go in baseball. In
the world series opener the Red Sox as
saulted Alexander for eight old-fashioned
hits. the kind that streak their way to
safety on line. The Philles drove but
one base hit beyond the infield, with Shore
firing from the mound, yet at dusk tri-
day the tidlngs had Travelled around
through the social circle Of St Paul,
Neb., that the score stood as follows:
Alexander, 3; Boston. l. and ST. Paurs
leading social circle had the tidings abso-
lutely right.
To the home fan all victories are as
radiant in color as a flash of the North
ern Lights or the Southern Cross. But to
the noncombatant who comes from alien
fields this first grapplo for the champion
shin of the fairly well-known universe
was bereft of color even to the point OF
being drab. II was bereft of color be-
cause Alexander, while always good, was
not NJ his best and because most of
the precious tallies came from soft blows
that struck the still softer turf with re-
verse English or pro-German skidding,
causing Mr.. Shore more anguish and
annoyance than he could stand upon such
an occasion-an occasion fringed with 20
900 souls with 60 per cent. OF the swag
at stake.
There was no upset to the dope which
picked Alexander to win. But there was
an upset attached to the way things came
about, for the Red Sox hit Alexander
harder than the Phllies hit Shore. But
for all that the big Philly star pitched
the better game, and for all those SOFT.
skidding infield taps the Phillies deserved
to win. They deserved to win because
l. N0a~N
the ultimate test, and when the mental
SHINING arrived It was always the Red SoX
who wandered In a maze and did the
wrong thing in the wrong way. They
could hit the old pill, they could catch II
and they could throw II; but that isn't all
of baseball by IA dusty leagues For
always at the big moment the Red SoX
went adrift into some mental maze that
brought disaster. After the game the
polite and fashionable chit-chat of the
evening was all to the effect that the
Phils had all the luck But IL you will
only follow the trend of most sports YOU
twill find that fate, the iron-handed,
usually sits in with the side that plays
the better ball And so fate sat i'm the
first big game which has given Philadel-
phia the jump and Alexander two days
rest before he goes back to the job again
upon a hostile field.
outside of any luck, there were four
defeat. One was the iron-hearted
steadiness of Alexander, who was as cool
under a heavy fire as If he had been
pitching worlds series games ever since
he let St Paul, Neb, fiat upon its bush
league back. He was not at his best
he was not enjoying one of his wonder
afternoons but when the main test came
and one more blow would furnish trouble
the big fellow had tnough--which is
always the answer He had enough to
hold Boston to one run, although he
needed a grand catch by Dode Paskert in
the eighth to keep his crown on the
proper angle. If Dode hadn't raced far
and fast for mighty wallop from Larry
Gardner in the eighth, the big dance
in St Paul, Neb., might have been called
off last night and the red fire burnt i'm
Philadelphia would have been tinged with
an indigo flame.
In the first eight rounds some Red Sox
batsman slashed drive to safe soil But
in no round were there two hits Jumped
together, which is pinch pitching to a
nigh degree. Shore, while more brilliant.
was not nearly as steady. Shore had a
barrel full of stuff, but against this he
had fate, his own mates and himself set
at variance.
Paskert's sliced punch in the fourth in