South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-02-03
BOSTON BRAVES
WILL NOT CRAB
REMNANT AGAIN
Fans Believe That Wonderful
Luck of StaIIingS' Aggrega-
ton Will Not Continue Dur
ing Season of 1915.
BY Frank G. NIenke.

NEW YORK. Feb g. - bet of
$500 to $3.50 was made down in wall
ST. the other day that the Braves
wouldn't win the 1915 pennant That
wager seems 10 express pretty gen
orally the opinion OF fandom concern
ing the Braves chances during the
coming season.
The Braves played the most Won
derful baseball over a stretch of 10
weeks that ever had been played in
history. They beat a team in the
world series that was considered 10
be the greatest ever welded together.
And they beat that outfit in record
time. And yet, despite that great
showing. despite the fact that the
Braves have been strengthened con
siderably. only the stoutest hearted
Boston fans are predicting another
pennanI for the Braves.
The so-called wise men" OF base
ball think that the Braves Will not
repeat simply because lightning isn't
supposed to strike twice in the same
place and that accidents rarely hap
pen twice in the same way.
Victory Was Miracle.
The Braves victory in 1914 was of
a miracle nature one of the wise
ones tells us. You can't expect
too many miracles in this day and
age. OF course. / don't say that the
Braves haven't chance to repeat in
1915. They may win. All things are
possible. But l don't think they will
win"
''why?" we asked
We'll. their 1914 success was due
10 a certain extent TO great ball play
ing and il also was due TO luck. They
got nearly every break in the games
between mid-July and the close OF
the season. Time and again they
seemed TO be hopelessly beaten in
games, yet they won out, either
through some hit made at a timely
moment by a man who never before
hit in "A pinch, or by some error made
by an opposition player who averaged
about one errer in 20 games.
Look over the 1914 record of the
Braves-that is from mid-July to the
end of the seasOn-and you will see
that they won a large bulk of their
games by one run. Time and time
again they were returned victors in
I TO o or ? to l games That was
when their pitchers were going good.
In the early part of the squirt the
Braves pitchers were working in
wonderful fashion and their batters
weren't hitting. Later on when the
pitchers slumped the batters got busy
and won the games with their clubs.
That's luck You can't tell me il
tiers tried as hard to hit when their
pitchers were pitching shut-out ball
as they did when they were touched
up for six and seven runs per game
But the Braves batters were in a
slump when their pitchers were go
ing good. They were lucky enough
10 get cut just in the nick of time.
The trio of Boston pitchers-Ty-
Ter. James and RudOlph-whO did
such wonderful work in 1914. won't
repeat in 1915. Achievements like
theirs OF last season occur only once
in a decade. All three may have a
good year ia LELAND they may
not
"Magee will strengthen the outfeld
The Braves infieId ought To work up
10 standard in 1915. So should the
catching department The Braves.
on paper, may look better for 1918
than they did when they beat the
Athletics. But Will they have the
same luck2 If they don't they may
finish no better than third"
What think you all of these senti-
ments?