New Britain herald., 1915-07-27

Tha us,,aI oratory of the day was under way at Bi1l's place when the baseball reporter dropped in Tor a plt of moisture with which to subdue In part a. midsummer thirst
 If it had not been for the B. K, g intent concentration upun the lmpor- tant problem as to whether he would absorb a tall dark one-or a snort light one-he might have tumbled to the oratory in vogue and made ms cscape. As it was he was quickly surrounded by swarm or Bugs Wno were keenly dsirous of further words upon the subject under debate.
 Who Will It Be?
 Thera were eleven wild-eyed fan atics in the place and the vote as to the next National lague flag winner Auas practically as follows: Five nic,xed Philadelphia to win, three picked Brooklyn, two picked the Braves and one vote went to the Giants
 Further testimony was demanded from the B. R., who accepted the sub noena passively. He had responded fo inc same summons 483 times within the last two days So the thrill of Launching a guess had worn fairly well threadbare, as you might, or might not say.
 Dope and Sucn.
 ..In the first place." said the Base baH Reporter trifie cagily, the dope is up against an unusual twist For the first time in baseball history four ball clubs from the East are invading the West around the edge of August t~l <5 nh first: and on this jaunt they are to meet three Western rivals all in the hunt. The next Western trip, now under way, is the most important tour of the season. The present odds, of course, favor Philadelphia and Brook ] lvn. for they have gathered in mar gin and have been playing better ball 1 than any other rivals for a month. Naturally if these two clubs can main tain their margin on this Western in vasion they should come back late in August we'll fixed to fight out a flag duel on through the stretch.
 Other Factors.
 "But there are other factors to consider. The Dodgers haven't done well upon the road all season. Their winning margin has been erected upon Brooklyn's justly famous sod. Neither have the PhiIlies been any too preva- lent upon hostile territory.
 stAnd if they should slip against the Western clubs the Braves, smash ing along at their late summer 1914 clip, will soon be up in the fighting. And if the Braves ever get within close reach they will be the hardest club in baseball to drive back. They have gotten their top speed at last and ar coming as fast as the ghost of sysonby. taking the whip.s
 Three Clubs.
 aWhile seven clubs technically have n shot at the pennant," continued the K R.. lin my frazzled opinion the winner can be selected from three x c s-Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Hoston. Cubs, Giants, Pirates and Cardinals should run behind these three. And of the three named, given their full playing strength, the Braves have something on the present leaders. They have as good, Or better material-Land they have the know ledge that a year ago they were able to leave the rut and fight their way into a.I the glory of the year. They have been over the same road before. They have confidence in thefr ability to re- t,eat. They have just caught their true stride-and they have nearly seventy games left in which to batter their way back.
 A Point or Two.
 There are other points to consider. Rudolph has just begun to pitch with his 1914 effectiveness. And Rudolph is one of the great pitchers of the game. If you don't believe it, ask Christy Mathewson, who ranks the Brave star with the best. Tyler has settled into better work-Ragan, Davis and Hughes are helping-and if Bill James is able to pick up as Rudolph Gid there will be little question of Boston's position in October
 "In addition to this Sherwood Magee. Connolly, Schmidt and Evers have all four been batting from 20 to 40 points below normal form. Three of the four are veteran campaigners who will do better under u hard test Stallings is sure to get far better pitching and batting than he received up to July. He has a club that is fairly sure to win at least 40 of it's next 65 games--and very probably more. For once started, 1t IS that kind of club. Evers is now batting only .215; Magee and Connolly are under ESQ These three will soon begin to climb. It's pipe.
 Philadelphia and Brooklyn.
 ssLast season the Braves won not only through their own fine playing, but through the utter collapse of all