Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-03-20
AMERICAN LEAGUE RACE
may Be MAD SCRAMBLE
-Four Teams Can BE, Considered as
Pennant Possibilities mt
This Stage.
TWO LOOK LIKE DARK HORSES
Eight Clubs Look More Evenly
Matched Than for Many Years.
No Team Has Big Bulge as In
Past.

1t looks as If there will he mad
scramble for pennant honors In the
American league this season. At least
four teams can be considered from this
pre- season angle. as certain bnttlers for
The bunting, while two others look
like dark horses. And, as for those
other two--well. you never can tell.
iiemember the Braves.
The best part Of the Anne rican league
more evenly matched than for many
years. No one team has a big bulge
on the others; as the Athletics had I'm
quito as was the case of the
Yankees and Maps last year.
There is a difference, between the
Red Sox. Senators. Athletics and White
Sox--and the other four that are fig
ured for the second division. But the
difference isn't so great.
In other years from $50 to $50 points
separated the first and last place teams
In the American league. but this year
points, fact that would make tn.
race thriller all the way down the
The Red so1 are being tou,ed con-
siderably. There is no ducking the
fact that they look most powerfully
Collins Help. White So..
Inc white Sox: aided and allotted by
nave but few peers in baseball. q brace
or good catchers, and some likely look
Ing outnelders have created pcnnant
preseason dope. surely look as though
they are able to put up great and
enduring battle.
The Senators. now that they have
recovered their star high Jumper Walt
johnson, can he figured as having a
chance for the flag. The Senator's
since the 1914 season closed. and some
of the youngsters that Griffith has
picked W, may round into stars.
The Athletics will be in the fight
Don't think that the absence OF COL
Inns, Bender. Plank. ct ais, will act as
death blow. Connie Mack has some
young pitchers who will have chance
boys ought 10 come through" Lajoie
Is bit beyond his prime, and his bat
ting eye has dimmed slightly. but the
great f'renchmam ought to play the
sort of game that won't make The alb
semce Of Collins felt so kcenly.
The four teams above look 10 have
the best chances for the pennant. Blu,
It's we'll not to overlook the Detroit
outfit. iiughie Jennings still has his
and no has shared few pitchers that
promise 10 deliver in nice shape. II
they do. and If Covaleskic and Dubuc
have good seasons, those Jungle Boys
ought 10 be very much among those
present
"w'nd BlI" Run. Tanks.
pitching stan will be made up about
the same last year. Maybe wild
Bit Donovan can get far better work
out of it than Frank Chance did Ia st
year II he does that Will mean bet
fer rating for the Yanks. The New
Workers have been strengthened
through several trades and purchases
since the new owners became active
that have bolstered up the inteld and
outheld Just what this new Yankee
team viii do constitutes one Of the big
baseball questions Of the hour
The Indlans-there's another base
ball question mark. They don't look
good on paper. The pitching staff,
based on its 1914 work. is one that can
not inspire FIRST division hopes But
the pitchers may get back into their
stride III 1915. and those Indians may
he the surprise OF the 1915 season
Thu Browns right now don't look
good enough TO finish any better than
far down in the second division They
have some good pitchers--but none nre
real wonders. The infield is good. and
the outficld is likewise. That Is as il
concerns fielding. But the team isn't
a team of hitters
And there's a rub" as Bill Shake
speare would say.