Omaha daily bee., 1915-08-29
AMERICAN LOOP STRONGER
Menke Declares Any Team in
Younger League Can Defeat Pen
nant Winner in Old Circuit.
RED sox ARE TIE FAvoRITEs
Nv FRANK g. MENKE.


NEW YORK. Aug. 29.-The non-partl-
san American fans are pulling for the
Red sox to win. They're calling the
best balanced team in the Johnsonian cir
cuit-and we agree with them.
The Red Sox have the greatest pitch
ing outfit in base ball today. Smoky
Joe" Wood is back in old-time form
and that means that one Of the greatest
pitchers In base ball is going right.
George Foster knows few pitching peers
In either league. Dutch" Leonard's
arm is rounding into shape. SO is "vean"
Greggs. This quartet-when right-ranks
superior to any pitching quarrel in the
game today. And in addition to these
men. the Red Sox have two youthful
wonders in reserve-Shore and Ruth.
Speaker, Hooper and Lewis constitute
one OF the best all-round outfields in the
history Of the game. 1t covers an i'm
mense amount Of territory. Each man
has a wonderful arm, and each OF the
three Is a real clubber.
Dick Hoblitzel. on first, Jack Barry
at second, Scott at short and Gardner
at the third station constitute an in
field Of the stonewall variety.
with a wonderful pitching staff, a
great lnfield greater outfield and two
Of the best catchers in the game, and
with speed and brains as an added as
set. the Red Sox surely look like the
best team to represent the American
league in q world series battle.
American Superior to NatiOnaIH
This is what one Of the base ball ex-
perts said to US the other day:
mo matter what team wins the Amer
lean league pennant that team will win
the world series. It's safe to 1 bet
right now
What think you Of those sentiments?
When we asked the why's and where
fores OF such an opinion, our prognos-
ticator continued:
THE first division American league
teams are playing at least q per cent
better base ball than the first four in
the National Look at the tables Of
standings and you'll find the answer.
THE Phiilies for nearly a month held
the leadership of the National league
with a percentage Of around $50. Sew
eral times during that month a team
with percentage of less than 800 broke
into the first division.
ION the other hand, the teams that
have alternated in leading the American
league have had percentages that aver
aged eco or better That means the
leading teams in the American are play
ing at least 100 points better than the
National leaeuers."
But" we interposed, that may DO
the case merely because tho eight Ma
tional league teams are moro evenly
matched than the eight in tho Ameri-
can"
That's not the case" came the ans
wer The American league, as a whole,
Is playing better base ball this year
than ever before. The Athletics look
! like joke outfit in comparison with
the Red Sox, Tigers or White Sox, but
I'll make a bet right now that they
could go in and beat any one-or afi-of
the first four teams in the National
league"
"Dope" often Goes AvvxY.
Perhaps the man Is highland perhaps
he's wrong. On paper the American
league looks stronger right now than the
National. But results on paper don't
always jibe with results on a ball field.
A world series doesn't always end the
way It's 'doped" out to end by the ex-
perts, There are frequent upsets-start-
| ling reversals
The 1914 world series is an excellent
example. The Athletics went into the
series labelled THE Glass Team" Ninety
per cent Of the experts picked them to
win. Not one fan in every million ex-
pected what really happened; that the
Athletics not only lost the series. but
lost every one of the four games played.
And an q NAV he In 1a1b The com
tending American league team may so
into the world series seeming to out
class the National league entry in every
4 IlalA 49,