The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1915-12-12
ALEXANDER SAYS HE
.WASANOT IN CONDITION

game counted the most But did NOT
feel right at any time tho rest Of the
season. And. although l pitched o for
t,inatc one-hit game against the
Braves, which clinched the pennant,
rs the worlds series drew near be-
gan t.. fret a little about my condition.
II has never been my disposition to
worry about things. sbut u there was
ono time In my whole career when ]
wanted to be In my best form It was
during those games. Iwoufd Willingly
have given my share OF the receipts to
have been able to pitch my teammates
to q championship OF the world. which
IL my answer to the oft-rcpeated sug-
gestion that the ballplaycr thinks only
Of the money there is in the game.
They say was nervous during the
first game, and I guess WIS.
e' Was Too Careful.
The pitcher knows when he Is not
right and 1t is q very disconcerting
experience to find yourself. at the crit
zeal moment won have been thinking
about for months. facing q pennantr.
winning team with the worlds champ
ionship at; stake. whore every eye Is
watching You, and to know in your
own mind that you are not In your
best form, not in a position to realize
what is expected Of you. That thought
camc to me with overwhelming force
in the first contest, and I had to fight
against IT all through the series. Per-
haps l allowed too much Tor II. As
look back upon the series now j can
Icriticise myself at times because was
too careful, too exact, too conscious of
myself When I have been at my best
i have been able to get the ball to
break as 1 want 1t to, instinctively.
with little effort. And i could get my
fast ball To sweep across the plate
Just where TOLD. It to 80. The pitcher
can always work best when he has to
use the least thought and care.
Ny second game, and the game that
was deatfned to be my last, / had
hoped might feel In perfect shape.
\ did pitch better than did In my
FIRST meeting, but unfortunately, from
my standpoint, Leonard was pitching
even better. I have been criticised,
and Will no doubt, be criticised for
FSu& siAl1Gv IL Dok4A4nH . hbkAAG UNSA
to Lewis in that ninth inning The
critics said, I remember, that Ishonld
have known better than to t1ke q
chance ON Lewis, but should have
passed him .and tnlcsn q chance on
Gardner. u.
Lewis w1s not player who was a
stranger to me, rs a good nxny OF
them seemed to- think had met him
IN, no less than twelve or fourteen
games N 9 previous aIl-star tpur, a1d
during an those contests he had made
exzctly two hits on my delivery. 1
had faced Lewis In the box and seen.
him strike ont four times in q single
gxn1e. II there WIS a player In the
world tnat ,shnnld have feh conf.
ldxnt IN faciny by past experience, that
man WIS Lewis.
We were defeated by great club,
but every game was close. 30 close
that the least little change IN the
schedule cf events would have turned
The tide m our nEvcr. Such Is base,
faIl, hcwsverss game of uncertain
tiess And we none Of Us have any
license to cumpfxin. But I shan al.
ways think Of the worlds series Of
1915 rs j. pecniiar personal disap-
pointmSnt IA TINT i WINS unable
through lack Of condit ion. To live up to-
the cxpecta tiorz q my frtends