East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1915-06-04
JOHN M'GRAW FACES
PROSPECT OF HAVING
A TEAM OF TRALtRS
BY BARRY FARIs.

Omitted Press Staff Correspondent y
NEW YORK, June 4.-John Nc
Graw has his back against the wall
The doughty little manager Of the
four-time pennant winning Giants is
at last faced with the prospect Of
plotting trailing team. That the
outlook doesn't set we'll with the
Little Napoleon" Is plainly evidenced
by the cyclonic shake-ups that no
hands his lineup.
He hasn't quit yet, The word quit
doesn't appear In his vocabulary. The
pounding that his club is getting from
the others in the Tenor loop will
only serve to make McGraw fight
harder than ever. But even his most
ardent supporters admit that this year
his fight looks like losing one.
To many 1t looks like the old Gi-
ant machine has crumbled, And 1t Is
an odd circumstance of fate that the
once powerful aggregation Is with
ering away Just as two famous ma
chimes OF other days that cracked a
few years ago are getting back into
power These two are the Tigers and
the Cubs. The Detroit outfit is run
high back to the fore as a contender
in the American league under the
same leader that piloted 1t In the win
ming days of the past-"Eee YAH
Hughie Jennings. The Chicago gang
is being pulled back up the ladder OF
fame by one of McGraw's old lieu
tenants, Roger Bresnahan. Frank
Chance guided the destinies OF the
old time pennant coping Cubs-and
he was there when they hit the skids,
too,
1t is the indefinable something
which is missing from the Giant
ranks-that Something which a
club has to have to stay on toy
through the long, hot days of August
and September when the weak sisters
who flash in the spring wither away
The old stars are mostly with the
club and seemingly they still deliver
the goods. Their batting averages all
look good but when you watch their
work day after day you see that the
"punch" is gone They are not able
to rise up and crush the opposition
in the crisis anymore as they used to
do.
Probably the hardest individual
blow McGraw got was a wallop by
the National league club owners
They reduced the number Of players
any club could carry to twenty-one.
McGraw was the hardest hit Of any
National league manager Last year
when the Feds were raiding the
ranks OF organized ball McGraw. to
protect himself, signed most of his
veterans under longtime contracts
Now he hasn't room for the young
sters that he needs in order to build
up a club for the future.
Obituaries have been written about
the old Master-Christy Mathewsor
year after year. Already he has
been consigned to the boneyard this
year. But he is still out there on
the Giant bench and he will be on the
firing line many times this season
And when the hot sun of July and
August melts the kinks out Of his
arm the "Old Master" will chalk UP
many a victory on the Giants slate.
Big Jeff Tesreau the least flashy OF
the Giants twirlers, but the most de-
pendable, is working like a trojan
these days He Is big and capable OF
working often and McGraw is pushing
him to the limit until some of his
others get going. Rube Marquard
flashes a few great games and then
slumps. There is still the chance
that he will get right and stay there
and If he does he is unbeatable. Aft
er he handed the Cubs a beating in
the first game of the last series here
Roger Bresnahan was heard to OBJ
serve
mo club in the world could beat
that fellow the way he is going to-
Pday. If he keeps that up McGraw
won't have to worry"
Young Stroud, rookie, surprised
McGraw and thousands of others, by
breaking losing streak for the Gil
ants. Since then he has worked often
and he has pitched good ball consist
emily.