Evening journal., 1915-04-27
ARE Giants Done
IN PENNANT FIGHT
Recent Happenings Have
Developed Undeniable
Evidences of Slipping
M'GRAW FINDS
HIS HANDS TIED

Graw legion toppled back to point
where il is just one of the eight Ma
tional League teams? Is the coming
Of the frisky fighting Giants no long
er to be dreaded in other camps?
And, most important of all, have
the Giants lost their sting?
After a close analysis of the work
of tn Giants this spring the worst is
feared The poor work OF the former
champions on the hick circuit, before
the opening of the regular season,
was an early tip-off on their general
form. When a club with such players
as Doyle. Meyers, Lobert, Fletcher
and Merkle, loses five out of six prac-
tice games to minor league opposi-
tion. 1t was a sign that somewhere
the Giant machinery was out of gear.
The first two starts Of the cham
pionship season, when the Giants
massacred the poor Ebbets tribe, l6
to 3, and Marquard pitched his no
hit game, put the fans off their guard.
After ALL" they figured. those spring
games counted for nothing" Every
body sat back to watch the Giants
jump out in front with about ten
straight games. as has frequently
been their custom. Then the Giants
lost one game to Brooklyn, and then
the Phils came.
What the Phils did to the Giants is
history.
All during that Philadelphia SER
ies,the Giants fought a sullen, stub
born fight. but the Quaker pitching,
and the sensational fielding of the
Moran tribe proved too much. How
ever, the defeats by Alexander and
Mayer did not pain as much as those
inflicted by Demaree and Chalmers
both New York cast-offs. When this
pair held the Giants to half a dozen
hits and one run between them, the
! Giant fans began to ask whats up?"
What is up is that the Giants sag
ged from a percentage of .664 in 1913
to percentage of .545 in 1914, a drop
! in twelve months of 119 percentage
points. Can the sagging be stopped
this summer?
McGraw worked hard this winter
to bolster up his weak points, though
he had a loadstone tied around his
neck in that he had seventeen high
priced players, whom he could neither
release, sell nor trade without their
consent for another two years. while
the National League tied some more
iron bands around John Joseph with
his twenty-one player limit, and the
non-recall waiver rule.
Realizing he could not wait TO de-
velop any young talent for third base,
a very weak spot last year, McGraw
signed Lobert at a big salary, when
il looked as though that player would
hurdle to the Federal League. POL
Perritt, a Federal League jumper
was persuaded TO jump back, his ac-
quisition bringing the Giants another
reliable pitcher. who finished ninth
in his league last season.
So far Lobert has played grand
ball, and though Perritt has dropped
pair of games, there is no doubt OF
his ability. and he should help the
team quite a little before the season
is over. However, taking the pitch.
ing of Demaree and Chalmers in New
York as a criterion OF their 1915 form
will Perritt show as much as this
pair?
Yet no one can blame McGraw fol
parting with Demaree, as he was Of
practically no value to the club las
season. Chalmers had one good veal
in the National League. 1911, anC
since then has been useless. McGrav
would have signed Chalmers. but tn,
twenty-one limit prevented
Catcher Harry Smith was expected
to help the team a great deal. and h,
will in time but he is still green. anC
his batting against big league pitch
ing is problematical. Chalmers fan
ned him twice in that game last year
I.N q
, been strengthened through the ac
quisition of LObert. Perritt and Smitl
does this trio make up for the veal
and tear on the rest of the cast. nota
bly, the outfield. which at present il
by far McGraw's weakest department
Despite the fact that the Giants
took an army of players to Marlin
] including droves of inielders. pitch
} ers and catchers, no new Outfielderi
were tried out. The Outfielders a
the start of the training season wer,
Burns, Snodgrass. Murray, Thorpe
Robertson, Bescher and Piez, all o
whom we're with the club last season
! Bescher disappointed McGraw las
. season by bonehead work, and wa
transferred TO the Cardinals in ex
change for Perritt. Piez would hav,
been retained but the twenty-on,
, player limit made il necessary I,
shift him to Rochester
This left McGraw, Burns, Snod
grass and Thorpe for regulars. witt
, Murray and Robertson in reserve
If all of these players were on thei
crest IL would not be a bad outfeld
but Burns has been playing al
spring with a bad ankle, which ma,
, interfere with his base running fo
another month. Snodgrass is gettin,
away to one of his usual poor battin,
J starts. and Murray seemingly has for
, gotten all he ever knew about III,
= art of hitting.
, Thorpe, perhaps, has had his las
chance to become a regular. The In
dian was remarkable football play
er. and the world perhaps has neve
! known Jim's equal as an all-rount
/ athlete, but as a baseball player h
= belongs TO the minors. The bite
r part Of it is that Jim has tried harde
to become a successful ball playe
/ than he ever strived for anything els
i'm his career.
Perhaps that is why he will neye
make a first-class ball PLAYER. Foot
ball and track athletics came to hin
naturally-he could Jump over
r house before Glenn Warner ever saw
4. him. but the real baseball instinc
is missing and cannot be developed