The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-10-30
M'CRAW'S NATURE
Giant Leader Always Cracks
After the Strain.
Temple Discusses Charges Made
in Game With Dodgers.
BY FRANK G. MENKE,

New York, Oct 3O-"Those who
know John McGraw best, do not take
seriously his charges that the Giants
threw the final series of the year to
the Dodgers; they look upon McGraw's
utterances merely as sort of exhaust
for his shattered nervous system"
So asserts William Chase Temple
| donor of the famous Temple cup, and
| a student of the diamond game for
forty years.
| 'McGraw is a nervous, highly strung
| fellow, with wonderful courage AMI
GOODNESS in the fiercest fighting, but
with temperament that II axes him
go to pieces absolutely after the crisis
is over" said Temple. Il first came
to know this about McGraw more than
twenty-five years ago. and the study
| Of his career since then reveals the
same characteristics
Back in 1894 the Boston and Bal
timore teams rushed to the wire al
most nose and nose. Upon the last
game of the year depended the pen
nant. Boston got away in the lead
| and held it until the ninth. Finally
the Baltimore club filled the bases in
the final inning, with two men out.
A hit meant the pennant. fo- Balti-
more; failure spelled its loss.
| McGraw Collapsed.
And it was John McGraw's turn at
bat. Confidently, swaggeringly, he
walked to the plate, with 4 sneer upon
| his face. In all that ball park, John
| McGraw, facing the greatest task of
| his career up to that time, was the
coolest and calmest. He seemed like
an icicle.
''The ball was served up to him.
McGraw looked it over and then let it
slip by. The next one came up and
McGraw, timing his swing perfectly.
shot it on line over the infield for the
hit that won the game-and the pen
nant of 1S94-for his club
/ n fol-
over, McGraw rushed into the club
house ahead of his mates When they
arrived there they found him in far
corner in tears. McGraw was crying
ment had enabled him to face the
strain-and bravely. But as soon as
the tension had snapped, John Nc
Graw collapsed.
! that incident of more than a score of
years ago explains to many of the old
timers why McGraw made charges
/ that seemed sensational at the time.
on their record bal king journey, Nc
Graw was cool, confident. collected.
Nothing ratified him; nothing caused
/ him to lose his poise. And then came
the defeat at the hands of the Braves
which ended the winnin~ streak after
| It had tailed twenty-six.
He Couldn't Understand.
with the severing of the string.
! McCraws nervous system no doubt,
became unhinged. And when the
Giants, after steamrol1ing every foe
over a sweep of nearly one month,
went to Brooklyn. and put up such
miserable exhibition, the sight of ii
was more than McGraw could bear. He
couldn't understand at the time that
the let-down of his men after their
great record was but natural He came
| to regard them as a peerless combina-
ton; as a team that could not play
anything other than superb baseball
/ whenever it tried.
After the Giants had won about
| ten games during their spring streak
/ of seventeen in a row, / wired Nc
Graw at Cincinnati. I pointed out to
| him that it wasn't good for ball club
to want too many in a row-that the
/ Iet-down afterward would work havoc
with the team for a while What
then predicted came true. The Giants
cracked in about twenty different
! places after they had won their sew
enteen straight.
Winning Streaks Hurt.
| THAT has been the case all thru
baseball history. have been interest
ed in the game in a vital way Tor
! something like forty years In all that
. time / never have seen any club win a
big string of games consecutively with
out slipping badly for some time after-
ward. That has been proven this sea-
son. not merely in the case of the
Giants hut by other clubs
.saThe St Louis Browns won quite
few games in a row during midseason
and got within striking distance OF the
remnant Then their string was brok-
en- and somehow or other the Browns
+ couldn't get back into stride again
The Red Sox achieved consecutive vic
4 tories along IN August and seemed 10
nave cinched the penrant- Their
march was halted by a defeat and for
two or three weeks afterward they did
little better than FOUNDER along"
HaviIand Team Is Strong.
] Hsyfland, Kan, Oct 3o-R. L. Jew
1 ell. football coach of the Haviland
high school. has built up a formidable
team as was shown by the SIS to
score his team piled up against Cum
ningham here Saturday. The Havi-
+, land lads failed to make their first
L only