Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-19
OLD ORIOLES
John McGraw. Manager of Giants, Re- iates How He Thinks Old Orioles Would Size Up With Present Cham pions.

John McGraW, manager of the New York Giants. has piloted five clubs into pennantville and was a master player, on, that. renowned old team, the Baltimore Orioles. What he has to say on pennant winning in general is the opinion of a high class expert.
 It is getting to be about the most difficult job in the, world to win a pennant. Not that it was ever easy, but it gets harder all the time The competition is keener and the mana ger is under a heavier stra-
 Tn the. old days a club. had only one or two extra players, and an out fielder might be on first base and pitcher in the outfield when not oth- erwise occupied. But nowadays with the abundance of substitutes it is a close problem to win games. Pitchers aren't knocked out of the box any more. Let a man start to show signs of distress and he. is promptly yank- ed for another. It takes pretty, nearly perfect pitching to get by in the ma jor leagues nowadays.
 Why 1 remember game when I was playing on the Baltimore Orioles when the opposing club scored 13 runs off our pitcher in the first inning. We wanted to take him out, but ne said no. that he would settle down all right and we left him in. And he did settle down. They didn't score any more runs and we finally won the game by a score of fourteen to thir- teen. But what chance would a pit cher have nowadays to settle down if they scored thirteen runs in the first inning?
 '1t is simply on account of the keenness of competition and the abun- dance of playing material compared with the standards of the old days that pennant winning has become such a task at present, Individually, I don't think the players of the pres ent are any better than they were when I was on the Orioles. If there is any difference I would prefer the old timers. I don't think there is any pitcher at present who is any better than Clarkson or Cy Young or Rusie and you would have to argue to con- vince me there are any as good. But of course in those days there was but one big league.
 "I have often speculated as to the outcome of an encounter between the old Orioles and a strong modern club. No doubt I am prejudiced in favor of that famous old team, but my pre- a great bunch. those players. all born sluggers. Why I remember one year our weakest hitter led the league in three-base hits. What they couldn't do in one way they made up for it another.
 Tn fact if the old Orioles had had pitchers as good as the Athletics and had been able to meet them I don't think there would have been any con- test. The Orioles would have drown ed them in runs. As things were. I wouldn't make any such prediction. Our pitchers were always ineffective Someway or other though we had wonderful club,' Jour pitchers didn't pan out. I remember we got Pitcher Gleason after every other club thought he was through and he won something like 23 out of 24 games. But I can't | rem member all the contests that we bad 10 score 12 or 14 runs to pull him 
 NO. with the pitchers that we had I don't think that even the old Orioles | could have beaten the Athletics with | Plank and Bender and Bush in form. | We would have given them a royal | battle and we would have scored more | runs against them than anv other cl,1, ever scored. but our weak pitching | would have been a vulnerable point | for their attack. The juggling of | pitchers is the main thing nowadays l and pftcAesD the old Orioles lacked