The Washington times., 1916-09-10
Yankees Leader Believes Baker
viii Make Difference In De-
Gliding Title.
BY BILL DONOVAN,
Manager Of the New York Yankees.

haven't gwen up nope OF tne PEN
nant. Nor has any Of my players. No
manager sver had . gamer lot Of boys
than those who wear the uniforms Of
the Yankees.
The only good piecs Of luck my team
has had since the curse Of mishap laid
It's heavy hand on seven of the clubs
foremost stars was the return OF Frank
Baker in the first game OF our long
road trip. And even then We were un-
lucky enovsh to bump into Walter
Johnson In the best game he has pitch
ed this year.
But 2aker is back. That IL the main
thing. He showed right off the reel
that he is as good a. he ever was in
his life. You'll see him hitting as only
he can hit before this junket IL much
older. 1t II difficult to explain Just
how much one reliable batter Of his
caliber means to a team.
know that II Baker hadn't been
hurt we might have overlooked all the
other injuries. Wed have been leading
now. sure. A hit would have won any
one OF q dozen Of the fourteen games
we dropped on our last trip West. Baker
doctors would not let him. They were
afraid he might permanently injure
himself. Ho has returned at last With
their oinctai o. X, and he II a. ex-
uperant apout playing again as q Kid
Sticks to the End.
More than one Of my friends have
looked at me queerly Of late whenever
! expressed the opinion that my club
was still In tho fight, with a reason a Bile
chance for the pennant. Why, II the
neld wasn't SO unusually well balanced.
the lead that any club holds over me
would not, be considered at all decisive.
l for one will refuse to concede Il de-
cisive until our last mathemati
chance nitters away. And It may never
nitteI
One week ago the Philadelphia Ma
tional League club was as badly Off as
my team II now. II made up all that
ground In practically a week. It made
iH ,s greatest inroad. Of course. by as
ers five straight. But It got some val
| liable assistance. too. from the sup
posedly weaker clubs that helped put
/, the Braves and Dodgers back.
Now It is not too unreasonable to ex-
! In the American League. Here Il q
neid far better balanced than the Ma
tionai: Any club In the johnson circuit
s liable to make a clean sweep OF q
the Athletics a. they are playing now
1 a team In our league that can pull a
winning spurt at this moment cannot
put threaten the peace OF mind Of ita
| rivas. Tor the rest. for the most part
| must play more or less at cut-throat.
Better or Than Ever.
With Baker and Maisel back on tn.
job I am far better fortified than a,
any time. since Gilhooiey was injured
to 60 out and run up a string OF vic
tories. You will remember Giihooie,
met with his accident while we wer,
delivering one Of the finest spurts ol
the season. And that record. which ha.
been surpassed only by the Browns
was compiled on hostile ground.
MY pitchers up to very short tim,
ago by isr surpassed any Of the league
stay. But when they siumped ther,
was this encoura cement. The team
began to hit better than II had hit a
any time In its crippled condition. Nov
Is anything seriously the matter viii
my pitching. Trouble was that one Of
two OF the colts went wild q bit. Tha
was to be expected. ! really beiiev,
they are all back at top form again
Baker and Maisel in the lineup tn,
hitting will fall of to such a psinfu
degree As II did when the pitchers wer,
at their very best.
Our pennant chances are not AZ brigh
! As those Of three or four other clubs
I must confess. But the clubs We hav,
to beat do not class with my regula
lineup. II was wonderful pitching tha
put the Red Sox away out in front
ssnut sSe sRStethms ts Il Sos whis
began to show signs OF wear Carrigal
suffered the most serious blow Of tn,
campaign IN the loss OF Jack Barry.
do not believe the worlds Champion
can win , without Jack and he VIII b
season. It was Barry who pulled tn,
Hub OUTFIT through to 4 championship
last year. He IL the real brains of tha
inheld.
Detroit May BE Done.
Detroit threatened to run of with tn,
pennant. But now Covelesl<ie. the mos
dependable pitcher Of the Tigers. ha
been injured. How seriously. I do no
know. II he 10 seriously injured. Detroi
II done. Jennings could better spar,
any other man. bar Ty Cobb. Hughi
had only three pitchers on whom h
could depend-Coveleskie. James. an,
Dauss. The Pole was the best Of tn
three. Even with the three at top form
Detroit's greatest weakness was in tn
box. One therefore may easily appreci
ate what the loss OF Coveleskie woul,
mean at this time.
think the ma Jority of the fans count
ed the White Sox out far too soon
There Is a club that Is swapping at tn
heels OF the leaders. and one that will
! be mighty hard to suppress II II eve
gets the pennant bug firmly planted
Rowland has everything that goes to
ward championship class-speed. hitting
and defensive power. and a box depart
ment that should be one of the best. bu
isn't. 1t is wonderful thing. though
the stimulus of money. Let the Whit
Sox once awake to their capabilitie
while realizing that their most feare,
rivals-the Tigers and Red Sox-ar
crippled. and no one can possibly tel
what they will do. Chicago Is a lon
way from being counted out YET.
| Trade Beat Indians.
OF the two other Eastern clubs I d
! not think so highly. for though bot
have been able to keep their regula
lineups in the field all the way. bot
now are showing evidences OF wea
The Browns were not entitled (
make such a sensational spurt q
they did. They took advantage of
grass grown field to get the Jump o
the Eastern teams. This Brown Ia
, has been manicured since them an