The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-10-01

The failure OF the west to provide q
pennant contender in the the National
league this season was a bitter disap-
pointment to the magnates, as it was be-
lieved that at least one western team
would be very much in the running this
season. When the spring training season
opened it was thought that the CUBS
would be able to stick in the race, but L
think that the series with the Phillies at
ST. Petersburg and Tampa did much to-
ward demoralizing Tinker's team.
The Cubs had gone to Tampa full OF
confidence and the scribes throughout
the country figured Tinkers team as a
likely pennant winner until we played
them the series at the twin training
camps When the first two games We're
played the Cubs looked good, but as we
beat them day after day we could notice
the difference in their play The conf
dence and ginger vanished and the Cups
never came back.
AS for the other western teams, they
did not look very good from the start
and 1t was apparent after the east had
met the west that the pennant would be
won by an eastern team, unless the Cubs
suddenly got going. The fact that the
east so completely outclassed the west in
the first two intersectional series hurt
the race to a certain extent, but the way
the Phillies. Brooklyn and Boston stuck
together made the year one of the most
profitable the magnates have ever enjoy
ed, despite the absence of a western PEN
nant contender
WESTERN TEAMS IN RACE
two of the western teams in the race
from start to finish. There was a great
Improvement in the work of all the west
ern teams against the Phillies on our last
home stand, despite the fact that we sue
ceeded in taking a large percentage Of
the games.
The Cubs presented crippled lineup
against the Phillies in two of the games
but when the regulars were in the game,
and the pitching was good. Tinker's team
looked mighty good, and with Larry
Doyle in the game would have looked
even better. But to my way of thinking
the Pirates and Reds have shown the
greatest improvement.
Mathewson has just about convinced
me that he will be a successful manager.
When he took hold of the Reds the team
was in a demoralized condition with the
pitching staff shot to pieces, but when
they met the Phillies, Matey's excellent
judgment was apparent in the general
play OF the team.
MATTY HANDLING HURLERS
Matty has been handling his pitching
staff carefully and the hurlerS who were
just about tagged out and without con-
fIdence a month ago, are now at their
best. We won four in row from the
Reds but we got all the breaks and play
ed exceptional ball to do it. as Matty' s
bunch are stronger than at any time
this season.
The veteran pitcher is working along
the proper lines. He knows that he has
no chance to better his position this sea-
son and is building for the future. Kopf,
at shortstop, looks good. He may not
hit a whole lot but he is clever fielder,
fast man and mighty smart young
ster. If the rest of the team hits as
we'll as I think it will, Matty can afford
to carry a weak, hitting shortstop who
can fill the bill in other departments.
One Cincinnati rocky made head i'm
preston upon me, however, and that was
Paul Smith, the husky outfielder secured
from Montreal of the International
league. Smith is a right-handed thrower
and left-handed hitter, and he impressed
me as being quite a hitter In the first
game of the doubleheader I pitched
against the Reds Smith got TO me for
three solid hits, and was robbed of an
other by great play. In the second
game / managed to limit him to one hit,
but I could not fool him.
HAS NO WEAKNESS
I pitched everything to him. High, low,
fast slow and curved balls seemed to
look alike to him, and I doubt If he
has any real weakness. He is lucky
find for Matty and his presence In the
lineup gives the Reds hard-hitting out
field.
One of the great drawbacks to the de-