Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-09-17
FLETCHER IS ONLY
GIANT CHAMP LEFT
Shortstop Only Man Left Who
Played with McGraw's
First Champion Team.
MERKLE AND DOYLE GONE


the old guard OF base ball is passing
on its way.
The release OF Fred Merkle to the
Brooklyns and Larry Doyle to the
Cubs was but one more chapter i'll the
dismantling of a once powerful ma
chine which won three successive
remnants at the Polo grounds and
put the National league to point
OF prominence which it never before
had enjoyed in New York, always a
stronghold OF senior organization.
The old boys-wc consider them old
now, because SO many youngsters
have come to the front since the days
of their triumphs-have been drop
ping off fast for the past two seasons
Only Art Fletcher OF McGraw's first
champions survives.
The breaking up of ball club
axes little time as compared with
The upbuildine OF one. Two years
ago this time John McGraw was
making his last fight for pennant
He had won three in row and was
out to set a new record by taking
four. The Boston Braves were just
inning to prove their worth and
" distanced the Giants in the
fight down the stretch That was
the last real noise the Giants made
unless we figure their run of seven
teen straight victories this year
When the Giants assembled at Mar
lin year ago last spring most of the
old guard were there. Mathewsor
and Marquard, who carried the pitch
ing burden in the worlds series
games, were ready to start another
campaign; so were Snodgrass and
Red Murray and Chief Meyers and
others who had been with the team
so long that the fans were beginning
to regard them as institutions. 1t
was team growing old, and the
hope was still held out that the 1914
failure had been only a slump rather
than a proof that the old machine
had cracked. 1t was false hope.
Three Pass on Way.
During the 1915 campaign McGraw
released Snodgrass. who had come 70
him as catcher back in 1908, and had
figured in all the worlds series Of
the Giants since that time; Jack Muir
raw who started as a regular in the
Giants outheld back in the spring
of 1909 and was also regular during
the three worlds series, and Rube
Vanguard, who had been with the
Giants since the fall of 1908 and had
aided materially in making the Giants
a worlds series team, though he never
starred in the big October classics
as he did during the summer cam
paigns. The departure of these three
players forshadowed what was to
come.
During the winter Chief Meyers
went on his way, which happened to
be across the bridge to the Brooklyn
team. The Indian was another Of
the stars of McGraw's championship
team and he did most OF the worlds
series catching when not incapacita-
ted by injuries. During the present
season Mathewson was traded and
now Merkle and Doyle go.
Many Others Go.
Many other players have gone in
the meantime, but they did not hold
the same place in the esteem of Gil
ants roosters as did the players
names. Ames and Wiltse were with
the 1911 champions, but they were
overshadowed by other pitchers. Doc
Crandall was another and he made
big hit with New York fandom dur
ing his stay here, but his term was
of shorter duration than those OF
Matty, Vanguard, Meyers, Murray,
Snodgrass and Merkle. Devore, Art
Wilson and Hartley might also be
mentioned.
1t seems so short time since New
Workers first packed the new stadium
to see the athletes of McGraw and
Connie Mack battle in the 1911
worlds series. We speak of Macks
championship team as being thing
of the past. 1t is no more so than
the Giants of 1911. McGraw has
only Fletcher, who was regular
then and is a regular now. Mack has
Mclnnis and Strunk as his regulars,
who survive. Connie has the shade.
During the 1911 campaign McGraw
used nine pitchers and not one Of
them is with the Giants today. He
had as catchers Meyers, Wilson and
Hartley, and they are all major
leaguers still, but not Giants. De-
wore, Snodgrass and Murray were the
regular outfelders then, and after
Burns supplanted Devore the two
others remained as regulars on the
other champion teams. Burns was
with the Giants when they won their
first pennant, but, not as regular.
He was taking instructions on the
bench. Herzog, again a Giant, was
let out during the winter Of 1914
1915, so only Fletcher has remained
with the team since it won the cham
L.