Evening star., 1916-04-23

lust as soon as Hunter, one Of my
injured hand I will try him at third
base" said John McGraw the other day.
after Bill McKechnie had not had a
good day. Hunter split his hand a
couple of weeks ago and the wound has
near healed. He also is practicing
lightly, but he can't hold bat yet. l
have a high opinion of Hunter. and as
soon as he gets a chance he will make
good He is a promising hitter. capa-
BILE fielder and very fast.
"I have the best prospects in six years.
and if l don't make winning team
out of it 1 shall be very much surprised.
The cold weather has crippled my
pitching staff. but that cannot last for
ever We are strong at the bat and fast
on the bases. Kauff is a great player,
but is overanxious. He is crazy to
make good with the New York public.
Kauff is one of the finest little fellows
l have ever met. Roush is a natural
batsman and splendid outfielder, and
Rariden is a splendid catcher. These
few defeats at this time will do the
Giants good. but we will soon be whip
ping the other fellows"
Pat Moran yesterday said the ex-
perience his team gained in last years
campaign would help the Phillies i'm
measurably. The champions are play
ing with remarkable confidence this
spring. They are showing knowledge
of inside ball. and they should not be
overlooked. The way Bancroft and
Cravath worked the squeeze play in the
eighth inning yesterday was an ex-
cellent illustration of this fact. Yet
Moran is on the lookout for new men.
He has not employed an army OF scouts
to comb the bush leagues. but he is
keeping his eyes open for capable play
ers who may be let out by other major
league clubs when they are forced to
do their cutting. He wants another
hard-hitting outfielder, and he Is said
to have one in sight whom he will sign
in a few days.
Moran's handling of the Phillies
shows that he is one of the greatest
managers the game has ever produced
He is fairly worshiped by his players.
who heed his words of wisdom like
lot of well behaved schoolboys.
The Phillies, barring accidents, will
make a powerful fight for this years
pennant. They are anxious to make a
big lead now and stay In front for the
remainder of the game.
club. win, in due time, when the Giants
get to winning, be rewarded for his
liberal policy of Strengthening the
Giants. Hampstead spent nearly 1000
to give McGraW winner. II LOON tbiS
amount to get the Federal League 10
turn over Kauff. Roush. Rariden, Ancer-
son and McKechnie. These men have
strengthened the Giants beyond a ques-
tion Of doubt. Without Hempsteads aid
McGraws team would have been joke
in the present campaign.
One of the greatest tactical errors
committed by the New York base ball
club this season was submission to a
playing schedule that gave the Giants
eight games with the Phillies out Of the
first eleven dates in April. This now ap-
pears to be a grave mistake-from a
New York standpoint. The Giants. an
eighth-place team last fall. did not bg-
ure to extract much nourishment out or
eight games with the pennant winners
right off the bat.
Casting aside all ifs and butts and
eighth inning alibis. the fact remains
that the Phillies are in first place be-
cause five of their first seven games
were with the Giants. BY the same
token. the fact remains that the Giants
are in last place because Ave Of their
Success has gone to the vocal cords
Of the Phillies. They ride" players of
opposing teams from the bench and take
liberties with umpires. 1t Is a habit that
grows on pennant winners. The older
they get the less they hustle and the
more they rely on the gift Of CAB. The
Phiilies affect that same attitude of
scorn and arrogance for which the Bos-
ton Braves were noted until they lost
their championship airs. 1t is a failing
peculiar to championship teams. The
Giants, when they basked in their own
sunny confidence, were just as uppish.