New Britain herald., 1916-12-18
Strongest Team in League.

As for the Western teams, they 1 don't matter They all have awarded 1 the pennant to the Giants The 1 second division teams-Chicago Pitts 1 burgh, St. Louis and Cincinnati-will ! have only one thought-to pry their 1 way into the first division. Callahan,
 Mitchell, Higgins and Matty will all 1 be experimenting for other years. i There really isn't a manager in the 1 National league who does not expect
 a runaway for the Giants. They say without reserve that the Giants as l now constituted, are the strongest l team the league has developed since 1 the Cubs were in their prime That the club owners also appre- ciate the menace of a runaway race is revealed by the measures adopted by the league to curb the Giants The proposition of Hempst cad to rest the Twenty-Five player limit was voted down, 10 ?. While McGraw has a great team he has poor reserve strength, but a twenty five player limit would enable Mac" to bolster up
 with new talent
 Legislation 10 Hamper. Giants.
 The elimination of the disa bility and refusal hereafter to recognize side contracts also were launched directly at the Giants. For instance, Ferdie Schupp was carried about two months on the disability list and so was Lew Wendell. By keeping these players on the disa bility list, McGraw actually had twenty-three men to choose from.
 Then the Giants carried such college players as Pie Way, George Smith and Kelliher They were signed to side contracts, which tied them up to the Giants but did not permit them to play in actual games. Toward the end of the season both Smith and Kelliher were sworn into regular service. Hereafter if the Giants desire to sign any such men there must be place for him within the twentytwo limit
 or the league will not respect the con- tract.
 Bakers resolution prohibiting the sale and trade of players after August 1 unless each other club in the league has waived on a player will prevent a clubg from strcnthening it's team in the latter part of the season, as did the Giants last fall Herzog came here before August 1, but the Sallee,
 Zimmerman and McCarty deals were made after that date.
 RemOdcIIed Team Hurt Phillies It is Bakers opinion that the new men procured by the Giants last fall l cost him the pennant. After the l Phillies gained a fine lead about 1 Labor Day by winning eight straight games from their closest rivals--five 1 from Brooklyn and three from. Boston they came to the Polo Grounds and l lost four successive games to the re-
 modelled Giants. That Philadelphia
 percentage suffered a blow in that
 series from which it t4vor recovered. Even the National league plan to 1 divide the worlds series purse among | the players of the entire league would l help insure the league against a run 1 away With all the players getting a slice of the pie, the slices ranging in
 size prOportionate to where the club | finishes interest in positions will be | kcencr than heretofore Even should ! the Giants mako a runaway race the 1 othor players will continue fighting
 with a fixed incentive in view. This
 idea is a splendid one and practically in the National league.
 It is to be regretted that the /Na-