The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-07-29
Hughie Jennings 0pines His
Club will Win II Gameness
Counts in Present Struggle.
BY HUGH JENNINGS,
Manager of the Detroit Tigers.


Do you know what will decide the
pennant in the American League this
season? Well. I'll tell you. NERVE!
That's what 1t amounts to In my opin-
ion. And. for that very reason, do
not think my Tigers are going to be so
very far behind.
/ always have been fortunate enough
to have a lot of good. game fellows
working for me. Where can you find a
more confident, aggressive player than
Ty Cobb? Or Sam Crawford, for that
matter? Sam Is playing regularly now,
is batting well. and his very association
means lot to It's spirit. With a man
of Cobb's personal ambition about ball
team. II would be impossible to find the
least faint Of quitting. Ty never de-
spairs of game till the last man is
out He alone is a fighter that Is worth
half the aggressiveness of any ordinary
club.
With Crawford in the game. have
many of my old champions OF 1907 -'0s.
owen Bush. as fine a little shortstop as
ever wore spikes. and Ty Cobb are the
only two Of the regulars. Stanage Is
left Of the champion catching stan.
The pitchers are entirely new. But the
new men. from first to last, are just as
game and peppery as those OF almost a
to my club than ever before.
feel sure l can win the pennant, es-
pecially II 1t should come down. as
tsined gameness II in the e end. That was
the situation which developed when
won three times In a row. Two of those
years we outgamed the Athletics; the
other time we outgamed no less than
three clubs In race that was decided
In the last two days of the season.
Lacks Offensive Now.
Perhaps. l haven't the offensive
strength carried in my three-time PEN
nant winner for that was an exception
ally heavy hitting aggregation. But 1
have quite as much speed. and. / think,
better pitching. Ed killian was my only
reliable southpaw OF the old days. and
he was Of a frail type. similar to George
| Wiltse; good only about once a week.
| Now l have one Of the greatest left
handlers In the business IN Coveleskie.
| Should II come down to a question OF a
real drive through the last month. the
big Pole could work every other day,
| and he wants to II necessary. He Is at
his best In the fall Remember what he
did to the Giants In 1908. when with the
| Phillies? He beat McGraw out of a pen
nant-that's all Willie Mitchell. whom
we obtained from Cleveland, is another
portsider that has shown excellent re-
suits for us. Left-handed pitching Is alb.
solutely necessary for victory In our
league this year. 1t Is the best solution
for stopping our most feared rivals-New
YORK, Chicago and Boston. lnere is nc
question that, with Coveleskie and Nit.
chell in their present form. the Tigers
will get fine announcement In the righI
direction.
| AS a matter OF fact. It was mediocre
pitching early In the season which was
responsible for the poor start of De
| Tpfn
that clubs averaged about half a dozer
runs a game against all my pitchers
except Coveleskle. Now our pitchers ar,
holding the scores down almost as low
as the more highly regarded depart
ments of New York, Chicago, and BIOS
scoring power than either Boston OIL
New York. Chicago should have m,
handicapped in this line. but somewhov
the White Sox do not get results. james
wonderfully well within the past month
He is as powerful as his namesake. WIN
did much TO win a pennant for tn
Braves In 1914. Cunningham, Boland
and Dauss all have improved steadil,
s,nce warm weather set in. am worrie,
no longer about possible fall down II
pitching. and confess that was my onl
anxiety from the start.
! Pulls for New York.
Should anything happen to upset m,
. personal ambitions. sincerely hop,
that New York wins the pennant. I
would have been a mighty hard thin
for the rest of us to have kept tn
Yankees from an overwhelming lead b,
, this time but for the unusual chapte
of disasters that logged the footstep
OF Bill Donovan's stars. No team Il
Q my recollection has been crippled NOR
k vitality or more frequently than ha