The Washington times., 1917-09-24
BY HUGH s. FULLERTON.
(BasebalFs Greatest Prophet)
Giants or White soxl

OF " QUA
1t is the habit Of baseball fans
to think the way they hope and to
bet the way they want a series to
result. But picking q winner OF a
series on sentiment is idiocy. / could
save myself a fortnight OF tough
work by saying the White SoK will
win because want them to win, be-
cause believe they will win-or
some similar reason.
The truth is, I'm pulling my left
leg out like an accordion for the
White Sox, but that will not help
them win, nor will Harry Stephens
wild-eyed hope that the Giants will
win help them.
We all want to know in advance
which team is going 10 win this
series, and this is the season OF the
year when the dopester works all
night figuring out the probabilities,
with the net result that he furnish
es paragraphers, who do not know
q shine ball from a hit and run sign,
material for humorous knocks.
Finished As Figured.
For the last dozen years, have
been working out a system of doping
baseball and OF figuring comparative
strength OF teams. The system is
not yet perfect, because there are
some elements that enter into the
game that make it impossible to cal
culate exactly. The system has
worked out wonderfully well. This
season practically every team in the
American and National Leagues fin
ished as they figured to finish in
March when 1 doped them according
to the season.
The Boston Braves. St Louis
Browns, and, to a small extent, De
troit, failed to live up to the hope,
The St. Louis Cards ran much higher
than they figured, but when the hg,
ures were made, Mrs. Britton owned
the team and the change of manage
ment revived II. Chicago figured 10
win the American League pennant
with Boston second. New York fig
ured to be the National League cham
pion. Pittsburgh and the Athletics
figured to finish last in their leagues
Further, almost ell the eighteen
teams won and lost about the number
OF games they figured TO win and
lose. The dope worked out well on
the season. little better than usual
But doping teams for a regular sea
son of 154 games, against all kinds
OF pitching and seven clubs OF known
strength, is comparatively easy. A
worlds series between championship
teams of leagues OF known strength
and varying styles of play is diff
ferent
Must Use individuals.
Those OF you who helped me dope
the season last March must amend
some OF the dope rules. We can fig
ure defensive strengths on the same
basis, but, in a worlds series, We
must figure attacking strength in G
different way. Further, we must dea
more with individuals, and not with
total or average strength OF pitching
and catching STATS. The strongest
pitchers will work, thereby reducing
the offensive strength OF the oppon
ents.
This falls doping will be more in
| teresting than any l ever have at
1 tempted. First, because II Is thu
greatest and most important serie!
ever played, as the two creates
cities are represented: and, second
because there seldom have been tive
ball clubs playing as entirely differen
STYLES OF baseball.
! / confess now that / have no idei
what the nnal figures will show.
am roofing for them TO show that tn,
White Sox will win-but that ha
nothing to do with 1t. In dopinl
teams this way we must forget al
our likes and dislikes. forget al
friendships and enmities 0f you hav,
any, and deal with each player Jus
as II he was a dummy tcrles of H
IS! He isT). II may hurt the tende
feelings Of some of the athletes. bu
what we want to know Is. whicl
team will win.s and there is no othe
logical way.
Follow the Figures
A lot of you Fellows will not TAX
my word for It. - not, take the sys