The Washington times., 1917-09-24
By HUGH s. FULLERTON.
(BasebalI's Greatest Prophet)
Giants or White sox!

Giants or White Sox!
1t is the habit o. baseball fans
to think the way they hope and to
bet the way they want a series to
result. But picking a winner Of q
series on sentiment is idiocy. I could
save myself a fortnight Of tough
work by saying the White Sox will
win because I 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 to 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
a shine ball from a hit and run sign,
material for humorous knocks.
Finished As Figured.
For the last dozen years, I have
been working out q 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 il 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
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 Inquired, but when the fig-
ures were made, Mrs. Britton owned
the team and the change OF manage
ment revived IT. Chicago figured to
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 all 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 164 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 fg-
ure defensive strengths on the same
basis, but, in a worlds series, we
must fgure attacking strength in a
different way. Further, we must deal
more with individuals, and not with
total or average strength OF pitching
and catching staffs. The strongest
pitchers will work. thereby reducing
the offensive strength of the oppon-
ents.
This falls doping will be more in
teresting than any I ever have at
tempted. First, because 1t Is the
greatest and most important series
ever played, as the two greatest
cities are represented; and. second,
because there seldom have been two
ball clubs playing as entirely different
styles OF baseball.
l confess now that have no idea
what the anal figures will show. I
am roofing for them to show that the
white soX will win-but that has
nothing to do with it. In doping
teams this way we must forget all
our likes and dislikes. forget all
friendships and enmities Of you have
any), and deal with each player Just
as II he was a dummy Ccries OF He
is! He is!'). 1t may hurt the tender
feelings OF some of the athletes, but
what we want to know is, which
team will win. and there Is no other
logical way.
Follow the Figures.
A lot of you fellows will not take
my word for it :: not, take the sys-