The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-10-15
|BUSHER AND VET
IN DEADLY FIGHT
Rowland is Striving to Take His
Place in the Sun While McGraw
is Fighting His Three
Times Jinx.
BOTH TEAMS ARE COCKY
Batting Practice Is Quiet, However,
and There is Lack of Usual
Kidding Between
Players.
BOTH TEAMS ARE COCKY

EBy H. c. Hamilton, United Press
/ Staff Correspondent
| POLO GROUNDS, NEW YORK,
Oct. 15-Giants and White Sox met
here this afternoon in bitter strife
for what may be the deciding game
of the 1917 worlds series.
1t was a case of Rowland, the
busher," fighting for his place in the
sun, and John McGraw, veteran Of a
long string Of battles in the past,
struggling to overcome the jinx that
has ridden him through three past
worlds title series.
The "busher" stood on the verge
of turning victory, where the vet
eran has failed three times out OF
four.
There were no friendly greetings
and hand shakes extended between
Giant and White Sox players before
the game Each group went through
batting practice without the usual
kidding from the other side. For the
Giants the series was at stake on
the turn of this game.
The Sox might lose and come back
tomorrow but there Is mo tomorrow"
for the New York crowd if they fail
fed today. 1t was do now or see the
glory and coin vanish.
The Giants held the advantage-if
1t can be called such-of being on
their home grounds. To date the
team playing at home has won with
out exception. The Sox. however,
expect to break through this rule just
as they broke through the rule that
had made the fourth inning the big
one of the series up to Saturday.
Then they laid to, and made 1t an
old fashioned seventh inning affair.
The weather today was the best that
has been produced for any game of
| the series A warm sun was shining,
SO warm that overcoats were DOTTED
and the crowd could look on in CON-
fort The stands were filling slowly
at lis. At that time the bleachers
were no more than three-quarters
full. The upper tier of the grand
stand was practically empty.
The Giants slugged the ball for all
| they were worth during their batting
practice, most Of which was at right
handed pitching although south paw
offerings were mixed in.
The Sox then took their turn, driv
ing the ball hard.
Benny Kauff posed for the pho
| tographers as he slugged the ball
during the Giant practice and was
| ly cocky and confident There was
fight and scrap in every motion.
Cow Bells JangIe.
Advance indications of real noise
making when things begin to get hot
came when COW bells could be heard
jangling throughout the grand stand.
The rooters were primed and ready
to turn loose a flood of poison gas
roofing against the Sox. The Chicago
bunch, in anticipation of Benton,
spent most of their time batting left
handed shoots
At 1870 the bleachers WERE filling
I'D, and they gave promise of being
comfortably filed. The lower tier of
the grand stand was full, but the
upper tiers still showed a great ex-
panse of empty chairs.
Aside from the occasional jangling
of cow bells the crowd was extremely
quiet. There was an apparent ten
sion evident as they watched their
.favorites warming up. The White
Sox batters were hitting them far
and wide while the New York fans
looked on in silence.
Barrels Across Field.
When the Giants went out for
fudge practice, Benton started warm
ing up. A few minutes later polo
grounds workman laboriously pushed
cart load of empty barrels across
the field, this being a sure sign Of
victory, according to baseball super
stition. The big question to be de-
cided this afternoon was whether the
Giants could burn these barrels in
celebration or be carried away in
them The crowd gave the Giant in
feeders a hand as they made rapid
fire plays on the balls batted to
them by Manager McGraw.
At lao Perritt was taking easy
warming up exercises.
At 1:45 the White Sox took the
field for final warming up, with Red
Faber and Williams warming up for
possible slab duty.
Benton was then working out for
the Giants alone. The Sox were
given a warm hand by the hostile
crowd as they went to their places.
Eddie Collins and Weaver knocked
hot ones down in the region of Sec
ond base. Eddie Cicotte, the truck
horse of the series from pitching
standpoint, in the amount of work he
has done, batted flies to the outfield |
At this time it appeared the crowd
would be smaller than that which
witnessed the fourth game here, and
rUf waa h,,f a1iOhf1u MORA fhop