New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-02-25
Fans Figure Brooklyn
as Last Hope" of
Local Trio
BY W. ]. MACBETH

The Giants and the Yankees are near
ing their training camps at Marlin
Tex, and Macon, Ga, respectively.
Both clubs will be ready tomorrow
morning 20 begin preliminary prepar-
atoms for the 1917 major league cam
psigns.
Neve. before in baseball history has
there been occasion for such optimism
among the fans of greater New YORK
The two New York clubs bristie with
confidence and ability. Brooklyn, across
the bridges. is the champion OF the
National League. .,
Nobody in New York begrudged
Brooklyn q pennant last year, when IT
became evident that the final drive OF
the Giants had come too late. But
Brooklyn has had its day, and in Man
haitian Isle there will be the bitterest
possible disappointment il John j. Nc
Graw's plucky aggregation does not
uncrown last years king Of the Tener
circuit.
There IL little doubt that, as they
finished the last campaign, McGraw's
club was by long odds the most power
full. extensively and deiensively, in the
National League. With the same com
bination, keyed to the same pitch of
enthusiasm that carried the local ban
ner through twenty-siX consecutive
victories, McGraw would have had
pennant clinched against the field that
opposed him BY the time last Fourth
Of July put in an appearance.
Dodgers Dissatisfied
The championship Brooklyn club can
expect 10 be no more formidable this
10
and il barely managed then to squeeze
out ahead of Philadelphia. To start
with, Brooklyn is somewhat disorgan-
lied and demoralized as the result of
the drubbing handed out by the Red
Sox in the world series. There is a
great deal of i'll feeling, too, toward
the ownership, because of wholesale
slsshing of salaries. Indeed, 1t has
been freely admitted that a sort OF
mutiny confronts the owners Of the
Dodgers. Some Of the most formula
bic players of the champions have
banded together 20 hold out for salary
terms equivalent to those that pre-
vailed last season. Prominent in the
revolutionists are Zach Wheat and
Cutshaw. The loss of either man
would be a damaging blow to Wiloert
Robinson's chances. Wheat, despite
his shortcomings in the classic last
fall has for years been the driving
power of the Dodgers. He is to Brook
lyn what Cobb is TO Detroit, what
Speaker is to Cleveland or Home Kun
Baker to the Yankees. Cutshaw might
be replaced. Nothing in sight resembles
a second Wheat.
The ownership of the Brooklyn club
appears obdurate. 10 is very unlikely
that il will aecede 20 the salary de-
mands. SO that even if the holdouts
are finally forced to accept salary cuts
they cannot but suffer in morale from
the existing friction. Robinson's club
may not expect 70 have the enthusiasm
Of spirit it would IL the financial debate
had not happened.
Now. Of the other formidable Ma
tional League clubs -Boston and Phil
adelphia-neither has added apparent
strength since the close of 1915. Both
at that time were so far outclassed by
the Giants that it is unusual to men
ton either in the same breath with
McGraws men.
Taking Boston first, il, like Brooklyn,
is suffering from a league of holdouts
headed by Sherwood Magee and Rabbit
Maranvillc. Magee. though passe. Is
pretty much all Of Stallings's outtield.
The picket line Of the Braves is The
saddest word Of tongue or pen.
Could Spare Magee
Yet Msgee could be spared far more
readily than Maranville. This diminu-
tive shortstop is the brains and spirit
OF the inner line when Johnny Eyers
is not in spangles. And it is doubtful
if Evers, at his very best. will be able
to play more than half the games. The
Trojan thinks his throwing arm fully
recovered from neuritis. That is some
thing TO be proven. They seldom come
back at Johnny's age.
BY some miraculous means Boston
kept well up in the race last year de-
spite d late injury to Maranville. a
serious accident 10 Magec early in the
campaign from which he never fully