The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-03-01
MIGHTY GIANTS!
New York Nationals Strongest
Team in National League.
Few Critics Can Find a Flaw In
McGraW'S Ranks.
RY LACK NEIOCK.

New York March mo pan CluN
in recen. years has started spring
training wi.1 brighter prospects thah
the New York Giants.
And few clubs have ever pte Isa W.
4o enter a pennant race Win ny
tipoen+ of critics SO nearly uiiehi
as far as predictions go oa writ
There may be few scattel GU +La
tors of baseball who Will SIZE itbo,,+
coming National league 81, like a
limiting that the Giants LOON ,.ao
Ia fve-to-one shot to WIN the 90 @s
$50 ,,ow But most of the scIIpe
80 aireadv committed themseIVe9'
- the verdict is all in favor Oh 'O----
McGraw -. .ooson when
chose Giants were a sad LOT -
didn't look like Giants at all ana tne!
niatod like a bunch of mishts- bus
4I,at vas before John McGraw 1u1npeu
INFO his swa piping clothes anu
ont into the player market. ,o+
When the doughty McGraW
.t,-,, buving and trading he hau d
I'M In u I'M nat went out and grabbed
+',,artv~sIx games in a row. shatter
iro all Drevious baseball RECORDS anu
cansing the public TO stare III OPS"
mouthed amazement. .a1.o,
rev, managers would have taken
the chance that McGraw TOOK Wlie'
he snapped his veteran mrs. O' 80
rod Nerkle. for catcher anu
nIaved his stack of chips on HaWH
1Ioike to make good on the initial
bap McGraw played the game anu
his bunch was a winner
John Happy Again.
When Heinie Zimmerman was an
cbored at third base the Llttle Nd
noleon of the Polo grounds increased
bls manager al batting average py
few more points, and with ma - icy
Herzog scampering around the Key
eto,e sack he completed an 1nheld
mai combined all-around playing
,biIitv with ginger and fighting spirit.
rho Giant infield was esta blished once
again. and McGraw was happy;
Baseball scribes and baseball ma
nates and managers have generously
ma ssed McGraw and his fightin Giants
a large helping of the laurel IN ad-
vance of the playing season. seven
out of every ten fans around New
York stand willing to hook the ram
ilv heirlooms at moments nouce 10
Get down their last jitney on New
work To scamper home ahead of the
field next October
with such a storm of sentiment in
his favor, it would appear That NC
Graw has nothing to worry about.
Why should he worry? Everybody IS
rafting his club on the shoulder and
nearly everybody believes that seven
Rational league clubs have little to
fight for now but second place.
But McG1aw has bother in his
bonnet And it is all because he ism
sure that his pitching staff is going
to come thru.
Needs Two Pitchers.
Give McGraw two new pitchers who
can be depended upon to come clean
with their share of victories and his
worries will be just as numerous as
feathers on a billiard ball.
Jawn is highly satisfied with his
infield, his outfield and his catching
staff. In Holke, Herzog. Fletcher and
Zimmerman he has a corps of inner
circle performers who look like blue
ribbon winners off the reel In Rari-
den and McCarty the Giants are well
fixed with backstoppers, and Kauff,
Burns, Robertson, Murray and Jim
Thorpe make up n field of outfielders
that any manager would fall in love
with.
glance at the pitching staff
doesn't reveal anything alarming
anything that McGraw should worry
about. For with Tesreau, Perritt,
Smith Schupp, Benton, Anderson,
Way, Stryker, Middleton, Morrisette,
Ritter, Causey, Jaynes and Sallee il
appears that New York ought to find
five hurlers who can take their reg
ullr turns in the box.
ton this year. Sallee, Tesreau, Ben
ton. Perritt and Anderson are sea
soned veterans, and Middleton appears
to be one of the best pitching recruits
in either major league. The rockies
who will get tryouts come to the
Giants with the best of recommends
lions. So why the worry on McGraws
part?
The Answer.
Well, here's the answer:
McGraw isn't counting on his vet
Grams during the early stage of the
National league race That is. he
isn't going to expect too much of
them. So he is a bit concerned over
the task of whipping some of the
youngsters in shape to bear the brunt
during April. May and a part of June
By that time Tesreau, Perritt, SalIee
and Benton will have had plenty of
time to round into real form. Schupp.
Middleton and one or two of the rock
les, with the older pitchers filling in