New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-02-04
COME
HARDER EVERY
YEAR-M'GRAW
Giants Leader Believes
Orioles Equal of Modern
Champions, Save in Box

John McGraw, OF the Giants, has
piloted five clubs into Pennantville, ana
he was u master player on that re-
rowned old team, the Baltimore
Orioles. What he has to say on pen.
nsnt winning in general is the opinion
Of a high class expert. In flaming
bee the other night he said:
at is getting to be about Tho most
difficult Job in the world to win PEN
nant. Not that il was ever easy, but
it gets harder all the time. The com.
petition Is keener and the manager Is
under a heavier strain.
an the old days a club had only
one or two extra players, and an out.
fielder might DO on first base and 4
pitcher in the outfeld when not other.
wise occupied. But nowadays, with the
abundance of substitutes. II is close
problem to win games. Pitchers aren't
knocked out of the box any more. Let
a man start to show signs OF distrNss
and he is promptly yanked for another
1t takes pretty nearly perfect pitching
TO get by in the major leagues nova.
days.
Overcame Thirteen Hoodoo
"Why, remember a game. when I
was playing on the Baltimore 0riolsa
when the opposing club scored thirteen
runs off our pitcher in the first inning
We wanted 10 take him out, but he
said no, that he would settle down all
right, and we left him in. And he did
settle down. They didn't score any
more runs, and we finally won the
game by a score Of Ia to l3. But what
chance would pitcher have nowsdays
TO settle down If they scored thirteen
runs in the first inning?
ut is simply on account Of the keen.
ness of competition and the abundance
OF playing material compared with the
standards Of old days that pennsnt win
ming has become such task as at pres
ent. Individually, | don't think the
players Of the present are any better
than they were when | was on the
Orioles. II there Is any difference
would prefer the oldtimers- I don't
, think there is any pitcher at present
who is any better than Clarkson or Cy
Young or Rusie, and you would have 10
argue to convince me there are any
as good. But, Of course, in those days
there was but one big league.
81 have often speculated as TO the
outcome of an encounter between the
old Orioles and strong modern club.
No doubt | am prejudiced in favor Of
that famous old team, but my preju-
dice is founded on fact. They were
great bunch, these players, all born
! sluggers. Why, | remember one year
! our weakest hitter led the league In
three-base hits. What they couldn't
do in one way they made up for in
another.
Oriole Pitching Weak
an fact, if the old Orioles had had
pitchers as good as the Athletics and
had been able to meet them | don't
think there would have been any cor.
test. The Orioles would have drowned
them in runs. AS things were,
wouldn't make any prediction. Our
pitchers were always ineffective. Some
way or other, though. we had a wonder
full club. Our pitchers didn't pan out.
| remember we got Pitcher Gleason
after every other club thought he was
through, and he won something like
twenty-five out Of twenty-five games.
But I can't remember all the contests
that we had to score IL or II runs to
pull him through.
"No, with the pitchers that We had,
don't think that even the old Orioles
could have beaten the Athletics With
Plank and Bender and Bush in form.
| We would have given them royal bat.
tie and we would have scored more
runs against them than any other club
ever scored, but our weak pitching
would have been vulnerable point for
their attack.
"The juggling Of pitchers Is the main
| thing nowadays and pitchers the old
| Orioles lacked both in quantity and
quality. When a man was on the mound
he took what was coming to him unless
he got too bad, but nowadays IL isn't
anything unusual TO see three or four
pitchers in succession occupy the slab
in a single encounter