The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-10-29
EGGERS AND HUGHES TO GIVE BATTLE
 IN FEATURE BOUT AT THE CASINO TONIGHT
GIANTS FACE HARD FIGHT TO CAPTURE THE RAG NEXT YEAR

New York fans are beginning to speculate on the chances of the Giants in 1918. P1er to the worlds series many of the clubs admirers believed it was the strongest team ever man aged by McGraw. However, worlds series in the past have shattered the regulations of a good many clubs, and you don't hear so much about the Giants being compared to the old Ori- oles, the great Cubs and the later day Athletics as you did a Iponth ago. | No one knew how strong or weak the Giants really were. They were so far in front after July that their mettle never was tested until the worlds series. Then they proceeded to blow to the White Sox, the poorest American league champions since the days Detroit made an annual prac- tice of winning the championship. Chicago had a good team this year, but it did, not approach the Athletics of 1910, 1911 and 1913, or the Red Sox of 1915 and 1918 in baseball sense or all around ability.
 1 The loss of the worlds series by the Giants may have quite an effect on next years National league pen nant race. Had the Giants won they would have believed in themselves more firmly than before, and other 1 teams would have considered them we'll nigh invincible. Having lost the | series the way they did the Giants may not be so sure of themselves next season, while other teams will not hold the same respect for their prowess as they did in 1917. Unques- tionably all teams will play harder against the Giants next year than they did in the past season.
 Of course it may be argued that <xAk 0f affect the strength of the Giants any more than the loss of a series to an inferior team during the regular sea- son.. This is true in part, but the 0sychology of losing worlds series is far different than losing one during the playing season. Plays during the championship season are forgotten next day, but worlds series plays stick in the minds of the fans for years after they occur.
 Time only will tell how the un- mercifuf banning of Zimmerman ! after the last game of the series will ] affect Heinie's play in 1S18- It was this players misfortune to cap the
 most brilliant season of his career by | a bone play which made him the laughing stock of the nation. Fred Snodgrass never was the same player after he muffed Engie's fly in the l 1912 series
 H Herzog is another big "if' on the 1918 Giants. Charley, through his poor physical condition. sagged quite
 bit in his work in 1917, and toward
 the end of the season got into the bad
 graces of his club and teammates by
 taking vacation without permission. A truce was called during the world. :. series, but this feud may break out again next year.
 Question of Harmony.
 McGraw received quite few com ] pliments last season because of his
 ability to keep harmony on his infleId
 with Zimmerman, Fletcher and Her.
 zog component parts Conditions al the end of last season may make it 2
 little harder to retain this harmony
 in 1918.
 However, this is no attempt to be pessimistic over the chances of the
 1918 Giants On paper the club still . looks far the best of any other cluh - in the National League. PhiladeI-
 phia, the only club which gave the
 Giants the semblance of a fight last season, is deteriorating with age while the Cardinals. which finished , third, will sorely miss Huggins, who was the brains of the club.
 Matty's Reds, which kicked up quite
 a fuss at one stretch last season should give the Giants their toughes , opposition next year, though Math' ewson must find a. second basemaT , and at least one more reliable pitcher ; E1ler, with last years experience
 should fit in well with Toney and , Schneider.