New Britain herald., 1917-02-23
M'GRAW AND CLAN
 START SOUTHWARK
Little Corporal Believes Success
 Is Headed Giants Way

McGraw, for dozen years the great,
 est baseball idol of this great
 metropolis, today made his first
 Strategic move for another National
 league pennant. In charge of a great
 brood of f1edglings and fair sprink-
 ling Of old roosters, the master of the Polo Grounds coop set out today for Marlin. Tex, to groom his birds for the bis main that begins in these parts, April Il.
 Little short of a world series held exclusively at the Polo grounds next /: fall will satisfy the enthusiasm of local Donovans Yankees have as good a chance as any rival club to take the flag in the Johnson circuit. And everyone believes McGraw has the Scry firest club of his brilliant career With which to start out against a field that does not measure up to the strength of some against which he tri- u:nDhed in years gone by.
 The wonderful finish of the Giants last fall, in which McGraw's club hung up a world record for lnajor league baseball in taking twenty-six straight games, in which each of the seven rivals suffered reverses, has this old city worked Up to that pitch of enthusiasm that prevailed through the championship career of New York's Nationals from 1911 to 1913.
 Non-combatants in Party.
 The interest is reflected in the num- Der of non-combatants who entrained with McGraw's. first squad at the Grand Central station at 1O:3O this morning More than a score of fans will make the trip to Texas to watch the development of the club and to root it home through the joint tour with Hughie Jennings Tigers.
 Occasionally there is a slip 'twixt cup and lip. McGraw admits it. He has had many managerial disappoint- ments. He thought his world cham pionship club of 1905 a real set-up for the 1906 racey/ Those veterans of twelve years ago all went dead on Mac apparently overnight, while sick ness and injury raised havoc with the great Mathewson and other youngsters who were destined to star later on. It was just such another crumbling of his tkrec-time champions that left McGraw at the bottom of the heap at the close of the 1915 race. Last years race was a bitter dis appointment to McGraw. He figured his club one Of the very best he had over commanded. The 1916 career Of the Giants is a psychological riddle that defiies solution There was a team that won seventeen straight games at one stretch and later took twenty-six il. row. and yet barely managed to finish in the first division. In some respects it was a repetition of the history of 1906. Certain vet erans, among them Doyle and Merkle, went dead or. the Little Corporal
 Giants Stronger Than Rivals.
 Yet, unless fate has in store the resurrection of such gigantic foe as Chance developed in the Cubs of 1906, it is hard to sec how McGraw can be foiled of his purpose, this coming season. On tire form the l team displayed after Herzog and Zim- merman were corralled the New York l National league club appeared at least [ g per cent stronger than any other 1 first division team. @
 McGraw started for Marlin. Tex, serenely confident and with the con- i fidence of the city behind him. He 1 has 8 veteran cast for the inner and i outer lines and a galaxy of youngsters to bid for the reserve places. He has 1 in Lew McCarty a seasoned catcher 1 of worth-a commodity that was sad 1 ly lacking the first hall of the 1916 ! journey. He has last years veteran pitching staff intact and a lot of high Iy commended rockies from fast 1 minor league clubs, enough of whom 1 should be developed to keep the club 1 going till the veteran twirlers round l to form. Failure of these old tossers l! to reach their highest effectiveness 1 before late July cost New York last l years poI1nant. .t. l
 Besides the newspaper men and the 1 civilian contingent, headed by Dr. 1 Beers and ex-Captain Fitzgerald. of the fire department, d dozen or more unattached players have requested ! permission to take course in Me l Graw's Marlin school.