New Britain herald., 1917-09-24
C|COTTE IS HURLER
 GIANTS' FANS FEAR
White Sox Veteran Expected to
 Give MCGraW'S Clan Trouble

New York, Sept. 24.-With the pen i nants disposed of, all interest nat 1 urally centers on the worlds series, games that invariably are decided by the pitchers. In the writer's opinion there will be a lot of slam bang hit ting in the coming fall classic be- tween the Giants and White Sox, but as in previous series the final test will be in the pitching.
 Some time ago, when it still looked as though the Red Sox would make one of their famous strong finishes, baseball betters were backing the Bostons, to 5, in the event they op- posed the Giants in the worlds series, and even money in case Chicago rep resented the American League. There even has been some talk of to 5, with the Giants the favorites. This. however, has been mostly talk, as it appears rather foolhardy to give odds on team representing a league which has met defeat in six of its last seven meetings with the American League.
 What the writer intends to point out is that the White Sox have no array of twirling talent such as Babe Ruth, Dutch Leonard, Ernie Shore and Carl Mays, all worlds series vet erans--the strongest pitching quartet since Bender, Coombs, Plank and Morgan pitched for the Athletics in 1910 and 1911.
 Cicotte Most Feared
 It is an assured fact that neither the Giants nor their supporters have the same respect for Rowland's pitch ing staff as they would hold for l Barry's. Chicago, of course, has one 1 act, the cagy Eddie Cicotte, unques- l tionably one of the smartest pitchers l baseball has developed.
 1 A remarkable thing about Cicotte is that he is the pitching veteran of the ] American League. There is not a 1 pitcher in the American League today | who was drawing salary when Cicotte | got his first tryout with Detroit in 1905 Walter Johnson is the only pitcher still in the league who was pitching when Cicotte won a regular job with the Red Sox in 1908. John son went to Washington the preceding fall.
 Much has been written about Ci- cottes shine ball. and according to | Yankee players Cicotte does put "shiner" on it, regardless of denials. l They say one can easily see a sponge DrOtrudinE from nlS trousers pOCket
 and that he has as much talcum pow
 der about him as chorus queen
 Has Fine Earned Run Record.
 His earned run record this year is
 probably under one run and half a game. His earned run record during l the past five years is lower than that
 of any pitcher in baseball, including Johnson. Leonard and Alexander. Ir
 1913 he ranked second with 1.61 l earned runs. In 1914 he ranked ninth
 with 2.O4, and in 1915 he was thirty first, with 3.O2 Last season he agair was second. with 1.73 earned runs V and this year the unofficial averages
 put him first with about 1.50 earned
 runs a game.
 Cicotte is sure to start the series
 and the jumps are such that Eddie , can easily work three and even four games should the series run long
 enough. During the White Sox-Cut
 games Cicotte was effective against
 Zimmerman. Cicotte is the leading ! Chicago hope.
 It is safe to predict he will pitch ] the first game. It is the general be- lief that McGraw will start with Schupp and then work Sallee and = Perritt McGraw may come back S with Schupp in the fourth game or
 switch to Benton. Unquestionably, however, Schupp, Perritt and Sallec s will be McGraw's big three and it s is equally certain that the Sox will
 see much more left handed pitching t than right. .i '- McGraw Will Use Southpaws. Schupp, Sallee and Benton will be
 depended upon to stop Eddie Collins i and Joe Jackson, the most feared Sox
 thumpers. Both of these men hit . left handed. but a real batting star 1 doesn't care much whether pitcher { throws with his right hand or left
 hand. -. Great hatters like Cobb, Speaker Jackson, Collins pr Baker hit all
 kinds of pitching they would not
 have hit 300 year after year. Felsch and Weaver, other tough hitters on } the Sox team, bat right handed. Rube , Marquard never caused Collins or 7 Baker much to worry about though Collins is not the same hitter he was } ir 1911 and 1913. ; After Rowland uses Cicotte his task will be a little more difficult, Unlike 1 Carrigan in 1915 and 1916, he has no
 three pitchers of practically equal , ability. He will have fired his biggest , gun in ~icotte. Rowland has other
 pitchers of ability, but none are re- , liable. @''e
 Urban Faber will likely be Row : lands second choice, with third choice
 remaining between the left handlers
 Williams and Reb Russell. In what
 ball players call stuff Russell per
 haps has more than any member of
 the Sox twirling staff. He is a giant
 in physique and has one of the fast
 est balls in baseball,