The Washington times., 1917-10-07
By JOHN ]. McGRAM

CHICAGO, Ill, Oct. THE result
OF the first game Of the worlds series
was a victory for the White Sox by
the very close score of to 1, but ]
am more confident than ever that the
Giants will win out in the end.
Ny team was at it's very worst,
while the Sox. with the single excep-
ton of Weaver. were at their topmost
best, and still they defeated US by but
one run, the very closest7of margins.
Some few Of my players were over
anxious. 1t was their first game on
the grounds of the home club, and
they evidently had a touch of stage
fright.
SOX Play Sensational.
The White Sox played a remarkably
good fielding game, a sensational one
from every angle, and their batting
was most timely. But the Giants hit
the ball much harder than did their
opponents, although the record shows
that the snfe hits were equal, seven
for each.
Our strongest and hardest drives
were almost all caught, and any one
of them, had they been a few feet
either way, would have resulted in
winning wallops. But that is base
ball, and is not mentioned as an aIibi.
AZ an instance of our unlucky bat
ting, there was Lew McCarty, who, in
three times at bat, hammered out
three line drives that ordinarily
would have been bacon bringers, but
only one of them, his triple, counted
at all, and that was so far away from
the Sox flelders they could not possi-
bly, get near the ball
Then there was Burns smash in the
eighth that Felsch coIlared by a leaping
catch Now Burns was the lead-off man
in that inning, and II his hit had gone
through it would have been a certain
triple.
But 'ifs" don't 20. We ought to
have won anyhow. but for Kauff's failure
10 play McMullen's hit in the third in
ming for single Instead Of attempting
70 mako an impossible catch. There
were two out at the time and the stage
OF the game made the only proper move
r. for Kauff to have kept John Collins, who
vas on second from scoring.
Error of Judgment.
It was a bad error OF Judgment on
Benny's part, and a play he never should
have been guilty Of making. I have
surely coached him enough on what to
do when such a situation exists. But
the energetic, fiery little fellow in his
anxiety ID win forgot himself and his
instructions. That one mistake. though,
disastrous as it proved to be, may be the
means Of settling him down TO a closer
and better appreciation of what is ex-
pected Of him in a worlds series.
Fs4.-
again in his batting. He struck as
wildly at the ball as he did in his
frantic swings of last season. He
will show great improvement in the
other games Of the series 1 am sure,
now that the initial contest is a thing
Of the past.
Sallee was also far from being at
his best in the early stages of the
game. He put over altogether too
many growers and that. too. when
the opposing batsmen were in the
hole. This failure to work his bat
ters as he ought to have done was
one of the causes of his undoing in
the third inning. He had two strikes
on Cicotte and no balls. Still with
his big leeway he grooved the very
next ball and Cicotte stung it for a
hot single to center.
John Collins Came Up.
Then up came John Collins with
his single to right and McMullen's
so-called double. Cicotte was thrown
out at third, but J. Collins would
have been on first instead OF on sec
ond had Sallee worked Cicotte when
he had him going just before his hit.
But Sallee's wise old head showed
itself later on in the game, and but
for the almost constant breaks in the
Sox's favor the score might have been
different.
Burns steadiness was a distinctive
feature OF the game. He was as cool
as IL playing in an exhibition. Her
zog, Fletcher. and Mccarthy were also
collected and fought hard. Robert
son did well the little he had "a per
form, and his throw to third heading
off Cicotte was splendidly accurate.
Praise For White SOx.
have nothing but praise Tor the
White Sox. CicOtte showed himself
to be a most artistic pitcher. He had
control and he studied the batters
closely. he is a very smooth pitcher.