South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-01-30
NJ INNS LAST Of
GREATEST TEAM
Trade OF MaCk'S First Base
man Marks Passing Of
Peerless Machine.


10 the Boston American league club
marks the complete disintegration
OF what, in many respects, was the
greatest professional baseball ma
chine ever assemble in either OF
the major leagues. McInnis, the
last cog in the com binatiOn, moves
on 20 a rival team which has alb
sOrbed so per cent OF the players
whom Connie Mack welded into an
invincible group OF diamond stars
supreme holders Of pennants and
world championships.
The Philadelphia Athletics
reached the zenith Of their team
play during the season Of 1913
when they simply walked away
with the American league cham
piOnship Of that year and followed
the capture Of the pennant with
decisive victory over the New York
Nationals in the world series Of that
season by four games 10 one. The
Athletics finished the regular sea
son with a record OF 90 games won:
81 lost and a percentage of .627.
This was 43 points better than the
average Of the Washington team
which closed the year in second
place.
Connie Mack's players took the
lead in the pennant race during the
second week OF the season which
opened about the middle of April,
1913, and were never headed or
tied in the struggle for the title
thereafter. The records show that
the Athletics led the league in
team batting with .285 and in field
ing with 966
The star Team
II goes without saying that Mack
would naturally present mis- strong
est combination in the worlds Sc
ries and the lineup against the
Giants in the battle for she premier
baseball honOrs Of 1913 may be
taken as the best and most pow
erful arrangement available. This
combination, which defeated the
New York team four out of five
games. played as follows. r. Muir
ply. RI: Oldring. IT,; Collins, Oh;
Baker. 3b: MCInnis. H.: Strunk
CT: Barry, S.; Schang c.; Lapp.
e.: Bender. Plank or Bush. D. Dur
ing the regular season other play
ers were used and were factors in
winning the pennant but the men
mentioned were the pick of the
combination.
Today not one OF these u play
ers is a member of the team and
Connie Mack is engaged I'm an at
tempt TO builG his baseball machine
with new material. Murphy was
sold to the Chicago Americans for
$4,000: Collins went TO the same
club for $500 as did Lapp with
out cash consideration. The Bos-
ton Americans took five men of the
combination at one time or anoth-
81. Strunk, Schang and Bush be-
came the property Of the Red SoX
i'm the recent $50, 900 deal. McIn-
mis- has followed his former team
mates as the result of the latest
trade. although so far as is known
no money consideration is involved.
Barry preceded these players TO Bos-
ION. bringing the Philadelphia cmb
$500. and last season managed the
Red Sox.
IT will be seen that if the pub
hcly announced figures in connection
with these deals are correct the
Boston club paid SOS. 500 in addition
10 some players for these five Ath-
letics. The Chicago White Sox paid
$50. 600 for Murphy and Collins
New York Americans also contrib
uted 10 the Philadelphia strongbox
as the Yankee club owners gave
S37. 500 for Baker and $4,000 for
Oldring, although IL was reported
that the Philadelphia club returned
this sum, or a portion OF it. when
Oldring failed 10 continue with the
New York team. The two pitchers.
Bender and Plank. were undoubt-
eddy released by Mgr. Mack. thus
completing the breaking up of the
famous combination.
Mack Tears Up Team.
The disruption of the Athletics
also formed one OF the most sensa-
tiOnal features of modern baseball
history. The team started poorly
at the beginning of the 1914 sea
son but swung into its stride early
in June and again Cantered home
an easy pennant winner. The Ath-
letics were favorites 20 defeat the
Boston Nationals i'm the world Sc
ries but the Braves startled the
baseball world by defeating the
Mackmen four straight games. thus
esta blishiug a record in this depart
ment OF the national sport Mgr.
Mack did not attempt 20 hide his
chagrin at this unexpected setback
and without entering into a discus
sion OF the causes of the downfall.
decided that drastic changes We're
necessary. IL took him three years
20 complete the dispersal OF the
famous baseball machine but the
passing Of McInnis closed the final
chapter in the history OF a great ag-
gregation OF diamond stars The
ability OF the players who formed
this team may be seen from their
batting and feldinE ,ecords made
during the world series play of 1913.
when the group was at its best.
Avg earned
runs per
,,, "a "a game