The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1918-01-14
Frazee's Team Now the
Equal of Famous Athletics
of Few Years Back, and
Weeghmann's Club is Be
ing Rapidly Strengthened
to Give Giants a Battle.

New York, Jan. 14-There is con-
siderable speculation in baseball cir
cles as to how the big deals made
during the past month will affect the
championship races for the coming
season. Obviously they will change
completely the prospects of a, number
of teams, though from present indi-
cations the 1918 campaign in both
leagues again will be top heavy.
Especially is this true in the Ameri-
can League. Should the war by any
chance be over by April Is, the Red
Sox would excel the rest of the John
son circuit by as big margin as did
the old Athletics The Boston Amer
leans of last year were good enough
to finish second with as high a per-
centage as the worlds championship
team of the year previous. Ruth,
Leonard, Mays and Shore wers con-
sidered the greatest pitching staff for
the year.
When the cream Of the Athletics
the hard hitting, spectacular Mc1nnis,
the agile Schang, the fast Strunk and
the brilliant young pitcher, Bush. are
added to the team, it makes the Red
Sox we'll nigh invincib1e SO far as
baseball goes.
A team with McInnis. Barry, Scott
and Gardner for an infie1d; Lewis,
Strunk and Hooper for an outfeld;
Schang and Agnew, catchers, and
Ruth, Mays, Bush, Shore and Leonard,
pitchers, ranks with the very best in
baseball history and is a close APP
proach to the Athletics Of 1910, 1911
and 1918.
Even should the war keep Lewis
and some Of the lesser Red So1 stars
idle next season, the club would be
extremely dangerous. With Boston
showing its full strength, Chicago
looks like the only team in n position
to give the Red Sox an argument.
But the White Sox have only two
pitching stars against five for Boston,
and lack the general finesse of the
Red Sox team. With the Boston team
strengthened at least rs per cent.
there seems little chance for such
teams as the Yankees, Senators and
| Browns.
The addition of Alexander and Ty-
Ter to the Cub pitching staff and Bill
"
| catching department has changed the
Cubs from a hopeless second division
prospect to the second Invest contender
in the National League.
A stitching staff of Alexander,
Vaughn, Tyler and Douglas will carry
a club a long way, especially with
such a catcher as Ki1lifer to hold the
twirlers. Had the Chicago Nation
ais been able to obtain Hornsby from
the Cardinals as the clubs cleanup
| hitter the Cubs would have an even
chance with the Giants for the pen
nant.
The Cubs gained their three stars
with practically no loss to themselves.
To get these players they sacrificed
the two former Giants, Doyle and Will
son, both Of whom are going back
rapidly, and a mediocre battery
Prendergast and Di1hoefer. The rest
of the deals were put through with
cash. The deal by which Paskert
went to the Cubs in exchange for
| Williams may benefit the Cubs tenn
oorariiy. but the Phillies will have all
the better of it in the long run.
Unless the war ends in time to save
Fred Toney for the Reds the 1918
National League race will be two
cornered affair between New York
and Chicago, with no close rivals.
The deal by which McGraw obtain
ed DovIe and Barnes for Herzog is the
best deal New York has made for
some time, and McGraw certainly has
heen far from brilliant in some of his
recent transactions. The worst was
giving Kilduff and $1,000 to Chicago
for Demaree.
In the Herzog deal McGraw really
mt something over. He gave up a
| nIayer who was disgruntled and who
| had had the worst season Of his ca
reer in 1917, and in return obtained
DOYLE. an infieIder near the end OF
his league rope, and Barnes, one OF
the best young pitchers in the game
Barnes gives the Giants another
able right handler to aid Perritt' and
as he is youngster Barnes should
have wears of service in front of him.
Either Doyle or Smith will play as
well for the Giants as did Herzog last
season.
Unless Herzog, O. player aged 81,
comes back next season and plays the
ball he flashed in 1916 George STALL
ines will be the goat among the Win
ter traders, StalIings has wrecked
1 his pitching staff for q veteran IN
fielder. O. mediocre catcher and
money, The money may have mad a
lot to do with the disposal Of these
PLAYERS, as the Boston clubs finances
are in none too healthy a condition,
If Mamaux pitches the kind of ball
that he did in 1915 and 1915 Ebbets
should not worry about last weeks
ltrade, What may prove ere of the
most enesided deals in history was
put through by the Brooklyn club in
the Mamaux trade, Mamaux is only
90, but has Ray Caldwell Tenderness
A manager Ike Robby may be able
to handle this player, Until last sea
son Mamaux was the best right
handler in the National League with
the exception of Alexander. Nothing
better illustrates Mamaux's ability
than the fact that with the joke seq
ond second division Pittsburgh team
, behind him he won 81 games and LOST
eight in 1915 and won 81 and lest 15
in 1915.
In addition to AfaHaqx Ebbets OBJ
tanned Grimes, a pitcher who has
shewn flashes of ability, and Ward, q
: fairly geed infieider. To get this trie
Ebbets gave up Stengel, an aggressive
player and a good hitter against right
, handed pitching but very feeble
: against left handlers, and Cutshaw
: whose arm was SO dead at the end OF
: last season that he could not throw
from, second to the hene plate