The Washington herald., 1918-02-09
TO NAME
WINTER CHAMP
One or Two Men Added to
Clubs Could Make Them
Title Winners.
BY GRaNTLASp RICE.

Doping out pennant races in Feb
ruary or March has never been one
of the most certain undertakings in
the realm of things. Even in steady
years. when every one knew just
what each club had to offer, the as
signment has been fraught with
considerable upset.
But 1918 is going 10 be the tough
est of the lot. Few managers are
going to know in advance every
man they can keep. And others
who have lost men will not know
just what the deficit will be until
the actual test arrives.
How the Game Goes.
Baseball is a queer game in this
respect. There has been more than
one club that finished in the second
division-that looked like a bad
ball club-where just one or two
men added at certain spots would
have produced a championship win
ner.
There have been other champion
ship clubs where the loss of one or
two men would have brought on
disaster. But no one can ever know
just when this shift is due. Early
in 1915 the Phillies lost any num-
ber of stars. They lost a good catch
er, two good infelders. a pitcher
and an outfielder. They had not
been able to win in 1914. Yet in
1915. despite these losses, Pat Mo-
ran stepped out and won a pennant
In 1914 the Braves won a champion
ship and a world series in four
games. In 1915 they lost Bill James
and one infielder. and Immediately
dropped out of the running.
Fer 1915.
1t is pretty well established for
1918 that both McGraw and Row
land can afford to lose a man or
two, or even more. and still have
good ball clubs.
Their losses are hardly likely to
grow sufficiently in volume to haul
them back any great distance.
But no one can tell just what the
losses that Cleveland has suffered
will mean. This club was on it's
way up last year. 1t was just be-
ginning to reach its stride. But it
wasn't strong enough to stand any
such jolts as the draft brought on.
The Hardest Line Hitter.
In a football confab the other day
some one brought up the subject as 10
who should stand as the greatest line
hitter of all time.
All time covers quite bit of ground
far more than We can see in our linn
tied observation.
But some interesting data were fur
nished. In the East Ted Coy was given
prominent mention Mccormick, OF
Princeton. was another. In the West
there were Heston, Salmon and Maui
betsch, among others.
But il is extremely doubtful IL any
man could hit a line harder than Fed
Gov. Tackles, guards and defensive
halfbacks who have got in mis- way all
give him the leading vote. Coy ran
with terrific power. He was harder
than an aurochs bull to overthrow. He
landed with crashing effect, and only
the stoutest sort OF resistance. could
hold him in check. He may have had
his superior at this peculiarly gentle
and delicate art, but no man who ever
tried to stop the old Yale star will
believe it.
There may have been greater line
hitters in the old days, when line hit
ting was a big part of the game. The
old guards-back and tackles-back for
nations may have produced more pow
erful plungers than Coy. but they must
have been exceptionally supermen.
Heston and Salmon were among the
great line smashing stars Of the West.
Heston was a fine broken field runner,
but with his ability to start at top
speed and his unusual leg power he
could also tear into a set Of forwards
with demolishing effect. Salmon, Of
Notre Dame, was another who could
fight his way along with any sort OF
help. The list is too long to be given
in full. but it is very doubtful that
any four men had it on Coy, McCor-
mick. Heston and Salmon for all
around line plunging worth. =,