The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-31
WHITE SOX ALMOST
SURE OF REMNANT
Gleason Has Injected Fighting
Spirit of 1917 in Chicago
Americans.
CICOTTE SHINES AGAIN
Veteran Hurler, Collins and
Jackson Leading Figures
in Teams Comeback.
BY FREDERICK G. LIED.

and fighting spirit of Comiskeys famed
team. Furthermore, 1t will be a big
personal tribute to the popular Kid
Gleason. the aggressive manager of the
Windy City troupe.
The Chicago team beat out the Red
sox in keen fight in 1917 and then
defeated the Giants in the worlds Sc
RES that fall four games to two. 1t is
true the White Sox did not impress
very strongly in that series, and tho
Giants lost the flag by outerring the
SoI
The White sox were big favorites
when the 1918 race started. as it was
figured that only Red Faber and a few
lesser players would be drafted. But
South Carolina draft board decreed
that Joe jackson, star mauer Of the
team, belonged to the army despite the
fact that he had wife and two chill
dren. AS result Joseph became a
painter and left the Sox to don the
overalls of a shipyard.
Williams and Lynn soon followed
Uoe's lead and procured shipyard Jobs,
and after an argument with former
Manager Rowland Hap Felsch. centre
fielder, left the club for a munition fac.
tory. Eddie Collins the handspring of
the club. stayed on the job until August,
when he left the club to cast his luck
with the marines.
ToppIed to sixth Place.
Rowland had only the she'll Of his
championship machine left and the
worlds champions toppled to sixth
place. Oddly enough the worlds cham
pions of 1918, the Boston Red Sox. also
will finish in sixth place this year from
present indications. Outside of these
two years there is no other case in
baseball where a worlds champion team
has No ixfh affair
winning baseballs highest honors.
Evidently Charles Comiskey did not
believe the slump of his team in 1918
was due entirely to the war. Other
teams, too, lost lots of valuable men
and beat cut the Sox by quite a margin.
"Commy'' therefore made a move last
winter that for time stunned the fans
Of the South Side. He let out Clarence
Rowland. the man he had hand picked
from the bushes and to whom he chung
despite criticism. only to have the man
ager vindicate his judgment by winning
a worlds championship.
Kid Gleason, who coached the Sox
in their worlds championship year. was
appointed Rowland's successor. When
the Sox were at the top of their success
much Of the credit for directing the
team went to Gleason He was the man
behind the throne. 1t even was limited
that Rowland was manager in name
only. and that It was Gleason who was
the real head of the team.
Gleason Doing Very Well.
The success that the peppery Kid Is
having with the team this year justifes
most Of these reports. Gleason seems
TO be doing tolerably well without
Clarence, but Clarence didn't get along
very we'll in 1918 without the kid.
Few baseball eharps, even in Chicago,
gave the White Sox much of a tumble
last spring. 1t looked as though the
team would have to be reconstructed.
and that Gleason would have to dig up a
new pitching staff before the club again
would become serious contender. Ship
yard assertions of the previous year also
were figured to have a bad effect on the
morale and general harmony of the
club, but Gleason doesn't tolerate any
diesension. Not IL he sees the dssenters
first and has his belt strap handy.
From an analysis of the teams las,
spring Cleveland, Boston and New York
were regarded as the most dangerous
clubs, with the majority of critics favor
ing Cleveland The Indians had had a
lot Of valuable men in the army in 1918
but put up a hard fight for the pennan'
and finished good second. With fell
lows like Harris Wambsganss, Smith
Klepfer and others back 1t looked like 6
great year for the Indians.
The White Sox and Tigers were ex'
pected to battle with each other for q
position on the lower ledge of the flrs'
division. Little better than fourth was
expected from either club.
Failed to Oblige Critics.
At the start of the season it wa,
known that Gleason had only thret
pitchers. Cicotte, Williams and Faber
Then the wise ones said: THE KID
can't win the pennant on three twirlers.'
When the teams got down to real com
petition II was found that Faber hac
gone back whole lot during his yeal
in the navy and no longer was dependa
BILE. Then the cry was, The Sox cam
win with two pitchers, and both LITTLE
fellows. Just watch them crack"
But neither the Sox nor the little Eel
lows cracked. At times Cicotte anC
Williams showed the effects of the strair
put on them, and hard batting woulC
pull them through. Yet to-day they arr
as effective as they were in the spring.
Clcotte surely is one OF the wonde
pitchers of the age. Here Is fellow
who at IS years of age still is improv
ing In 1918 II looked as though Father
Time at last was getting Gluten OF
Cicotte. After Eddie's great year II
1917 he slumped perceptibly last year
not only in winning games put IN gen
eral effectiveness He won only twelv
games and lost nineteen. while In tn
matter OF earned runs he stood thirty
second on the list with 2.75 earned run
a game.
Cicotte n Pitching Wizard.
Yet this year he Is the pitching wiz
ard Of both leagues Last week he hum
up his twenty-sixth victory and oppos
ing teams are getting to him for only
handful of hits. When Eddie first be
gan to attract attention as real dia
mond some half a dozen years back
they called his delivery the "knuckl
ball" Then he pitched the resin ball,
and later the talcum powdered shin
ball" He was stopped from using tina
and now for want OF better name hi
dsIiVery 10 called the mystery ball.
Always Eddie has something UP hi
sleeve.
Young Claude Williams deserves al
most as much credit for the Sox success
ss Cicotte. Like Cicotte. Williams Is
little fellow in size but built on stock
lines. He also has been a consistan
winner an season and now is well on hi
!, way TO his twenty-hfth victory.
Faber at times has shown flashes Q
his old ability but hard batting has car