New-York tribune., 1919-04-07
Giants Return
10 Gainesville
After Lacin.s,;s
McCraw Hopeful That De-
fcals by Red Sox Will
Eventually Be Benefit
By w. 7. Macbeth

GAINESVILLE, Fla, April 6.-Back
10 thelr own stamping grounds and
handicapped. two TO nothing IN the
matter of victories for the current
series OF seven exhibition games with
the worlds champion Red Sox, the
New York Giants hope tomorrow
hnally to get started in the right di-
rectlon and to leave the city, which they
nave larry captivatcd and which seems
one OF tho most advantageous spots
from strictly climatic standpoint at
with Ed Barrow's American League
pennant trust
NO attempt will be made to aibi the
Giants for their own defeats at Tampa.
boston played up to its well known
reputation. The Giants never could
or at least never did get going. They
looked as different from the aggrega-
non that trained eleven days on the
university grounds here as night looks
from day-and q very dark night at
that. Tho tielders didn't field. The
hltters didn't hit. The runners didn t
run. Outside of that everything was
as lovely as could be-
Yet disappointing as was the Tampa
performance, there is little occasion
to go to the sackcloth and ashes
effects. The big falldown was on the
part of the most illustrious stars, who
have shown throughout the early train
ing here that there is still plenty of
high class baseball left in them
The writer has said, and still main
tains, that McGraw's chief concern was
the development of pitching staff
No fault could be found with Giant
pitching in Tampa. Three youngsters
George Smith, Jess Winters and John
Paul Jones, all showed the champions
Of the world quito as effective marks
manshlp as the veteran box talent Ed
Barrow presented.
With major league support Jess
Barnes would have como through his
three inning exercise with shut
out. But then there never was occa-
sion to worry over this master who
starts before he joined the army last
summer.
1t cannot be denied that New York
was at disadvantage on the Tampa
field. The diamond there is very rough
in comparison to the one Harry Fabian
has constructed here. The outfeld
while level in comparison to the local
hillside, was rough and rutty Per
haps conditions worried the Giants
some. Still. it did not excuse them
any horrible muHs of batted and
/ lNIOWn DdllS.
If our Giants will only look at the
matter philosophically o great gooo
may come to them from tho trouncine
at Tampa 1t is my opinion that they
held the Red Sox too cheaply, for here
tofore the Red Sox have not been g
very strong spring combination. They
trained in q colder climate UP arounC
Hot Springs, Ark.
Like the Giants. the club is plenti
fully stocked with aging veterans an(
requires plenty Of heat to thaw out
muscle elasticity. That heat the Rec
Sox found in profusion in Tampa
Barrow's players seemed far bettei
conditioned than McGraw's, who still
The Sox pitchers, while scarcely more
effective, were strikingly further ad
vanced, for all took far more lbertie!
with curves and speed
Giant Defence Crumhled
Had the defence of the Giants de
veloped the strength that may be ex
pected from it the games in Tamp;
would have proved close and interest
ing to the last, with the issue in doubt
This, too, in spite of the fact that th'
customary offensive punch was sadl,
out of gear. The heavy artillery nevcr
was able to unlmbcr
/
hit in six times at bat in the tw,
games The same goes for Larry Doyle
Neither Kauff nor Zimmerman contrib
uted a solitary blow. Young. Chase anC
Fletcher did practically all OF the effect
i've clouting and the captain is so fa
separated from the other two that i
was impossible to bank on seQucntia
swatring so necessary for run making
There was Babe Ruth, Of course II.
is fast stepping into that prominence
which Ty Cobb has enjoyed for almos
dozen years with the Tigers. There
is only one way to circumvent Ruth
That is to eliminate him from the lineul
by using a southpaw pitcher, whici
/ McGraw is likely to do tomorrow
Right handlers all look alike to Babe
He hits them far and often.
And here is a bit of news that viii
make no great hit with the right hant
pitchers of the American League. !
comes straight from the Boston play
crs. Ruth is not going to align hi
strength with the Red SoX pitching
staff this year. He wishes to pla,
regularly in the outtield and so far ha'
neglected to try to get his southpav
wing into service for box duty.