Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-07-24
COLLAPSE OF CHAMPION
RED SOX PUZZLES FANS
Corbett Declares 1t One Of Most
Startling Form Revcrsals in
80 Baseball History.
OUT OF RUNNING ENTIRELY
Club Wobbled From Outset and
Boston Fans Trace Failure to Dis
sension In Ranks Because OF
Management of Barrow.
by JAMES J. CoRDETT.

NEW YORK, July 23.-The collapse
OF the Boston Red SoN is one of the
most startling form reversals in base
ball history.
Through the training camp season,
whenever the "dopesters" looked in the
Z general direction Of the worlds cham
pions OF 1918, the opinion was unnnim-
Gus.
There is q club that either will re-
peat In the American League pennant
race this year or Will be runner-up all
the way"
But here we are at midseason with
the So1 hopelessly out Of the fight
and with little chance of landing bet
ter than fifth. Almost from the out
set of the season the club has played
Indifferent baseball, and the whole
team seems 10 have been dcmoralized.
ton.
"Dissension in the ranks" is the
reply from the Hub city. The team
was divided into two factions; one
other didn't. The result is obvious"
Looked Good at Outset.
When the season began the Red
Sox looked like greater ball club
than any that has represented Boston
since the far back days OF Jimmy Col
an outfit that showed wonderful
strength in every department, appar-
entity superlat;ve in pitching. wonder
fully Fortified behind the nat, with n
great inheld and a splendid outiield.
Yet that ball club has crumplcG time
and again before the attacks of teams
which in other years il could ovcrwhelm
without much trouble.
Schang and Walters were behind the
bat for the Red SoX and no better pair
of backstops arc in harness today: The
x~;t - to- Nn,- In.R 90.
and Caldwell, stood out as one of the
greatest in the land The 1918 grand
average for the first four vas around
''Stuny" McInnis. one of the grandcst
all-around first hascmen in America,
Vas at second; the Wonderful Everett
Scott covered short and Oscar Witt.
one of the starriest Of stars. was at
mighty Harry Hooper We're in the out
field. assisted by the great hitting Babe
Ruth.
Hns wobbled Terribly.
It looked like. goodnight for all
walkaway for the pets of the Hub
But. from the outset the team woh-
work that has always been feature
of Rex Soy. plan, the Bostonians seem
to strive for individual honors. II
some ,of the players We're not at all
keen about assisting others in getting
their names and pictures in the paper
as heroes Some pitchers got support
others didn't. Erratic baseball became
the rule. And lower and lower slumped
the club that had seemed peerless.
At 1ast Ed Harrow was moved 10
action, which resulted in the trading
of some of the players and in the dis
ciplining OF others. II helped matters
somewhat. but it will not put the SoX
back into the fight.
Fighting Spirit Gone.
The. old lighting spirit OF the remain
ing players is gone so far as 1919 IS
concerned. The tail end Of first divi-
sion is the best the Red SoX can hope
for.
If the law OF baseball applies to the
BostoHians. as II has to other clubs
that reached greatness and then Slip
ped away IL Will he many years be-
fore another Red SoX OUTFIT climbs TO
the absolute crest of the baseball
world The Pirates were great once.
: They .skidded and never have come
back. The same is true Of the Tigers,
the Athletics and. in a certain sense.
with the Cubs. II was years before
John McGraw's Giants rot into stride
again after the decay OF 1906.
They've had their .,lay. thc Red SoX,
been great and ..Gataed 'slory. But
On the, sun OF public adclaim.-Copy-
right 4.lgla.