Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-08-09
ASSISTS FOR THE FANS
lBY FIRED LANE. f,

| AOOlO L - TOI'
BY fR
Another week has passed and the
race in the National league still is
close with the chances OF the New
York Giants improved, McGraw's
rebuilt team looks Very dangerous
to the aspirations of the Brooklyn
and Cincinnati clubs. pittsburgh
still refuses to be counted out, yet
BIT is not likely to finish better than
third and might have all it can do
to hold on to last place in the first
division, Chicago, however, has
been in a slump and may not be
able to overtake the Pirates, 1t Is
beginning to look as though the
race soon will narrow down 10 a
three-club affair between Brook
Ign, Cincinnati and New York. 1t
will be surprising il the Dodgers
can weather the storm. The Reds
undoubtedly have class and with
the improved form of the Giants
indications are that the Brooklyn
team will have trouble finishing
better than third. Brooklyn, OF
course, might be 4 surprise by fin
ishing strong-they have been a
surprise for several weeks, the
eastern critics having expected
them to crack before this-~but the
Reds and Giants appear to have
the best chance for the first two
positions. That is the dopev-but
the fact StFll remains that any thing
can happen in baseball,
Since returning to their home
grounds, the Cleveland Indians
have improved their positiou--in
creased their lead. Chicago set thu
Yankees back BY taking three out
of four games. The series at
Cleveland between Pabe Ruth & Go,
will go long way in determining
the pennant chances of the Hug
men, If they fall to win a majority
of the games of this series their
chances win b" greatly rejuccl
Walter Johnson, star pitcher Of
he Washington Americans, is hav-
! ing tlouble with his arm and is
LAilf 'l' lpl utNN AAiil1f'L vi "a
tith~ has sent him to Rochester 10
consult 'Bonesetter" Harry Knight,
who is said to have had success in
IreT airing ailing bali players.
/ Christy Nathewson, former big
league star pitcher, and more re-
Gently coach of the Giants, who
IGccertly quit the game and went to
Saranac Lake, ~ Y, to take treat-
mcnt for tuberculosis, has decided
! to come west for his health Ac-
cording to advices from New York
he viii locate some place in Arizo-
ma Mathewson not only was one
! Of the greatest pitchers Of all time
Int was model in personal con-
Guot
While some of the other teams
show enough flashes of winning
form to trouble the leaders, it APP
! pears that there are only three
teams with a pennant chauce in
the American lcaEuc-Clcveland
New York and Chicago ANY one
| Of the three may win out but
next to Cleveland, the Chicago out
fit appears to have the best chance
because It is Il smoother ruuning
machine than tho Yankees.
All three teams have great hit
ting power. the Hugmen being the
| heaviest siuggers. Both the Iu-
dams and White SoN, however,
have more real class than the
Yankees and II the New York
entries slump any with the willow
they don't have so mueh left to
win ball games with as do the
other two aggregation Being
smarter ball clubs than the
Yankees the Indians aud White
! SoX would fare better in a hitting
slump than would their eastern
rivals.
The Gleason machine has been
getting good pitching, which has
been well supported in the other
departments of the game. The
| team has, been traveling smoothly
| without Being on gaining
ground all the time ana not being
threatened from behind, The
Yankees have been pressed fore
and aft. to a degree, especially
fore. The team has been between
1.-two fires--the Indians ard White
SoN--for some timc and the fires
are getting hotter They have had
trouble in keeping close 10 the
Tribe and also have been unable to
| keep the chasm between them and
the Sox from narrowing, All those
things are trying, to say the least.
But when it comes to being on
strain, the Indians position has
been e-wrecking. They have
been pressed to the limit by the
Yankees for many weeks, at times
holding on to first place by the
margin of a. fraction Of noint
and at other times slipping into
| second place, where they could
hear the whirr of the Gleason ma
chine in its onward march. They
have had their backs to the wall
many times but have STAYED off
threatened disaster and climbed
back IN to a position that afford
ed them temporary relief, yet
scarcely "a breathing spoll'-they
have noFdared relax. Speaker has
a wonderful machine but ii is being
driven atop speed. under strain
alb the time. The question is can
1t stand the strain? Time alone
will tell.
| Amos Strunk must have been
disappointed over his sale by Con-
lnie Mack to the White Sox-from