The Washington times., 1920-08-15

, gluttons for work. Kerr is not quite
| so strong. but Williams and Faber
can take over any OF the burden he
feels like dropping. Those four
! Fingers, each pitching steady, deadly
| ball. are quite enough to give
Chicago another flag. The betting 10
| that they'll do 1t. too.
INDIANS ARE NERVOUS.
The Indians are too nervous.
Speaker and O'Neill are the only
| regulars. who might be termed
| money players" The others, now
! that the fighting becomes fercer. are
giving every sign OF cracking under
the strain. This was noticeable two
weeks ago. 1t has become worse
with the days.
The Yankees recently suffered
severe slump. But they have pulled
| themselves out of 1t and should get
new grip on things as soon as theo
get home. Their troubles will come
| in punches the moment they leave the
Polo Grounds. 1t Is on the road In
September for the final three weeks
of the campaign that the Yankees
will show their real class. outside
of the metropolis, few believe they
can do better than finish second, II
| they succeed in doing that.
The Cleveland Indians are a pop
ular ball team everywhere. The
abject failure of the White Sox in
the 1919 worlds series soured many
against them. Rumors OF betting
soured many others. especially
around the West. Indeed. many be-
lieve that the American league would
have a better chance to win the blue
ribbon series of 1920 with the Indians
than with either the White Sox or.
the Yankees.
THEY DO SOMETHING.
'The White Sox are always doing
some thing" say ball players on other
teams, meaning that the Chicago
players play thinking baseball and
are ever awake to the advantages as
| fast as they appear.
| No more breiny players are to be
found in any infield in baseball than
are Eddie Collins and Buck Weaver.
Both are experienced, game to the
core and thinking all the time. They
make for opportunities and then take
advantage of them to the chagrin of
the foe.
As for purely mechanical playing,
the champions are quite as good as
any outit in the business. Leibold
and Happy Felsch are brilliant field
best catcher in the game. Joe Jack
son, while not remarkable in the
field, still holds his own. Charlie
Risberg may pull some bad heaves.
but he also makes up for them with
truly marvellous stops and throws.
BACK TO PITCHING.
| Comparing the three contenders.
one always has to come back to0he
pitching And there you have the
whole reason for the confidence here
displayed in the eventual triumph
of the White Sox.
Had iris Speaker succeeded in
swinging into the stretch with cove
leskie,. Bagby, Caldwell and Morton
pitching first class ball the Indians
| by sheer momentum might have rush.
ed over the line ahead of all rivals.
The 10y of winning would have served
to keep the team on its toes every
minute.
II Miller Huggins today had four
pitchers, say Mays, Quinn, Shawkey
and Mogridge, upon whom he could
count for steady work in the face OF
all odds the Yankees would still look
good to many wise judges. But Hug
gins cannot depend Ipon any of these
pitchers mentioned to picth two high
class games in succession.
No better tip-off on the Indians
twirling staff need be named than that
1t has no southpaw. Dick Niehaus,
the one forkhander, does not belong
| in this league.
over this last stretch OF six weeks
to the falling of the curtain, just
watch the champions. Watch the rou-
tine OF the pitching staff, the regu-
larity or the appearances Of the first
string men. their eteadiness under
| fire the difficulty with which runs
are made against them.
Compare this, If you will, with the
rocky work of the Yankee twirlers
and the fast-fading effectiveness of
| the Indians staff. If you have been
watching this, you will already have
noted the recent stumbling of Bagby,
Coveleskie and Caldwell.
Acknowledging the truth Of the
statement that pitching from now on
is close to 65 per cent of a teams
strength, you will have to admit that
the White Sox quartet, Cicotte, Faber
! williams and kerr--two right hand
ers and two southpaws-have every
thing else in the league backed off
the boards
Behind this most effective quartet
the champions have a strategy board
consisting of Kid Gleason, Eddie Col
! Inns. and Buck Weaver. And on the
field they have a smooth fielding and
hard d-hitting outfit of veterans who
know what IL means to feel the spur
as the tape appears in the distance
Barring unforeseen accidents, the
Chicago White Sox will win the 1920
pennant.