The Washington herald., 1921-10-06
Predicted Wild Horde at
Gate Dissolved Into
5000 Vacant Seats.
MIGHT HAVE BEEN"
PROVES JOYKILLER
Fans Regret Hours in
Line and Players Mourn
Uneollected $4,000.
BY GRANTLAND RICE.

NEW YORK Oct. Sin the mids-
Of a setting as vivid and as radian.
with color as the background for
Mr.. Grey's "Elegy in a County
Churchyard." or the interment OF
Moses upon Nebo's lonely mountain
side. the Yankees took the first Ions
leap toward worlds series glory BY
beating the Giants, TO o, in the de-
but game.
For this one day the prophets and
the oracles suffered violent
wrench as they were tilted upside
down.
In place Of frenzied hordes storm
ing the gates, 5000 bare seats in
the upper stands cast their sombre
shadows across the field like so
many haunting wraiths OF sorrow
in a banquet hall Of vast arches
and flIckering candles.
And in place OF the Yankees win
| ming by the unleashed fury Of a
crashing attack. they won by the
unbroken power Of a defense as
fawless as a wall Of steel.
FrIsch Made Only Giant Hits.
Back Of the superb pitching Of
/ Carl Mays. whose underhand deliv-
cry turned back every Giant except
Frank Frisch. the Yankee defense
soon fattened out the Giant attack
beyond all recognition as the more
alert Yankee otiense slipped bllthe-
| ly through Giant crevices for the
needed runs.
Shutting Phil Douglas, with his
twisting splitter and his barlinE
speed, spiked Huggins' howitzers up
and down the line. holding them 70
three clean blows throuEhout the
afternoon. but at vital moments his
support began TO take on sieve-iike
aspects, and through these few
openings the Yanks scurried mer-
riIy TO victory.
The game itself. at certain stated
intervals. might have electrified
crowd cast In a different mental
mold. For outside OF brilliant
pitching. the Bsmbino himself
drove in the first run. Mike Nc
Nally stole home. Frank Frisrh
hammered out four hits and Roger
Peckippaugh gave display al
short that flashed like some rajah's
main Jewel in the glare Of an In
dian sun
Empty Seats DepressinE.
= But through these various pyro.
technics that ordinarily shoul6
} have had the fanatic frothing al
the mouth, there was no answering
: uproar from the stands no fanatical
upheaval to make one forget thoss
: 5000 empty seats that represented
, something more than a cash defcii
of s25.OOO in a day and tIfe wher
$4,000 is nothing TO push into the
gutter with the tip Of a frazzle6
shoe. 1t was undoubtedly the
haunting, mocking presence Of
these 5000 untaken seats that cast
depression upon both athletes
and noncombatants alike.
= The players fought with vim anc
dash. but they must have sensed the
narrowing omen of a depleted ac-
n count. And after all. who coulc
n blame a big part Of the crowC
: from cracking under the heavy
{ strain? For weary hours they hac
stood in line or praCtised ouict
Z starts for ticket offices in the hop
A Of bagEing a $3.50 seat. They hsC
= known the mental anguish of many
8 days OF work an dtheir broker
? sleep had been full OF black dream;
$ OF disappointed hopes.
\ And then having survived Tho
: tidal wave, they were forced to si'
and gaze moodily upon 5000 choice
untaken seats at only $3.50 a throw
No wonder, as all these bare, bale
spaces loomed above them, tba
n more than a few forgot all abou
9 Carl Mays, Frank Frisch and Mix
s McNally in the deep depression o
the moment
Many Causes for Vacancies
e Part of this fan shortage was du,
l. to the universal belief that th'
: crush would be so great RrounS
l. the unreserved gates that only
X trained football tackle could holt
u his feet before the charging multi
= tudes. At any rate the 5000 balt
.e spots in an exclusive New Norl
(. world series was more Of an upse
l. than the series could ever hope g
n be, no matter what may hsppeI
q uptil the final runner is retiret
= some late afternoon next week.
When tn word goes out tina
- good seats were as plentiful a.
steers IN Texas the expected rusi
may develop tomorrow. But W.
= are no longer phophesying. Tn
pragmatic dope is now defunct ans
ready for embalment and IN
V sepulchre, outside Of the missini
e L.tumult and absent shouting tn
a battle took a strangely familia
lr look as Mayor Hylan tossed on
&C the first ball, the band struck u
re the national anthem and the open
l. ing batteries were announced.
Sun Warns Cool Wind.
A cool wind whipped the grand
stand into a flutter, but a warmini
sun took away the sting and
rounded can ideal day for the mrs
@ act in the big autumn melodrams
T From the start the crowd was non
too boisterous but its cheering CAV
II the Yankees a slight edge in wei
% come and a still larger margin o
applause as Carl Mays began grim
81 ly to fire his poisoned arrows int
the Giant attack
d As Mays. through inning afate
a inning pelted the enemy with hi
famous underhand delivery tina
1t seemed TO weave a dreamy. trance
lg like spell around National Leagu
b hopes, the sole chance for an
Is Giant hilarity fell upon Fran
I. Frisch.
,e Where the other Giants coulln'
d hit Mays with .aa sawed-of shot
gun at twelve PAGES. the son.
,e Fordham assaulted Carts under
n tow delivery with a fusilisde Q