The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-10-05
BEFORE THE GAME
BY DAVID ]. WALSH.

HOlO GTOunOS, New Ork, OCT. D.
Business of various and sundry second
guessers. climbing up on the band
wagon that always yammers along in
front of winner. AS the Yanks and
Giants made ready to engage in the
second game of the world series to-
day. the tickle odds had shifted, over
night, from z to 5 on the Yanks, to
6 to 5 on the Giants, with plenty of
wiseacres ready and willing to tell you
just how the Giants, a FOOLS bet, were
the best thing on the market today
and henceforth.
Crooking an index finger in your
button hole, they will proceed to tell
you that the Giants are the best ball
club, always were, and always will be,
that Bush will be plebeian sucker
the next time out, that Bob sShawkey
is made to order for the Giants and
day, that McGraw will out-smart Hug
gins and SO on, ad infinitum. You
never can win an argument from the
second guesser.
Another Day Dawns Clear.
The picture-perfect weather of yes.
terday carried right over today and
cloudless autumn day insured tho
same comfortable conditions for to-
days game. Another great crowd is
looked for, perhaps not SO large as
the opening day gathering, but well
upward of $4,000 customers. The
game will be something of an anti
climax from the crowds point of view,
with the general excitement of the in
augura1 over and done with and the
inter-city element missing.
The overnight moronS who wait In
line for the chance of buying into an
uncomfortable bleacher seat or in the
upper grandstand were by no means
as plentiful, only q handful being dis
covered at the untenanted box office
this morning. For one thing, it was
demonstrated yesterday that anyone
who arrived at the park at a reason
able hour would be accommodated
For another, it is only the Yanks and
Giants battling and New York figures
that it knows all about both by this
time.
During the dark ages around 1906,
the Cubs and the White Sox engaged
in the first private world series, and
factional feeling ran SO high that Chi
cago was, not altogether safe for
man with a mind of his own. There
is nothing like that here.
New York is bound to win, so why
become agitated?
Depend on Barnes and NcIlf
The crux of the situation Ievolves
around Barnes. If he can win today,
impressively, the Giants never viii be
headed. Nehf, who had a sharper
break in his slow ball yesterday than
this writer ever saw him get before, is
Torrance his next time out ard
should Barnes exercise the same mas
terry over the Yanks as ne did in the
1921 series, the thing is absolutely in.
On the other hand. should Barnes
fail to get by. he will be thru for the
duration of the series, unless he is used
as relief pitcher. In that case, it
will be strictly up to Scott and Nc
Quillan, for Nehf has only one more
game in his slight system at the most.
This if business about a pitcher is
purely Giant problem. Higgins can
come back today with Shawkey and
string along with Hoyt, Mays and
Jones, any one of which is likely to
stop the Giants. A lot of citizens like
Mays as a worlds series pitcher and
would be highly gratified if Higgins
would start him today or tomorrow.
Mays, however, has had an unimpres-
sive season and the worthy Mr.. Hug
gins has single track mind. He will
always do the obvious thing
1t is right there that you have the
exemplified. McGraw is always seek
ing the unusual. He is guessing two
jumps ahead of a play while the other
fellow is trying to make up his mind.
+ McGraw on the Job.
1t was noted yesterday that the in
terrogative neck of the Giants, look
ing to the bench for instructions. was
not much in evidence. On the face of
things, Frank Snyder was running the
team from behind the plate. yet an
old timer assured us last night that
Snyder had no more to do with the
running of the team than we had.
.McGraw was simply flashing his
signals thru another agency. He hap
pened to have a smart pitcher in there
IN the person of Artie Nehf and it
was he who looked over to McGraw,
caught the flash and conducted him
self accordingly. Some of Johns
strategy was open to question. For
instance, he once had Young bunt with
two on and two out for no apparent
reason beyond the fact that he hoped
to catch the Yanks on their flat feet
They would not do anything like that
themselves; therefore, why look for it
from a rival?
The winning rally in the eighth was
engineered by McGraw. Higgins likes
to have his menNup there and wait
pitcher out, just as he was able to do
in his salad days McGraw places no
such restrictions on his ball players.
Noting that Bush was unusually
the first ball and, in consequence
Bancroft, Groh, Frisch and Emil
Meuse1 singled in succession, scoring
the tying runs and sending Bush right
away from there.
1t was only further evidence of the
fact that the Giants do not need as
good pitching as the Yanks to win
their baseball games.
Whatever the underlying reason,
| the largest days wager placed the
Yanks at IL to 10 to win this after
| noon; s1,1oO to $1,000 having been
placed with w. L. Darneil & Company.