South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-02-26
GIANTS MANAGER
MAKES NO CLAIMS
FOR 1922PENNANT
Winner of Seven National
Flags Silent, But Team
Shapes Up Well.
BY DAVIS J. WALSH.
International News Service Sports
Editor

Editor.
NEW YORK. Feb. 25.-John Nc
Grsw IS sitting pretty behind a
worlds championship ball club plus
the of season addition OF Heins
Groh. sx-star OF the Cincinnati Reds.
yet ne IS making no brash predic-
ton that might be construed as men
uoning the Giants and the 1922 Ma
tiOnal league pennant IN the same
breath. John wants IL pretty gen
orally known that he a. not that kind
OF a monkey wrench.
Ask any baseball man what he
thinks OF the National League race
this year and he'll crook his index
finger IN your buttonhole and begin
70 tell you IN a confidential shout
that the Giants will cake walk TO the
flag. Not 90 McGraw.
On the subject OF pennants he has
become a. wary as tax dodger and
not without reason. In all. McGraw
has won seven pennants at the head
OF the Giants. starting with the 1904
championship outfit and ending with
the team that came from the surrep-
titious rear 20 nip the Pirates at the
wire last year.
Those Sour Tastes.
But sour as tenors falsetto ling
ers a taste IN the region Of his soft
Ealate a constant reminder OF the
tact that he started in the 1914 and
1919 seasons with prospective
pennant winners and finished
with much the same They never
got beyond the prospective stage. in
spite OF the fact that they were sup
posed TO be the class Of the National
League. II was merely a case Of the
records proving otherwise.
Wherefore. McGraw has decided
10 win no more pennants in mid
Winter and II approached on the
subject will do quite a lot OF talking
with his mouth shut.
He discouraged all talk OF pen
nRnts during the Off season while he
was waiting around New York for
the racing season to get a running
start IN Cuba; he avoided the issue
whenever expedient II a conversation
OF the sort started In Havana and
before he left to meet his players at
the San Antonio rendezvous he con-
lded 20 a friend that he meant to
DO the same thing among his men.
Admits Fine Infield.
II pressed for an answer he will
admit thar he has, perhaps the great.
est inheld In baseball with Ge, q
Kelly, Frank Frisch, Dave Banc OFT
and Heinie Groh ranging between 1e
bags, and Johnny Rawlings. worlds
series hero. available for utility roles.
Furthermore, he does not deem it
necessary TO enter a strident objec-
ton II reference IS made to the fact
that Phil Douglas, Art Nehf, Jess
Barnes and Fred Toney constitute
something OF a pitching staff, par
ticularly with the addition Of Virgil
Barnes. who pitched a no-hit game
for Milwaukee last year. and Claude
Jonnard who came up from Little
Rock late in the 1921 campaign to
fan seven OF the Phillies IN three
innings BY way OF making a major
league debut.
Nor does q pathetic tear well in
his eye at tho thought that he must
bear up bravely with Frank Snyder,
Earl Smith and Alex CASTOR as back
stops. Somehow. John Just can't
make the rifle here. but he Will
tell you that George Burns leaves an
aching void IN center field between
Meusel and Young although Bill
Cunningham and Ralph SINNERS.
the much advertised young man
from Milwaukee. are supposed to be
ready FOR the Job.
All in all the club seems fool proof
Hence the AIcGraw reticence. There
Is such a thing as winning the pen
rant IN March and losing it In Sep
TENDER and John appears to know It.