Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-02-12
By Al MUNRO ELIAS

by Al MUNRO ELIAS
Before the baseball season of
I1021 started, the White Sox and
Cub teams representing the city
Of Chicago in the American and
National leagues, respectively, en-
joyed the double honor of lead
! ing both the major circuits in
the lifetime won and lost stand
ing Of clubs,
While the White Sox finished
in seventh position in 1921, they
continued their leadership of the
johnson circuit by virtue of the
lpoor showing of their nearest riv-
ais, the Boston Red SoX, who
wound up in fifth place.
Before the umpires cried play
ball" last year, the battle for
| American league leadership be-
tween the two SoXes, showed the
White with a margin Of six per-
centage points over the Red in
the lifetime standing. The Red
Sox played at a .487 clip last year
against n .403 for the White, and
narrowed the gap existing between
the rivals, that only two percent
age points now separate the two
clubs, Chicago leads with .5l3
against the second place Bostons'
.541.
The White Sox, like the Chi
cago Nationals, never finished
last in their league, giving to the
city of Chicago the enviablc rec
ord Of never having team in
last place in siXty-eight major
league pennant races.
The White Sox have the bulge
on every opponent, except the Red
SoX, the count on victories be-
tween Boston and Chicago read
ing, 2G4 for Boston and Els for
Chicago.
The Red sox, though holding
the edge over six rivals, took the
worst of it against Cleveland,
Speakers tribe winning 224
games from the Red SoX, while
the lattar's best against Cleveland
was 222 victories.
Third Honors to Indians.
Third honors go to Cleveland,
the Indians advancing from fifth
place in 1919, when their lifetime
standing read sos. In their ad-
vance, tho Clevelands jumped
ahead of the Tigers and the inst
slipping Athletics. Cleveland holds
winning advantages over the Red
SoX, Yankees, Athletics, Senators
and the Browns, but must take
the short end Of victories from
the White Sox and Tigers.
Since 1919, the Clevelands show
net gain of twelve percentage
points in club standing, boosting
their standing from sos up to its
present mark of 500.
The Tigers who now occupy
fourth place in the won and lost
table, relinquishod their third po-
sition standing during the past
season to the Indians. The Tigers
fell off thirteen points in club
standing since the close of the
1919 playing season. Detroit has
the edge over all opponents, ex-
cepting the White and Red Sox
Chicago. Cleveland and Detroit
are the only charter members Of
the American league. Boston,
Washington and Philadelphia
Joined the second year Of organi-
aation, followed the next year by
st. Louis, while the New Yori;
Yankees, the baby member, took
out membership papers in 1903.
The New Yorks, who occupy
fifth place. won the greater por-
ton Of their contests against the
Athletics, Senators and Browns,
but were bested by the White and
Red SoX, the Indians and Tigers.
The Philadelphia Athletics,
holders of the BOBBY prize, by
finishing last for seven successive
years, after steady descent are
now resting in sixth place. The
"A's" since winning their last
pcnnant in 1914. have steadily
declined in the percentage table,
Athletics n Tragedy.
Reviewing the Philadelphia
athletics is a baseball tragedy.
for after coping the 1914 flag,
the "A's" led the American league
in the lifetime won and lost
standing of the clubs, winning
1,1S6 and losing S13 games for
percentage of 500.
Since then the Mackmen during
the last seven years won 1928 con-
tests, while losing 708 games, for
a percentage of .313. Think Of
club that played for fourteen seal
sons ut 1913 clip, and then
laundering along at .313 rate
the next seven years, and the his
tory of the Athletics play during
the past twenty-one years is told.
The Athletics won a majority of
games from both the Senators
and Browns. but are on the short
end against the remainder of the
field.
The washington Senator's in
seventh place, lost more games to
each opponent than they won.
The st. Louis Browns, like
National league rivals, the Cardi-
nails, occupy last place, having
the edge on the Senator'S only.
The Browns inside Of twenty
years lost 1872 contests, within
ten Of the number of victories
corraled by the White Sox in
twenty-five seasons.
Both the Boston Red Sox and