The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-08-13
IF, HUGGINS WAS RIGHT, YANKEES SHOULD REPEAT
By GEORGE CHADWICK
Special Correspondent of Tho Age-HcI
 tCopyright, 1929. by The AEe- Hernls


 New York, August 12.-when the major league clubs shifted and the American eastern teams went west, Miller Higgins, manager of the Yam kees. said in the course of talk about his team:
 If we can win more than 50 per cent of the games on this trip. I think We will win the championship again.
 "This trip will make or break Ruth. It will take him away from New York where he has been stung by the criti- cism of the spectators and some oth- CTS. He is not accustomed to 1t and he cannot understand it. Remember he is boy in his attitude toward sport and sharp comment rubs harshly his sensibilities. If Ruth plays at his best, this club can win It's second championship. That 1t can win without Ruth going at his best Is a question. Were I to answer that question from my opinion I would say mo-"
 Having said all this, he insisted that not a word be said about it un- til the trip. He felt chary of start ing Into tho enemy's country with any predictions floating loose in the baseball atmosphere.
 
 The trip Is over and the Yankees broke better than 50 per cent. Ruth played better ball than he had been playing prior to the time that the team started west and for these req sons the conversation with Huggins comes to be very good baseball his- tory. It will now be in order for the New York baseball club to win the pennant to vindicate the Judgment of the New York manager.
 As matter of fact the New York baseball club, on it's western trip. played more superior baseball than the other clubs in the American league had anticipated. Very likely the managers of rival clubs made their estimate of what New York could do on the basis of what New York did the earlier part of the sea son. Ty Cobb did not expect to see the ranks win two-thirds of their games. Gleason thought they would be lucky IT they even broke even Fohl. of St. Louis. as usual, had nothing to gay. Lee Is very conservative citizen except on the afternoons on which the Browns win. You know he takes this baseball year as one of vlndication for himself He still feels that he was entitled to better deal In Cleveland; that he would have pro- ouced winning team there if per- mitted to go his own way.
 Up to Standard
 The trip made by the Yankees is up to the standard of their trips of last year when they won their first pennant In some years such a trip might have broken the spirit of the contender. Any baseball team, win ming approximately two games in three Is playing the kind of ball that discourages the other fellow. However. there enters into this dfs- play of the Yankees the fact that Detroit and St. Louis have been play ing nearly as we'll and for that reason the spirit of the contending teams has not been abated by the success of the champions
 That <Huggins estimated Ruth's value to his team better than any man who has spoken of Ruth as a ball player proves itself by the mo- ticeable improvement in the playing of the Yankees when Ruth began to strike the pace which he set in 1921. Those who shouted so vigor- ously that the Yankees could win the pennant without Ruth shouted without profound Knowledge of baseball. A lot of the champion ship of the Yankees last year cen- tered on Ruth.
 Two Hard Fights
 The middle of August is at hand, with St. Louis and New York mak- ing the pace In both leagues and with not one of the four clubs showing a tendency to be dIscon- certed. It Is evident that members of all four teams have been manipu- lating their pitchers and trying to force their teams to drive the other fellow to break.
 The Giants expected to run away with the championship after they had defeated St. Louis in the series which was recently played between them on the Polo grounds. The more sanguine of the players spoke to their friends and told them that 1t was all over. In less than ten days they were separated from St. Lotus by bare two points in per centage. which shows how far from being all over 1t is.
 Game for Game
 Branch Hickey declares that if 1t came to game for game between his St. Louis Cards and the Giants he would win the pennant. That is bold statement to make, but there are times when 1t looks as if it may come to game for game, and that tho series which is to be played between St. Louis and New York on the Polo grounds in September will decide the championship of the Ma tional league.
 If the Cards had taken advantage of their chances they should have been six games in the lead at least. On the other hand if the Giants had maintained their speed they should have been ten games in front. In