The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-02-28
M'GRAW MAKING
NO PRESEASON
PENNANT CLAIMS
Winner of Seven remnants
in National, Silent, but
Team Shapes Up Well

NEW YORK, Feb. 27.-John NJ,
Graw is sitting pretty behind
worlds championship ball club min,
the off-season addition OF Henri,
Groh, ex-star of the Cincinnati Reds
yet he is making no brash predIc'
ton that might be construed as men.
tioning the Giants and the 1922 Ma.
tional league pennant I'm the sams
breath. John wants It pretty gener.
ally known that he is not that kind
Of a monkey wrench.
Ask any baseball man what h.
thinks of the National league race
this year and he'll crook his indsy
finger in your %buttonhole and begin
to tell you in a confidential shout
that the Giants will cake walk 10,
the flag. Not so McGraw. 4
On the subject of pennants he hs.'
become as wary as a tax dodger ana
not without reason. In all, McGnap
a won seven pennants at tho head
of the Giants. starting with the 1904
championship outfit and ending with
the team that came from the surran,
titious rear to nip the Pirates at the
wire last year.
Those Sour Tastes.
But sour as a tenor's falsetto lin
gers a taste in the region OF his soft
palate n constant reminder of tbs
fact that he started the 1914 and
1918 seasons with prospective pen.
nant winners and finished with much
the same. They never got beyond
the prospective stage, In spite of the
fact that they were supposed 20 be
the class OF the National league. II
was merely n ase OF the records
proving otherwise.
Wherefore, McGraw has decided
win no moro pennants in mid
winter. and II approached on the
subject will do quite a lot Of talk
ing with his mouth shut.
He discouraged oil talk OF pen-
nants during tho off season while
he was waiting around New York
for the recing season to get a rum
ming start In Cuba; he avoided the
issue whenever expedient if n con.
versation OF the sort started in Ha-
vana and before he left TO meet hi,
players at the San Antonio rendez-
vous he confided TO a friend that
he meant to do the same among
his men.
Admits Fine Infield.
If pressed for an answer he will
admit that he has, perhaps. the
greatest infield in baseball with
George Kelly, Frank Frisch, Dave
Bancroft and Heinie Groh ranging
between the bags, and Johnny Raw
llngs, worlds series hero, available
Tor utility rolos. Furthermore, he
does not deem 1t necessary to enter
a strident objection IL reference Is
made to the fact that Phil Douglas,
Art Nehf, Jess Barnes and Fred
Toney constitute something of a
pitching staff. particularly with tho
addition of Virgil Barnes, who
pitched a not hit game for Milwau-
kee last year, and Claude Jonnard,
who came up from Little Rock late
In the 1921 campaign to fan seven
or the Phillies in three innings by
way OF making O major league
Nor does a pathetic tear we'll in
his eye at the thought that he must
pear up bravely with Frank Snyder.
Earl Smith and Alex CASTOR as
backstops. Somehow, John Just
cant make the rifle here, but he
VIII tell You that George Burns
leaves an aching void in center field
between Meusel and Young, al
though 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 McGraw reticence.
There is such a thing az U]inning
the pennant in March and losing il
In September and John ppear 20
know It.