The Washington times., 1923-10-06

gave Us a fight all the way in
the Indians for the pennant with
Another thing. teams react diff
ferently to the world series pres
sure. We saw the Cubs in 1907
win the pennant by such a grea'
margin that they carefully groomet
themselves for the series with tht
Tigers. who batt1ed down . to the
last couple of days Of the American
League season before clinehing the
pennant.
The Cubs, free from strain. and
able to observe the Tigers won con.
vincingly. The Athletics of 1911
had a chance to groom themselves
for the fight with the Giants and
won a bitter fight.
We watched with admiration the
young and inspired Athletics OF
1910 dispose of the once invinctble
Chicago Cubs, and four years later
saw the same Athletics overwhelm-
ed by the hysterical Boston Braves.
In 1923-Quien Sabe?
When championship teams meet
I'm q short dash the club that gets
off on the right foot, with racing
luck, as they say, will win. Good
teams viii make their luck, but
the tools after all, are in the
hands Of Fate in this annual
classic Of autumn baseball.
don't want to get ahead Of my
story and make any predictions
that win come later and just be-
fore the charge is sounded. But
IL my ball club gets . fair share
Of baseball luck, we viii lick the
Giants. III we fail to get a fair
break, our task will be that much
harder.
Now, let us consider what q
baseball break. A break is often
times brilliant play that failed.
or a dub play that succeeded when
By all rules OF fortune it should
have failed. Sometimes fielder
win leap into space and blindly.
desperately and almost without
hope, fling up his glove and make
startling catch. Sometimes q
dribbling grounder will roll off a
pitchers glove just where none Of
the infilders can get to 1t, and viii
turn the entire complexion Of q
bah game.
Again, q well conceived and bril-
nanfly executed play will go through
by hair and stop a rally. There
was that play pulled by wallie
Schang in the series of 10 against
the Giants. With Jack Murray on
third and Wilbur Cooper on first,
o. k1ssA
Schang bluffed Murray back to
third, and then threw to Collins
getting Cooper by shade. Cooper
was a flash, but Schang's play
got him.
But suppose that fraction OF g.
second in bluffing throw to Baker
caused Schang to throw poorly.
Then the Giants would have had
men on second and third with one
out.
In the 1916 series, with the
Brooklyn Robins and Red Sox,
Jake Daubert came to bat in the
last inning of the first game with
three on base and the sacks load
ed. Daubert hit the ball past
Gardner for what looked Iike a base
hit, but Scott was over there and
delded the ball, retiring Daubert.
winning the game, and breaking
the hearts OF the Brooklyn players.
Had that hit of Daubert's been
safe the Robins might have won
the game. don't say they would
have won, but 1T would have given
them heart. SCOTS play was won
derful, but how often can a short
stop get away over near the third
baseman and get a ball?
Two more breaks of history.
There WAS the nluff of SnOdgrass
tn the 1912 series with Boston,
and what to baseball men was
the moro inexcusabIe failure Of
Fred Merkle to catch an easy
foul fly off the bat Of Iris
Speaker, which fell in the first
base cOacher's box. On the next
ban pitched Speaker singled and
drove home the tieisig run, and
Ycrlkes raced to third, ultimately
scoring the winning run.
Let us come a bit closer to home
and review some OF the breaks Of
the 1921 series with the Yankees
and Giants. We were on the road
to victory, but errors by Ward and
PeSk along with bad plays by
Elmer Miller and Fewster helped
the Giants. Toney twice was batted
cat OF the box, but the Yankee
pitchers could not win. Last year
the Yankees did not plav good base
ba1l. So much for breaks.
Every year a great deal is writ
ten OF tn eworld series mental
hazard. To be sure, there is a
strain in playing for a big stake,
aIlA stress of circumstances brings
% the surface qualities which other
wise might never be discovered. To
some the strain is a stimulant, to
others q deterrent.
For instance nlaver Of the
Robe type who hit 1853 through the
season 1906, hit 1913 in the series
with the Cubs and be a hero, was
due to the fact that in the series
be lust went good. Ty Cobb. in my
judgment one of the greatest bal
players in all time never really
stood out In the big battle. Cobt
never lost his nerve. Hans Wagner
failed to startle the natives will
bis work in the series with Boston
IN 1903. hitting only PA. In 191!
Il -