The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-08-28
HARD TO CONNECT
 1923 GIANTS AS WORLDS CHAMPS
MCGraW Has Changed Club To Battle For Pennant
 This Year
Fly WEsTBRoOI1 PEGLER Heascd Ntlre to The Age-herald)

(Leascd NVlre to The Age-herald)
 NEW YORK, August Z. On d re- cent. triGuy a man turned hIs pack on the aggregate sum of $1,00G,OUO, represented by the intIeld of the New York Giants, while he phoned home a modest request that the steak-flsh be showed back on the range and Kept warm for hlm. Nrhe directors meet ing was about to go into extra in- nlngs.
 Returning to his chair behind the netting adjacent to home plate, he Was compelled to ask: Which side is hitting! Who is this Watson? Who's this Jackson? Pardon me, is this the Polo Grounds?'
 Now this man, whose name shall not be mentioned, as he comes from a very prominent family and does not wish to bring shame upon innocent members of his household, was even at that moment gazing upon the newer New York Giants. Detectives seized him, and in a short time he confessed that he hasn't been in the ball yard since the last worlds se- ries. afid had taken away a >mental roster of Giants whose names were as famous as soap.
 He recalled Art Nehf as a great right-hander who had won all his last F. starts against the Ptttsburg Pi- rates, Heinie Groh as an addict of
 
 Cunningham and Lucky Johnny Raw lings, as occasional heroes of quick feats afield which made him chew the shells and discard the peanuts in mo- mentary paralysis of his reason, Frank Snyder and Chatty Smith as catchers for the Giants-and so on.
 "Nehf," they jeered at him, "Nehf. A bust this year. The Pirates always murder him now"
 Noted Familiar Names.
 Early in the game he had noticed several rather familiar score card names, and the surroundings had been, on the whole, homelike, even though he hadn't been on the prem ises, except to watch the prize fights, since last fall. But while his back was turned on the Giants, John Mc- Graw crossed him by running in the little strangers. At shortstop he ob served an unfamiliar player, who looked like an so per cent discount from the regular valuation of a Giant shortstop, playing at that position. Heinie Groh and his bulbous bud geon, it was noticeable for the first time, were absent en masse from the events then in swift progress Npon the sward; that man upon the hill pitching for the worlds champions was like no man that anyone had been on the field or in the bull pen
 
 high, wide and handsome chunk of a lad in center field certainly wasn't Stengel, Cunningham, or even Ralph Shinners, who can always be identi- fled from distance by the far flung Y out-rigger, which is the most promi- nent nose in baseball:
 Not The Real Giants.
 No. these certainly were not the Giants who beat the Yankees in four games and benefit on this same un- improved city property last fall. That pitcher there was Watson, known as Mule Watson, acquired. it appears, at some time this season, from the Braves. Watson is his name, but it may take study of the young mans habits or intense scrutiny of his photograph to ascertain with what justice he calls himself by the name of mans best, if least ornamental beast of draft and burden. That strange character at the shortstop po- sition was Travis Jackson. one of the green spring things plucked by John McGraw as the Giants went through Arkansas on their training tour in April
 The ominous left-hander. gently steaming in the bull pen, was Jack Bentley. prominently mentioned sew eral times last spring because of his price--tag read $75,000. And in cen ter field that might be Jimmy O'Con- nell, who fetched a similar check. sight unseen. when the Giants ac- uuired him from San Francisco. or 1t might be one of the younger, less ex- pensive, players with whom McGraw has been gradually reinforcing his team this summer on the tried and established theory that the old stars inevitably to fade out.
 o O O
 Hank GOyvdy Behind Int.
 Behind the bat. recognizable bv the freckles on his neck, was Hank Gowdy. who, as everyone knows, was member of the Braves for many years. and nowhere to be seen or heard was Chatty Smith.
 Lucky Johnny Rawlings was miss ing. He had gone along to the Pi- rates unnoticed, during one of those unroarious moments this summer when America was trying to keep an eye on each of the 40 rings of the 40-ring athletic and sporting circus of the biggest season. ~
 McGraw, conceded another pennant by many voices ringing with au- thority early this year, had taken ad- vantage of this superiority to rebuild a champion engine while the thing was in motion. which is very much like trying to change tires in a speed way race without slowing down. The consequence has been loss of speed by the Giants. They have been all