San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-04-12
New York Pitchers Per-
suade Foster They Give
Team Advantage.
PLACES BROWNS SIXTH
But Says There'lI Be No
Loafing and ANY Arrange
ment May Suit.
BY JOHN b. FOSTER.

Copyright, by The San Antonio Light.
Following is the second of two
articles in which Mr. Foster,
whose pre-eminence as baseball
authority is unquestioned. sums
up the chances and possibilities Of
the eight American League clubs
in 1923 in the light of exhaustive
inspections at the southern
training camps and discussion
with players and managers whose
confidence he holds to a remark
able degree.)
New York. April 12.-New York
seems today to have by an inch the
best chance of any team in the Amer
lean League TO win the championship
in 1923. Look the Yankees over cold
ly, trying not to be biased for what
they may have done and what they
may not have done, and you must
recognize the vital points of their
team strength. So closely, however,
are the teams of the American
League balanced by what has been
added to some of them and what one
of them seems TO have lost, that the
issue of the championship may be
fought to the last day as it was in
1922 and any one of four be so close
to the lead that it will have chance
to win the title.
If by any happening the present
champions are weakened BY injury or
by the loss of an important player IN
any other way. there are four and
perhaps five clubs which have a
chance to win.
Have Coed Pitchers.
The principal feature OF strength
in the New York team is it's pitchers.
This is an item which may be dis
counted within 60 days after the sea
son is actually on because it may be
proved as early as then that the pitch
ers of the New York team have
refrigerated. For the moment they
appear not TO have done so and thus
any estimate of presumable strength
is based on nothing more than the i'm
mediate showing of spring training.
Next to the merit of the New York
pitchers is the general strength of the
team in batting, which will probably
be established early. 1t is not likely
that the champions will lead their
league in batting and vet they have
enough good batters to carry them
successfully to a finish if their pitch
ers maintain the standard which they
are presumed to have by reason of
what they have done in the past.
Bear in mind that no positive pre-
diction is made that the Yanks will
win the championship again, but that
as theY stand now they seem to have
n nha ri
walls.
Contending teams will be Detroit,
Cleveland, st. Louis, Chicago. Pbill
delphia and, who knows. maybe WASH
ington. If the Senators should fight
their way into winning a majority of
the games with New York they would
go far toward preventing the Yanks
from winning their third pennant in
succession.
Sisler Trouble Crops Up.
The runner-up this year might have
been st. Louis il Sisler had been able
TO play. Leaning toward st. Louis in
whatever way seems possible, it is
simply out of the question to estimate
the strength of the team as sufficient
to carry it along in 1928 as it Travelled
in 1922 when it is without one of the
greatest ball players in the history
of the game.
If st. Louis is not likely to be the
runner-up in 1923, Detroit may be.
because it has the inspired Cobb. But
if Detroit has the inspiration of Cobb
why has Cleveland not the inspiration
of Speaker and what of the genius of
Kamm and Collins with the Chicagos.
Detroit is very strong in hitting.
For the moment it is taken for grant
ed the hitters will come through. Then
it is best to start with the idea that
Detroit is stronger in batting than
any of its western rivals and perhaps