Evening star., 1924-10-06

WIN IT'S iiNd dS d IcSull VI tIdt SUI
terday in the second titanic struggI
spirit. but a do-and- ive-to-wear-yol
, greater heights than they ever befo
They were confident Of heir ability
to beat any pitcher McGraw sent in
against them.
Attitude Hns Changed.
Every National was ready to give
the Giants the battle of their lives.
The club that came to this big city
from Washington after yesterdays S
colorful combat in Clark Griffith
Stadium was an entirely different one
from the club that took the field
against the National League cham
pions Saturday to contest for the
most coveted base ball laurels in the
world.
Then the Nationals were nervous
lot, a bit shaken by stage fright. Now
they have fully recovered their noise,
and ought to perform here with the
machinelike precision that charac-
ter'Zed their play in the thick of the
American League pennant struggle.
That victory yesterday helped
greatly to put the Nationals on their
feet again, but they disclosed right
at the outset of the contest that their
menal attitude toward the business at
hand was more conducive to skilled
execution of plays than it was the
day before. There was none of the
hesitanCy that took the snap from
them Saturday.
NervOusn~sS Has Disappeared.
They had been under fire enough to
lose any tone of timidity. The vast
crowd. the fact they were playing
against a four-time league champion
and the general tenSeness of world
series conflict had the Nationals reel
ing Saturday. but all trace of un-
steadiness was gone in the second
tilt of the series. And probably the
Nationals morale will be high during
the remainder of the fight.
Right now there is not man on the
club who does not believe his club is
the superior of the Giants. The Ma
tionals have regained confidence in
themselves and are out to contest
every inch of ground.
A more enthusiastic lot of ball play
ers than were the Nationals on their
trip to New York last night could not
be found The atmosphere of the
three coaches allotted to the Harris
men in the pretentious base ball spe-
cial train was charged with the high
spirit of the new champions of the
American League.
They were somewhat uncertain
about the strength of the Giants Sat
urday. but now they are not. They
told themselves on the train last
night that the aggregation led by
John McGraw was not one to beat
them in this series, and they believed
what they were saying. They chat
ted about the two games now out OF
the way, discussed mistakes they had
made Saturday, considered how they
had erred mentally in some instances
yesterday But all criticism was con-
structive criticism. They think they
were good enough to have STAYED off
defeat in the series inaugural, given
q fair lot of the breaks of the game;
know they were better yesterday,
when victory was we'll earned, and
believe they will be at their best to-
day when the Polo Grounds are in
vaded.
Like all other professional athletes,
the ball player is somewhat super
stitious. He becomes set in the idea
that with certain influences working 6
he can't win, no matter how good his
playing. But he also has faith in other
beneficient influences which he really
has conceived in his own mind. They
may be meaningless to the uninitiated
scoffer, yet mean everything to the
player. And he begins to believe that
under some conditions or III some
places he cannot be downed.
Feel Town Is Lucky.
Whenever a ball player or any one
else develops such a winning COM
plex, he is difficult to check. And
when an entire team develops one, 1T
will take a deal of beating. Now
the Nationals believe this Zig city
is the one place they can put forth
their best efforts. There seems to
be something about New York that
makes them play super base ball. if
the occasion demands it. the men of
Bucky Harris coterie will tell you.
1t does seem the club has better
winning spirit here than in any other
city. Not even on their home field in
Washington were they able to pro-
duce the fine brand of base ball they
produced here on three occasions this
year.
The first time they encountered the
Yankees. at the stadium up in the
Bronx this season, they took two of
three games. They came back in
June to take four straight, and go
into first place in the Johnsonian cir
cult. And they returned in August
to take three of four games played
TO regain the lead, never again to lie
forced out of it altogether
That's hunch enough for even the
most mildly superstitious ball player.
Its not on the books for us to be
beaten here this year" any National
will tell you. I'VE have not lost a
series here in 1924, and we are not
going to begin losing now. The
Giants are no more to US than were
the Yankees. We are out to win, and
this is the best town for us to win
in
should Get Edge.
And there will be much to that
hunch if the Nationals hold to the
pace they set in their play yester-
day. Then they were keyed to a
high pitch and put a lot of fire into
every act. If they continue that
class of playing here they ought. to
take at least two. of the three
games at the Polo Grounds.
Right now the Nationals are
radiating optimism. They are not toe
cocky, but cocky enough to give any
ball club in this mans world 6
great battle, and they are absolutely
firm in their belief the Giants are
not good enough to upset them III
New York.
back up their cockiness with actor
on the field. too. The Nationals now
possess spirit-plus and some freuzieo
fighting may be expected in the
three day stay in this metropolis Of
the Nation.
BIG LEAGUERS WIN.
NEWARK. n. j., October Ga team
of American League players. com
nosed of Jameson and Burns o