Evening star., 1925-04-13

) lie BOOQ ola second guess Will come
on or about October l.
I have seen most of the teams in
training this Spring; added strength
here and there has been carefully
weighed; past performances have
been considered and on all these
things my prediction is based.
American League Race.
Tar different from the outlook in
the American League in 1924 are the
prospects for 1925. Then 1t was an
open race, seven clubs fighting 10
have chance. for the peRnant. Two
or three appeared more dangerous
than the others, but there was no
chance of a runaway.
Out of the hurly burly came tbs
Washington Nationals to their sensa-
tional triumph over the Yankees and
the Detroit Tigers. Their victory
and the improvement made in their
combination this Spring point 10
them as contenders again this year.
The known strength of the Yankees
and the Tigers also make them
contenders. But there the competi-
tion for the American League PEN
nant probably will stop.
There should not be last years
open race. The St. Louis Browns, the
Chicago White Sox and the Cleve-
land Indians ought to comprise a
: second flight of clubs striving for
the honor of fourth place, while
there appears little chance for the
Philadelphia Athletics and the Bos-
ton Red Sox to do better than the
tail of the second division.
Why Detroit Is Picked.
OF the three teams named in the
first fight. 1 believe that the Detroit
team has the best chance OF winning
over the Yankees and the Nationals.
Among the three clubs there IS little
to choose, however, AMI the race
should be one of the closest IN years.
The dope" in favor of the Tigers
is that they have the same offensive
punch they showed last year in run
ming first in team batting, an fru-
proved fielding in 1924 and an i'm
proved pitching staff
Their pitchers rate generally
younger than those OF the Yankees
and the Nationals and they should
be able to stand the wear and tear
of hard campaign better. They
have three left-handers in Whitehiii,
r Wells and Leonard, who rank higher
than any three on any other team
In the league, and a quartet of able
right-handers to back them up.
The Tigers scored more runs than
any other team in 1924, made the
stealing, showing that there is speed
to back up the hitting. They lost
many games last season through
weakness in the infield, which has
been cured-in fact, which was cured
toward the close of the 1924 race.
To beat the Tigers and the Ma
tionals the Yankees must have fine
pitching all the time, must have Ruth
hitting the ball as hard as he did
last season and must have no weak
ening in the infield defense.
do not believe the New York
pitching staff is strong enough in
numbers to be as effective over 154
games as the Tigers or the Nation
ais, and If Scott should fail to cover
the ground at shortsop that he did
last season the pitching will have
further burden to carry.
As to the Champions.
The Nationals have added pitching
strength this year, but it comes from
three veterans discarded by other
teams Whether they will hold up
is a question of vital Importance.
Granted that they win 90 games
among them-that is, Reuther, Cove
Ieskie and Gregg-it would be easy
TO figure that IL the other Washing
ton pitchers do as we'll as they did
in the last campaign the Nationals
should repeat.
But Walter johnson will hardly
continue his meteoric success, nor
do Mogridge and Zachary dope" to
repeat The Nationals have as good
fielding defense as any team in
the circuit, but they haven't the hit
ting power of the Tigers, the Cleve-
land Indians or the st. Louis Browns.
nor the long-hitting power OF the
Yankees.
Almost all of their games promise
10 be close scoring and low-scoring af-
fairs, a terrific strain to put on any
team two years IN succession.
Summing up the case between the
three leading contenders, 1t is my be-
lief that the team which can beat
the other two will be the winners
in October. Last year we find that
the Nationals won 65 games from the
ST. Louis, Chicago. Cleveland. Phila-
: 'delphia and Boston clubs. The Yam
KEGS won II games from the same
quintet and Detroit won 6o.
The Nationals won their flag by
being able to beat the Yankees IS
games out of %, and the Tigers IS
out of 81. That. 1t appears to me,
can be the situation again. The best
team in the three-cornered series of
the leaders ought to triumph.
st. Louis May Be Dangerous.
i d
come to the front and upset things
as the Senators did last year, l be-
lieve the ST. Louis Browns have the
best chance OF the three clubs which
dope" to fight it out for the fourth,
fifth and sixth places.
George Sisler has his array of vet
Grams in line, a hard hitting and
strong fielding combinations; and the
pitching, long the weak spot of the
organization, has been bolstered.
Sisler himself has improved over
last year. and II he gets his batting
form of 1922 there is no telling how
far he can go. However, / do not
believe the Browns have quite enough
good pitching to put them in the
class of the three leaders.
The Chicago White Sox, with new
manager, Eddie Collins, seem to be
destined to far better things than In
1924 when they sank to the bottom.
As the prize fight manager says when
his boxer puts up an Indifferent tight:
I'VE can throw that one out.
The White Sox weren't right last
year They lost their manager, Frank
Chance, and while Johnny Evers
worked heroically. injuries to his
pitchers, the collapse of his shortstop
: and the injuries to his star catcher
kept the team down in the race.
There's different spirit this Spring.