New Britain herald., 1925-09-10
FATE AND BREAKS
 SHATTERED DREAMS
Connie Mack Had Hoped to Pilot
 First Place Team This Year
By The Associated Press.

| By The Associated Press.
 Philadelphia. Sept. 10.-Fate and the "breaks," in Connie Mack s opinion, have shattered his dream of piloting the Athletics this year back to the high places of baseball | and pennant glory that has been be- yond his reach for more than de- Cade.
 These two factors, he thinks, stepped in without warning when 1 the team was winging along at the top, battling neck and neck with the Washington Senators, to deal the Athletics series of stunning sctbacks and drop them from the heights to an almost hopeless posi- ton in the rear in the short space of three weeks.
 Faint Chance Yet
 Mathematically the race is not yet over and as long as there is the faintest trace of a chance, Mack will have his team fighting onward. But NNtD lllt ldCl lIIdI tHt ltplll lIlduS it two straight over Washington yesterday, gaining an even break on the series, leaves margin of seven games between the two clubs and Mack himself admits this is virtual ly insurmountable,
 In the face of this startling ad- | versity-one that has few major league parallcls-Mack does not re- peat the familiar refrain of the loser -"Wait until next year."
 "'rhis was our best chance" he say, T figured this as our year all 1 along. We had only one team to beat but we couldn't do 1t. Next year we will have four or five to contend with. Chicago, New York and Detroit all will he in the thick of the fight in 1926. My club will be strong again. hope, but it has lost Its biggest opportunity.
 "T thought we were on the high tide until things suddenly turned against us In the west. Our defense particularly around the infeld, fal tered bit and our pitching slump cd. These may seem the real cause, of our disastrous losing streak. But you, know. the breaks went asains us day after day. Where we hat been hitting in the pinch. VI knocked into double plays, once int even a triple play We lost three straight games to St. Louis by on' run at the start of our losing stretcl and dropped the last two. 10 Wash inCton on Labor Day by the sam margin. It just seemed that fat was against us.
 Gives No Alibts
 eve had our full strength on tn field all this time. too, so there ar no alihis on this score. We had ou handicaps, injuries and disappoint ments earlier In the season, but " surmounted them and kept arount the top. Perhaps with our ful strength earlier we would have don . even better but that is only guess
 Mack, generous in defeat, does no point the finger of blame at an particular individuals In reviewin his setbacks. His philosophy off sets his disappointments to larg extent but he cannot conceal tn fact that it has been a bitter bloy 10 one of the strongest ambitions 0 his long career.
 In the final analysis. the fat which Mack sees as a stumblin block really has taken the guise o Bucky Harris and his Senators. liar ris, piloting his great club to it second straight pennant at the az Of os, has thwarted the ambition of a man more than twice his age Mack, the tall. fatherly tacticiai ] who was winning pennants wher Harris was in knee pants and wh T