The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-01-16

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Senators finishing higher than til
Clark Griffith, president, and
Bucky Harris, manager of the Sen.
ators. have completed their rebuild
ing for the approaching campaign
and do not appear to have added
much strength. Therefore they
win have to make q bid for the
championship with about the same
team they had last year. That rs,
assuming that Walter Johnson IS
with them. If he is not the club
viii be considerably weaker
1t may be said that the Senators
were really not strong enough to
win last season, but were acct
dental champions. Injuries to De-
troit players and the failure Of the
Tigers to have suitable substitutes
in the crisis really gave the Sena-
dents cannot be relied upon to see
them through another year.
Although it il still about three
months before the season gets
under way and many changes in
the various teams may Stil be
made, the keenest baseball an
alysts are thus early picking the
Tigers to win.
Writers and other experts all over
the country have thus early named
Detroit as the probable winner next
season. They believe that with the
addition Of Travenor and Neun to
the infield and Carlyle to the out
field the Tigers have strengthened
the Yankees and until set of mis-
fortunes hit the Tigers late in the
season Ty Cobb headed the best
team in the league.
Manager Cobb, himself. makes
no pennant claims, following his
usual custom, but he expresses him
self as being well satisfied with
his club. It is others who are ex-
pressing confidence in the Detroit
entry.
1t will be interesting to note what
effect the Senator'S failure will have
On the attitude Of Washington fans
II they do fail to come through
next season. Attendance was not
good In the Capital until the Sena-
tors got into the pennant fight and
even then it was smaller than most
other cities would have supplied a
team battling for the flag. Wash
I ington had been disappointed so
many times in the last twenty
years that people there were be-
ginning to lose heart.
There is considerable speculation
now as to whether the fans in the
heart Of the nation will ever again
be willing to support anything
AZ
Having once tasted the blood il
may be that the appetite of The
fans in Washington cannot be
appeaSed with anything short of q
! pennant.
! Every club in the league is inter.
ested in building up good patronage
In Washington for they all must
play there. OF course the patronage
will be improved the coming year as
a result of the team being the cham.
pion of the world, but if the club
begins to slip early 1t is feared it
win drop off again.
Detroit is sitting pretty for The
attendance could not be much bet
ter If the fans Were assured in ad-
vance that the Tigers would WIN
the pennant. So long as the Tigers
can stay in the first division they
will draw well, but this is not trIe
of many towns.
1t has sometimes proved a calam
ity in disguise for a weak team TO
win a pennant luckily for it's failure
to repeat set the club far back in
the esteem of the public and caused
loss of patronage
1t is to be hoped that this will not
be the case In Washington. Having
waited twenty years for one pennant
the people should be content to wait
a few seasons for another.