The Washington times., 1928-02-03
FAV0RIT
HAVE LOST
ERE NOW
Ry Louis A. Dougher

depart southwark TO begin Lnelr
spring training on Monday, Febru-
airy 20, and already the fans are
beginning to show signs Of nervous
ness over the rapid approach OF
{ biz league hoatilities.
On every street corner, In many
back rooms, IN bowling alleys,
restaurants, drug stores and billiard
pariors may be heard the daily
question, what chance has WASH
inxton this year?'. The replies run
from the outline to the ridiculous,
from the most optimistic to the
most pessimistic. 4. .
IA man can tell today what the
final standings win be. The betting
frafernify has made the Yankees
7.lD favorftes. with washington, De.
froit and Philadelphia tied for sec
ora place III the wagering. Yet
fi,af represents only opinion, hacked
as ii may be BY experience ana
knowledge.
Tlha world champion New
York Yankees Mre rlghtlul
favorifes To wis the 1923 pen'
nnt. Nevertheless. other tnv-
e e,iss have been beaten, 10 The
nnla1ement IS the baseDnh
world.
prhe chicago cubs, for instance,
won the 1907 National League Title
with ease and then walked away
from Hu1hey Jennings DesrolI
Tirara ii the world series. Insy
were big favorites 70 repeat u 1Sv y:
vet ii took that untouched second
stunt 81. Fred Msrkls's &c 49,
away the honor from the ssla x. g
The Cubs were lucky g land tnal
The YANKEES won the 1927
nennaff BY b margin Of nineteen
rarnes. How they win finish this
vear must be seen. The Cubs OF
1906 won by twenty games, ana u
1N0r ~ seventeen games, vet I'D
a0S only that mental fluke q
Nerkle's. prevented the Giants rom
marching over the line IN first
- X 1911 the. Mackmen, Connie
Mack's marvellous machine, was
fvventy-five games better than 6os-
tor and fully forty better Ln1 ,l
washington. Then In single
season all that margin was plcKeQ
10. The Red Sox won the penn1nL
and Clark Griffith. celeDra Iis4g ~
first season - san se ~ INV
e IS IsII 10th Boaton and Wash
fnrfon Finished u the second
1fsi~inn. tlIe latter being Ear, Iar
behind. The As won the pennanh
r. 1910 BY I45k games and ~ e q
3, 1aIf Then they finished -
third place In 1912. trailing two
r4s,hs that hal been second division
OUTFITS the previous year.
Now. mark y0u, Connie Maek
l,ad the same team In l1Iz tnas
ne had I'm 1910. He Ind drOppea
3 player here ~ 400 one
Bit better in some ether place.
kTIt hia team was kept power
fnI and proved Il by winning
the flaf again b 1918.
Il few changes here and there
r,aAe the Red Sox Of 1912 q
r,acafne CAPABLE Of hanging up
winning record not surpassed until
1a2T when the Yankees turned the
trick. That was long jump, from
The second division to record
making flag-Winner. -
Clark Griffith broke up an OLD
team, added young blood and took
advantages Of the breaks 70
finish second in 1917. Don't IOr-
get those breaks, TOO II 10y
Morgan had not spralneo an an
late in the year. the Griffs might
have won their first pennant ~
1919. They were that close TO the
flying BED Sox when the breaks
,.ta,,t aeafhsf them.
Much can hapDen In six months.
There Il no certainty, for instance.
that Ruth won't suffer serious in
inv which would be heavy hapdi-
can To the Yankees. Or Gehrig's
.,Is.rosinees> might deprive the team
~ "a. sa~y,cse
er a.a ys,,l-ss ,;tch,nx staff il com
-.c+ "a nowerf1II hut who will
r,tarantee Shocker. HoyA and Moore
auother season a. good as last?
An nre.seaeon signs promise
,,,s,cb closer race than that OF 1877.
Tr,sst 4a.oaToA margin Il quite likely
-, ~. ait dowr nIenfv this wear.
I -. vsrL. hawen't Won the han.
- -
NF;nar Huvoins admits that
UasI,iaotan and PhiIadeIDI1ia
,@I,n,,I1 n,sSvide nIanty az onn0si-
e;nn h,,t - ,,,ar ! more united
nO41.sl "S ~ N As ..on"ynnag Red
CHys uV' go rs.-s-