The Washington times., 1929-05-03

New York Yankees in partic
to know about the immediate
The telling may be done in
somewhat mournful numbers, for
the Yanks are headed into the land
that yielded them their last two
pennants and now may rise up to
deny them a third. The western
end of the American League no
longer is mere kick in the
pantry for the club that seeks a
league record with four consecutive
victories.
Frankly, they don't figure to get
it. Regardless of what happened
in the Yankee-Athletics meetings Of
1928, the Yanks really won their
last two pennants in the West. Ii
they are to lose this one, / think
that is where they will do it.
Few clubs ever won a pennant
unless they could show a winning
percentage on the road, fact that
makes these intersectional meet
ings what they are.
The Vests tour of the Ma
tiOnal League, therefore, is a
most significant one, since the
Chicago Cubs, hot choice for
the pennant this year, couldn't
beat anything except a retreat
in this section during the last
two seasons.
If failure on the road licked
the Cubs in 1927 and 1928, success
against the West made the Yankees.
This was especially true of the
1927 season, in which the Yanks
towroped the field by August. They
might have won, anyhow, but it
was the 81 out of % victories they
gained over the st. Louis Browns,
the IL out Of % from Chicago and
the IA and IL decisions, respectively,
over the Tigers and Indians that
nnade the landslide possible.
In all, they won 81 games from
the West, making it necessary to
win only 80 from the East, for a
percentage of less than 500 here,
to be reasonable certain of the
pennant.
The Browns reformed in a manner
most sensational last year and
among other innovations, won 10 out
of % from the Yanks. But the Tigers,
Indians and White Sox still were
kicked around, more or less ad. lib.
and at random.
The day seems to be gone when
that can happen again. The Browns,
leading the American League today
with II out of their first IS, look
the part of real contender. They
aren't perfect but a club with that
kind of pitching can understudy
the part until such time as perfec-
ton comes along.
Detroit still has its hitting
and apparently an increased viii
to win. The Tigers are a bet
ter club, and you can go and
bet it that way.
The same with the Indians, whose
lack Of punch last year certainly
has been remedied to some extent
by the addition of Averill and Falk.
AS for the White Sox, it may be
that they are beginning to see some
thing for the first time since the
Black Sox tried to ascertain just
what made the pillow slip.
The West may not have the 1929
pennant winner in the American
League but it does hold the possi.
bility of boarding up lot of minor
grief for somebody. Personally, I
think that somebody is more likely
to be the Yankees than the Aths
Ietics, particularly on this trip. The
Yanks at the moment have only
one pitcher who is pitching and
exactly no hitters who are hitting,
which gives them a grand total
of 900.
They are drawing a breatner out
there today, as the West doesn't
take up the intersectional cudgel
until tomorrow. The National
League will have It's big day this
afternoon, weather willing.
The invading West should
find, as usual, only the Giants
capable of making a play
against it. The Braves don't
figure and, unless all calcula-
ti0ns are knOck-kneed, they
win be down with the Dodgers
and Phils before the invasion
is ended.
The intersectional games, there
fore, are tougher on the Giants
than they are on the visiting West.
For while the Giants must take
on each Western entry in success
sion, meaning that they are en-
broiled with a contender every day
OF the invasion, the three West
ern clubs that are not involved at
the time can proceed to fatten.
The Cubs couldn't do this last
year, especially in Philadelphia. If
they fail again. it can only mean
that they don't belong.
Golf Ball Racket
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