The Washington times., 1930-06-19
MUCH PRAISE
Due PECK,
BABESAYS
BY BABE RUTH


NEW YORK, June 19.-Big
league games of the last two
weeks have found two new pen
nant threats-one in the Amer
scan League and the other in
the National. I refer to the
Cleveland Indians and the New
York Giants, both Of whom have
been coming fast and seem TO
have hit a stride that will be
hard to match if they hold it
co the end of the season.
OF the two clubs con. der the
Giants as more likely pennant
winners. For two reasons: In
The first place, / don't believe
Che Giants competitio- Is quite
so strong as that the Indians
must face, and in the second
place the Giants size up as just
q bit better-balanced and more
powerful. Before the season
opened picked the Cubs and
Pirates to fight it out for the
National League pennant.
Since that time injuries
have come near wrecking
= both cIubs-and the Giants,
II by making q couple or
mighty good trades, have
lifted themselves right into
the : ranks of favored con-
tenders.
Grabbing off Hughey Critz for
second base gives John McGraW
one of the best infields in the
business. You'll travel far and
wide before you find q better
defensive than Terry, Critz. Jack
son and Lindstrom-and three OF
The four can hammer that OLD
apple, too. :,
Frankly, I wouldn't be at all
surprised to see the Giants climb
right along into first place--and
once they're in there, you'll have
q mighty tough time getting them
out again. The Cubs, shattered
and broken by injury, and the
Pirates working under much the
same difficulties, certainly can't
be counted on for any long win
ming streaks. And II it comes TO
a show down between the two
clubs. I believe the Giants are
a bit too powerful for our Dodgef
friends from across the big bridge.
Now a word about the Indians.
Here's a club that has good
pitching and a fair punch. plus
a fighting spirit that was never
excelled, Roger Peckinpaugh In
his quiet way has done wonders
with that Cleveland club ana
when it comes to hannng OUT
bouquets, you've got to give
Roger the roses, the orchids and
all the rest Of the best blossoms.
ON paper the Indians don't
figure better than third or
fourth. On the bali field
they're about as good as any
that come along, and it's on
the field that ball games are
won and lost.
The road trip of the Eastern
clubs has worked out just as l
ficIred. The Griffmen have
cracked q bit under the strain
and are playing at little nearer
their normal pace right now:
walter johnson has the sort OF
club that can spread eagle tne
field and I think he reaalized u,
even when the club was going at
top speed.
power throughout the trip as
syeryone figured they would. Con-
ME Mack's club isn't as strong
this year as it was last. The
pitching isn't as good, and ln1u-
T,ies have taken their toll, too
but Just the same it's the club
that you have to beat when you
start talking pennant. and beat
Ing the AS isn't easy now or ever.
AS for the Yankees well, we're
Hust fair, it seems. Bad pitching
has handicapped us all season
and it looks as if it would coI1-
tinue to handicap us to the finish.
Aside from the pitching
mound, I think we have as
good, and as well-balanCed .
bali club rs there is in either
league. But thus far, at least,
we have had to make seven
or eight runs to win ban
! game-and there's no team
in the world can step out
and score that many runs
regularly.
I haven't given up hope for the
The Yankees as yet-and won't
but more and more the AS and
the Indians come up as mighty
worthy foemen with whom you
can't take any liberties. And
don't forget, either. the Giants
are going to make things hum
in that National League from
now on.
copyright, 1880, by The Christy
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