The Washington times., 1930-04-07
PICK MATS
TO FINISH
SEVENTH
BY DAVIS =. WALSH.

NEW YORK, April z QN.So ~
As far as anything can be certain
In this comical existence, the
Philadelphia Athletics are q swift,
ilnerring kick In the pantry to
win the American League PEN
nant in 1880. They know all the
answers: the rest of them don't
even know all the questions and
won't, until they get out there ia
the field and find out what they
have, If anything.
It is a dictate of custom, OF
course, to name a worlds cham
pion to repeat the next time out,
but the result of the last World
Series, shouldn't enter into this
and doesn't. The Athletics were
q somewhat unbalanced, 1mper-
feet ball club then. They are no
better now, but that is unimpor'
tant. The main point is that they
are no worse.
This should not be without
significance, considering the
fact that they won the PEN
nant by something like 1917
games, and that nobody In
the meantime has done any
thing to rectify the matter.
Therefore, If there is to be any
thing. savoring of a fight in the
American League this year, 1t
should devolve upon those teams
that are CALAMITY determined 20
finish second. I strongly suspect
that the club that ultimately
falls heir to this dubious honor
will not be the New York Yankees
peace to their ashes. However,
naming the club that will beat
them is strictly another tine on
the old family pianoforte. It
might be the Browns; it might
be the Indians. It might be
neither. Who knows? I'm not the
man I used to be, and never was,
so I won't attempt to tell you.
All can do is call them as l
think I see them, which is some
thing like the following:
/. Philadelphia; 2. New York;
3. Cleveland: 4. st. Louis; S. De
troit: 6. Chicago: z. washington;
A R0Sf0n
Like the Cubs in the National
League, only more so, the Athle-
tics have the pitching and the
hitting and can afford to let the
rest Of it run pretty much for
Mrs. Sweeney's husband. They
have a mediocre infield, defen-
sively, for a championship ball
club. But what of it? Have the
Yankees a championship infield,
with the uncertain Koenjg at
shortstop and a recruit on third
base? Have the Indians fool.
proof array with their untried
combination at second base? Are
the Browns above reproach in
this department and can the
Tigers get by with shortstoo
who wasn't good enough for the
Boston Red Sox?
The Athletics are not with
out their faults, but neither
are the rest of them, and,
unfortunately, the latter have
all too few of the champions
virtues. All the latter have
to do Is play about IS per
cent OF the baseball they
know and they will ride home
on the brOadclOth.
The Indians and Browns, for
instance, have advanced little be-
tween seasons. AS for the
Yankees, they have receded like
an old mans gum. The breakup
of their infield. the decline Of
their pitching and the death of
Higgins came simultaneously and
disastrously in the midst of a
reorganization. made necessary
by the natural deterioration of
an old champion that could 20
NO further. The trend here
should be downward. How far it
will take them. once they start
to go, hardly depends on the
Yankees at all. 1t depends largely
on how far the Browns or the
Indians or maybe the Tigers can
come forward.