The Washington times., 1930-09-13
WHOLE THING
IS PUZZLE
TOBABE
BY BABE RUTH

DETROIT, Mich, Sept. 13.
There are things that happen
right before our eyes on the ball
field and we can't explain them.
We have had one Of those puz-
zlers bothering our club all sea-
son and I'll have to admit that
I cannot figure it out. mean
the way the Washington club
has been picking on the Yam
KEGS. I have been asked at least
a hundred times this year what
is the matter with the New York
team when 1t plays the Griffs.
In twenty-five games we won only
five. .
There is no set answer to it.
It just happened that the Sen
ators were generally better than
we were on the days we played
them. They made lot Of runs
on days when we were hitting
fairly well, and they got good
enough pitching to top us on
most Of the days when our own
pitching was real good.
They beat us twice in one
series by 3-2, and in another
game they knocked one Of
our pitchers out of the box
after he led 100 with the
bases empty and two out In
the ninth. But we won tnaI
game.
This is my first experience
with a club that was so helpless
before another. The Red Sox
were not bothered that way dur
ing nv five seasons with them
and the Yankees took no such
punishment in my first 10 years
with them as they have hao 10
take from Washington TINS year.
what made the failure all the
more puzzling was our record
AGAINST the Browns. We 1ouno
the ST. Louis team rather easy
and the same Browns have gwen
the Senators all kinds Of trouble
this year. oro ,,o+
These baseball triangles are not
uncommon, but 1t isn't cSSen tnaC
a team, as high in the race as Ine
Yankees have been all season, Is
80 badly beaten by another team.
We need only one more Vlctory
over the AS to take twice as many
Games from the champions as we
Rave won all year from WaSnlng-
ton. -,-
Tn the National League, BROOK
lyn had an experience something
like ours, but by winning the laSC
three: games the Robins MADE
better record against the Cubs on
fhe seasons play than the Yam
kees have had against Washing
ton Brooklyn has beaten Pitts
bllrgh regularly this year and the
Cubs have only broken even with
fhe pirates, yet Chicago has been
Brooklyn's trouble all year.
There is another odd triangle IN
the National League but, unlike
the two I have mentioned, this
one does not show one OF the first
division teams taking so one-S1ded
a beating. This one concerns the
Cincinnati Reds, the Cubs and the
Cardinals. No other major league
club has been quite so helpless
this season as the Reds have been
against the Cardinals. And still
the Reds cannot get worse than
an even break in their seasons
series with the champion Cubs
Take a slant at these fig
ures. The Cardinals plaster
the Reds, 10 victories against
three, The Cardinals and
Cubs have broken even in 22
games. But the Reds have
beaten the Cubs II times and
lost only seven to Joe Nc
Carthy's team.
I often felt that a condition
like this was due to the fact that
one team went against another
feeling that it would lose. This
wear l found out that I was
wrong. We went into every
washington series figuring that
we would get the breaks and win.
we talked over the games in the
clubhouse and insisted that the
Griffs had been lucky to beat us
SO often. Then we went out and
usually lost again.
Bob Shawkey used to tell us
before we went into a game with
the Griffmen to play them just
the same as we played the AS
and other clubs. We tried to.
hut lust couldn't win. Next year
the Yankees may beat Washing.
ton, and the Cubs may have
picnic with the Reds. But for
this years records these teams
shape up as headaches. We call
'en1 lucky but when it's all over
we must admit that they played
a lot better ball and deserved to
win.
washington could go so well
against the Yankees and not so
well against clubs we beat quite
regularly Joe Mccarthy wonders
why the seventh-place Reds are
SO tough for his pennant chaSers.
It sure is. a puzzle!
(Copvrisht 1920. by the uhrstV
Walsh Ssndicatel
MOUNT ELEVEN DRILLS
r1Loo AFt poniar hovS' footha1l