The Washington times., 1930-06-21
GRIFF GAINS
BY TRADES,
BABE SAYS
BY BABE RUTH

y
NEW YORK CITY, June 21.-A
lot Of people seem to think I have
a pretty good chance Of setting a
new home run record this season.
Personally, / hardly expect to. To
beat that mark of so would have
to have about all the breaks there
are. Sixty home runs year you
know is an average of about one
homer every two and a half games,
and that's quite mark.
There are other records that
I'm more interested in than the
home run mark right now. One OF
them is scoring runs. Thus far this
season I've scored enough runs to
put me we'll on the way to a new
record and if pitchers continue
to give me bases on balls every
other time I'm up I'll break the
scoring record. You know there's
one thing I don't believe in and
that's the intentional pass
OSNSSSAOAAS
now and then when it's good
strategy to pass a man, but
when they give out bases on
balls like they have to me this
spring it's a laugh. All you
have to do is look at the rec
ord to see what happens.
over in Cleveland last week,
for Instance, / was given inten-
tional passes five time in two
games, and on each of those five
times scored runs. Just why /
should be favored with an inten-
tional pass is more than i can
understand. Particularly when
there are two hitters like Tony
Lazzeri and Lou Gehrig coming
I'D after me. Either one Of those
two is just as liable to break up
o ball game as / am.
But I'm drifting away from
my subject. AS I remarked be-
fore, I am not figuring cry
strongly on breaking the home
run record. But there are Two
marks I think I'll beat. One Of
them is for scoring runs and the
other is for bases on balls. And
wouldn't be surprised to see
Lou Gehrig smash the old record
for runs driven in that he estab-
lished in 1927. Lou is the most
improved hitter in the league. this
year. After a bad season last
year, he has come right back
strong and is playing the sort of
ball that he played in 1927, when
he was judged the most valuable
player in the league.
The sudden rise of the Yam
KEGS is due to a good extent to
Lou an his hitting. And as
long as he continues to
pound the ball we'll be up
there in the running.
Speaking Of the pennant race, 1
was a little surprised that there
weren't more last minute deals
than were announced. Usually
when there are eight or nine clubs
in the fight in the two leagues
you can expect plenty Of deals,
but it looks as if Clark Griffith |
was the only one who was able
to put anything over. Clark did
mighty well. In getting Manush
and Crowder for Goose Goslin
figure Griff made one of the
smartest trades of the season
Manush and Crowder will just
about make that Washington club
and the two of them will more
than make up for the loss of
the hard-hitting Goose.
Looks like the pennant races
from now on would be a dog
fight ali the way. -Four clubs in
the American League have
chance-and any one of the four
can win with the breaks.
Right now the Brooklyn Dodg-
ers have good long lead in the
National League, but they're not
in by a long shot. The way
things are sizing up in that
league right now, it wouldn't sur.
prise me to see the Giants come
from behind to win the pennant.
It's cinch John McGraw has
the best team in the league on
paper, at least-and I wouldn't
be surprised to see them show
the same real class right out
there on the ball field.
Copyright, 1880, by the Christy walsh