The Washington times., 1938-03-31

organ for the American League,
"Old Ironsides" assures me that
the National League loop, Of
which he is president, positively
will play its 154-game schedule
as planned.
"Old Ironsides," you see,
doesn't believe all those rumors
that have been going the rounds
about the American being the
only major league. Neither do I.
If he weren't standing on his
dignity in this unimportant con.
troversy, Prick might point out
that the National was a big
league when the American was
q pup, and that it wouldn't take
the longest memory in the world
to recall when Col. Jake Rup-
pert was all but doing hand
stands because the Yankees
had contrived to beat the
Giants just once in a World
Series.
A series, incidentally, that was
considered a terrific boon to the
newly formed American League,
the National being older, better
organized, and much more
firmly entrenched in every way.
It would bore me as much as
It would you to delve into the
gruesome statistics of those "a
years of series play. But just
taking our own Giants and
Yankees into consideration, for
purposes of illustration, the
Giants have won IL pennantS in
that period, the Yankees nine,
the Giants four world cham
pionships, the Yankees, six.
The two teams have met in
five World Series, with the Yanks
winning three and the Giants
two. One or the other had to
win the odd series, didn't it?
So, as Billy De Beck's famous
Snuffy Sniff would say:
whats all the furse about?"
YANKS STRONGEST
Only a chump would argue
that the Yankees aren't the
strongest team in baseball to-
day. They are. Hands down.
It would take the same Charley
Chump to contend that the
Giants weren't best in the early
2o's, or the Cardinals in the
early sos.
Much has been made of the
fact that the American League
has won four of the five All-Star
games played in recent years.
Playing as a unit, the weak
est teams in the two leagues
through those five years, let us
say the Phillies and Browns,
might well have won all five OF
them. They are interesting ex-
hibitions. But exhibitions.
It is not a knock at the AL.
Star contest to say that it would
be almost as conclusive to take
the results of spring training
games as a yardstick. They
don't mean anything, either.
Still, it was mildly amusing
to see the National League clubs
as a group boiling the ears of
the American Leaguers in the
Grapefruit League this spring
just as these articles dwelling
on the superiority of the A. L.
were appearing in print.
CONTRADICTIONS
As, for instance, the veteran
Waite Hoyt's contribution to
Brooklyn'S 15-2 victory over the
Detroit Tigers on the same day
yesterday that his article,
''Why the American League
Wins" hit the newsstands.
I'm q National Lacquer. I
began early in life to be a Cardi-
nal fan and later divided the
bulk of my baseball travelling
between the Dodgers of Wilbert
Robinson and the Giants Of John
McGraw-two right good men.
I might argue the rest Of my
born days with Col. Jay c. Flip
pen, of stage and radio, to say
nothing of Little Rock, Ark,
fame, to no avail. Colonel Flip
pen is an American Lacquer, his
fanaticism being further fired
by the presence of Little Rock
boy on the Yankees. I believe
it's one Of the catchers named
Dickey.
There Is a catcher named
Dickey on the Yankees, isn't
there? SO
UNCLE ROBBIE
Writing Uncle Robbie'S name
reminded me anew that the last
Of his regular Dover Hall cron-
les died at Brunswick, Ca. yes
terday, Col. Tininghast L'Hom-
medieu Huston.
OSOOOA AA4OWA1 W 1llo DcboCbcSA
friends as cap" Huston, the
former half owner of the Yam
KEGS was a scholarly gentleman
and soldier, who lived a full and
exciting life and was a true
friend and lover of baseball.
Charter member of the Bill
Mcclellan, Bozeman Bulger,
Wilbert Robinson Dover Hall
Club, n ear his Butler Island
plantation, the cap" never lost
his interest in baseball and re-
peatedly announced his inten-
ton of one day returning to the
game as an owner.
He waited too long. Perhaps
It's just as well. He wouldn't
have found it the same without
Robbie, Boze and the old gang.
Seventy-one is not . starting