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Show George Hildebrancl, Erstwhile 1 Pitcher, Figures Jennings' Team Hoodo6ed. By JACK VEIOCK. International News Sporting Editor NEW YORK, May 21. What's the troublo with the Detroit Tigers? It has been ten years since Hughoy Jennings' Bengals have captured a gonfalon in the Junior league, though in all that time they have seldom failed to look like sure pennant contenders con-tenders In the spring, only to flivver when the pennant race settled down to a steady trot. The oxpertlng persons have beon harping about poor pitching when trying try-ing to explain the failures of tho Tigers until the old excuse is threadbare thread-bare And while It is a fact that pitching pitch-ing amounts to some CO per cent of the strongth of a winning ball club, and that tho Tigers have often suffered from lack of good twirling, there, must be something else wrong. Umpire G,oorge Hildebraud, who was an uncommonly good pitcher .n his playing days, says that the Tiger? are Just plain unlucky. "That's tho only way I can account for the failure of Jonnings ' team to make a better showing." said the umps recently. "Thoy talk about tho Yankee jinx. Well, mebbe the Yanks have been followed by a hoodoo. But what about tho Tigers? Haven't they been a consistently goou-looklng ball club every spring? And haven't they flunked out just as consistently? They sure have. They're naturally unlucky that's all, and when a club Is in a losing los-ing streak the breaks are bound to go against it. "I've worked with the Tiger pitchers in action this season and I can say that I've Been them uncover a lot of stuff. But even a pitcher has to get some of tho breaks, you know. "One thing sure, I'vo got to hand it to the Detroit fans. Regardless of Detroit's De-troit's long losing strenk, tho fans stuck to tho team. I havo never seen such a demonstration of loyalty and good sportsmanship. I think it Is the biggest ad Detroit has had In years." For a number of years it has been whispered that tho owners of tho Detroit De-troit club would change managers unless un-less the Tigers got Into the money. But just as often President Navln and his associates have repudiated the chatter of tho rumor mongers by signing sign-ing Jennings for another Reason. The veteran Kughoy may not be a -whizz at finding and developing young pitchers, but there are other managers who have dono no bettor than Jennings In this respect, using the bank roll to bolster their pitching staffs. Regardless of Detroit's poor showing a majority of tho more conservative critics are agreed thai, tiu TAara mq 1 far from tho worst club in the Amerl- Ican league, and there are plenty or people who will wager real money that tv aa.va. cla ;nnt, finish lasUL 4 |