Show GIANTS AND ATHLETICS j NO LONGER SURE WINNERS Cubs and Pirates Within Hoping Hop Hop- Hoping ing Distance Senators Have Good Chance I BY HUGH S. S FULLERTON LERTON Events of ot the last week have altered the tho complexion of tho the major league races to a L remarkable degree degroe The Giants have hare shown their weak spots Suffering from Crom a little hard l luck for forthe forthe the first time this season the Giants have shown that they are not nearly as strong as their admirers have thoughts thought I them Chance who has made a a. success cf ot his efforts to build a new team while the season was In progress has pulled up to within hoping distance and for tor forthe the tile first time this year the Cubs look lookas as If It they had a 0 chance Chicagoans however ought not to 10 o encourage an any pennant hopes Chance has lias patched 1 up the old machine and ond Til 7 making a gallant and desperate effort to haul down tho tile leaders New Now York is not a strong team Indeed it is a a. team that would not have been two one-two with Pittsburgh or Chicago as strong as th they were three four or five lve years ears ago They have revealed the fact tact that the they can he bo beaten and they took an awful slump on the road But they will go home soon soon and and on the Polo grounds ground l McGraw has an immense advantage The slump of ot the Giants may be bo only a a. temporary one but faut the spurt of ot tho thu Cubs Is real The rho team although sOIl erratic and likely to explode is much s stronger ongel just now no nothan than It has been this year ear If It you ou give ghe a a. man an Ice pick he lie can cut a lot Jot of ice ice but without It it how good he may be be he will Hl have his troubles getting off ott the chips Chance has lias been working almost without pitchers pitcher all year year year-In In ln tho the sense of having men he could figure upon and depend 1 upon Now he has four tour in lu lufair fair shape and althou although h his pitching staff is not what It was It is much better than at any time this tIllS year year- and antl the team Is 18 likely to press the Giant hard before they are beaten I still figure the tile Gl Giants to win rather handily but they will have more trouble In winning winning win win- ning than the they figured u on on and If It the us L J C u ji J vt enough one or the other may lead them at the finish I J hard Hurd l The American league presents an nn even en more surprising ing problem Pr Practically c- c in iii baseball conceded everyone e the pennant to the Athletics this year although giving Boston a good chance Boston had a much better outfield and a rather classy Infield Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadel Philadel- phia beat them in Infielders and It looked as if it the worlds world's champions had at least twenty per cent the better of or But the Athletic Athletic Ath Ath- the pitching argument arg letic pitchers have failed to come around and Just at the tile time when they ought to be pressing forward they have bOen been slipping up on a a lot of games sames that should be easy Then In the crisis Mack got rid of C Cy Morgan lorgan one of or the the four tour veterans who have carried team for tor the last three years Morgan always has been wild but his release Indicates that success has affected the champions much more than outsiders thought It U would 1 The team Is not playing the tile ball bail It should play The Infield Infield In- In field is showing at last what 1 I have i argue argued 1 In vain ain for several years that Eddie Collins is not nearly nearl the player that Barry Barn Is and that his wonderful work ork o of two years ago was over oer his speed Collins two years ago won at nt individual darIng daring dar liar least thirty games ames by bp his ing and speed This year ear he ne has woner won Individual work and has er very few tew by his made a lot of or blunders On top of oC that come rumors that Mack MackIs Is willing yes willing-yes yes es anxious anxious to anxious to make mako trades i which of oC itself is an Indication that all allIs allis Is not well In the ranks of the time cham chain Just what the tho trouble or discontent discontent discontent discon discon- tent Is Is I do not kno know but It is evident that the champions miss Harry tarry Davis Da lots lota more than the they figured they would Davis Dals was a great al aid 1 to Mack In handling handling han ban dUng men and keeping them contented and working well welt notice that every successful successful suc sue Did you rou ever eyer manager has been one lucky I enough to have ha a smoother over some I fellow popular with all aU the tile players who vrho can go around and explain misunderstandings standings correct grievances s and act as go between It is true truc Hughie Hughle Jennings Jennings Jen Jen- had Schaefer Chance has haa had Mathewson Brown McGraw has had Mack tack had Davis and Davis and so through all the lines Ball pla players ers are aro not more quarrelsome quarrelsome or unreasonable than other men save In th the heat of battle but always there are arc little clashes and misunderstandings misunderstandings standings s that must be cleared away for all aU the tho men to work together for tIle the best Interests of the team These lieutenants lIeutenants lieutenants lieu lieu- tenants are almost as 38 vital Hal to the success suc UC- UC themselves them them- the managers ers cess o of clubs as selves arc are and not a little of ot the success of ot Griffith and Callahan this season Is Germany Schaefer and Kit KU lime due to Gleason sk Jc c c What if It Washington should win The thought is startling yet et Griffith Just remarkably 1 good chance to now has 1118 a grab srab the American lea league e pennant 1 figuring figuring- the tIle other da day Supposing Supposing- was Johnson f tIe IU to tn u use e u inai limaL in inv vu v w wand and Groom 11 and anI Hughes and wins In Just a shade over per cent of or the remaining remaining remain remain- ing games That would bring his hs team up inS close to the time mark Philadelphia which is the team that ought to win the pennant on form Corm Is IR back now so that the tho will wl have hae to win about per cent of their remaining games to bring them up to Boston is certain tam tan tain to lose In percentage as the pitchIng pitch pitch- Ing ng staff starr is not strong strom enough to hold hotd tho the team near the marlc mark In fact their present status I r even c figuring on C cannot see how Boston can cn possibly finIsh finish finish fin fin- That would ish above at nt the best bring the three tan s str tr very elo close e together brIng er at the finish and a wl week ek or two of ot good or bad luck one wa way or the other would decide It It lic Many Chun prow In N. N It seems to me that the two major I In the last greatly leagues have havo changed chang greaty five years and that the American is now no in tho the condition tho tile National was five The Tho American Amen Ameri vice ice years ears ago and versa Amer- Amer can has been developing a few stron strong clubs that outclass the others The National National Na Na- lonal has been building up the weak clubs while tho tIle strong ones have been ben o. o going cubs oln back Five years n ago noro one ona said sall Chicago PI Pittsburgh New cw York York York Ind and the r st were wro hopeless s Now Noi the time American Amer Anier- lean ican ha has two hO hopeless holess clubs to carry along and the tho worst t of or It I Is that tho the weakest and most hopeless Is in New NewYork NewYork York where the bl big mone money comes from It looks as t f f time tho American league will wl I have to come to the tho aid of or New York and revive re the tIme team In some wn way President Pres Pres- ident Johnson anti and Charlie visited there thero last w week k evidently c lookIng looking look took ing Ing for a chance chanco to build UP the the Highlanders High High- landers wa was willing to mako a trade to get Chase but bitt New York wanted too much The fact tact that Chase no longer Is valuable to them do doss does s not seem to be he considered erld h by the Highlander managers ThA Thou f figure his value on what lio lii hI would be worth to another club while the other clubs want to trade on th the basis sh that ho he no longer la is worth l on Oil the tho hilltop Naturally It I Is difficult for tOI t to agree upon terms terras Copyright 1912 1 by Jm Joseph B. B Bowles |