Salt Lake Tribune | 1915-09-05 | Page 29 | Says American is Playing Best Ball

SAYS AMERICAN IS ' PLAYING BEST BALI Expert Says Facts Show That Younger League Has Superior Clubs. This is what one of (he basehaJl experts ex-perts said the other day: "No matter what team wins the American Ameri-can league pennant, that team will win the world series. It's a safe S to 1 bet i right now." When we asked the whys and wherefores of such an opinion, he continued: "The first division American league clubs are playing at leasi 2b per cent better baseball than the first four in the National. Look at the tables of stand- ; ings and you'll find the answer. "The Phillies for nearly a month held the leadership in the National league with a percentage of around .550. Several times during that month a team with a percentage of less than .500 broke into first division. "On the other hand, the clubs that have alternated In leading the American leagu' have had percentages that averaged .860 or better. That means the leading teams In the American are playing at least 100 i point? better than the National leaguers." "But may not that be the case merely because the eight National league teams are more evenly matched than the eight in the American?' he was asked. "That's not the case," came the answer. an-swer. "The American league, as a whole, is playing better baseball this year than ever before. The Athletics look like a joke outfit in comparison with the Red Sox, Tigers or White Sox. but I'll make a bet right now that they could go in and beat any one of the first four clubs in the National league," Perhaps the man is right and perhaps he's wrong. On paper the American league looks stronger right now than the National. But results on paper don't always al-ways Jibe with results on a ball field. A world series doesn't always end the way It's "doped out" to end by the experts. ex-perts. There ar frequent upsets startllnz reversals. The 1914 world series Is an excellent example. The Athletics went Into the series labeled "the Hass team." Ninety per cent of the experts picked them to win. Not one fan In every' million expected ex-pected what really happened that the Athletics not only lost the series, hut lost every one of the four games played, And so It may be in 1915. The contending contend-ing A meriran league club may go Into the world's series seeming to outclass the ' National league entry In every department depart-ment of the game. But that doesn't mean that 'he America n leaguers will have a walkaway. It doesn't even mean that they will win.