OCR Text |
Show PBS im THE w'ld scramble now taking S in the American league, plaC!,i eight clubs have spent the ,.here all two months under erefru-Pt we have conducted b h,v poll. What teams are the (P mob rooting for, outside of hometown squads? The answer is the St Louis a"" CoMie MaCk S Ath These two le" .take the lace e Dodgers eld . rear or two , when they be-cme be-cme the National favorites. Now the Browns have taken ,beir place, with the Athletics, piloted by g, .year - old Con-ie Con-ie Mack, the sec-..j sec-..j annular choice. It's easy enough Grantland Rice t0 understand the pennant popularity of the Browns, ttey are the one team that has never won a pennant in the 44-year tistory of the American league. Clark Griffith's Chicago White Sox ,-on the 6rst A. L. pennant in 1900 and repeated in 1901. Connie Mack's Philadelphia team came along in 1902 Then we had Boston. But in the long march there is no mention of St. Louis. Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, New York, Cleveland, Detroit De-troit and Washington have won but not St. Louis, i Now the Browns have at least a ' chance. Handled by Luke Sewell, a jweli fellow and a good manager, one ot the old Alabama Sewells, the blasted and battered Browns of past years, the wrecks of more than four decades, have just as good a chance as any other club to give St. Louis a city series against the Cardinals, the class of the National league. Only a minor miracle will keep the Cardinals away from the top of the National league race. Chicago has had her Intercity world series. New York has had many such affairs. Now there's a chance that St. Louis will hook np with Chicago and New York in this respect. Always remembering that October is still a long way off. At least the Browns hare a team that Is as well balanced u any other club can show at this ! June date. Athletics' Strange Career Next to the Browns, we found most of the Interest built around baseball's most amazing manager Connie Mack. Connie Mack has ' been In baseball over 60 years. He has won nine American league pennants. pen-nants. He has had two of the greatest squads ever thrown together upon any Seld his Athletics from 1910 through 1914, who won four championshipsyou cham-pionshipsyou remember Collins, Mclnnis, Barry, Baker, Bender, Plank, Coombs, etc. In his career Connie has given tie game the four greatest lefthanders left-handers of all time Waddell, Plank, Pennock and Grove. But against Ms he has broken all records by Ashing in the cellar 14 times. From 1915 through 1921 Connie's staggering Athletics finished in the subway division. No other manager could have survived such a span of wreckage and disaster. Connie happened hap-pened to own a big part of his club. there was still his record as a winning manager and a great sportsman. It Is almost an unbelievable fact '"at a manager could win nine pennants pen-nants and a flock of world series games, and yet finish at the bottom through 14 years. His Athletics fin-JSW fin-JSW last in 1940. 1941, 1942 and The venerable Connie has bad the and the worst ball clubs that T' lnhabited a diamond. I doubt re was ev" a better combination 19u u teams from 1910 through the team that won four pen- ?an..,and three world S"ies. But in His Athletics set an all-time rec- Athi r Sing 117 Sames- Connie's have lost 100 or more 'JM nine times. This is a record ord th lncredibly bad. A rec- crrHiki aSau1st one that Is in-"raibly in-"raibly good. ol'Lanj !V6nt' there are miIlins tans who would like to see Mr. he LT ne more Pennant before wLd y d.eddes t0 retir This John 'm 0n even terms with S a". Wh0 remai"s " ner will . Wmning Pennant win- M r0m 'ft Tnke!S have had their Kerint u? 6 been toe over-"C?" over-"C?" force- "ot the C;;8'"' We'll add; Tote to this choice. Record for Closeness Crtt.Amer,can league closeness ..J new record for tem ' of the Yankee farm sys- h3Ve had close "b s a , eiss continued, or three i d,T ,Ved- Now we have dtP trom tM aU tor a team to or 1 tplace t0 sixth in a k eond CUnib tram sixth |