OCR Text |
Show MANAGER M'GRAW IS VERY CONSERVATIVE Not Willing to Make Any Statement as to Final Standing of Giants. "It Is too risky a thing to pick a four consecutive-time winner of a pennant pen-nant to repeat again," said Manager J. J. MeGraw of the New York fiiants to a representative of the Christian Science Monitor. "For that reason I shall decline to make any statement relative to the final standing of the Giants, although I will say that the club is as strong, if not stronger than last year." This is the conservative stand taken by Manager MeGraw and it is well warranted. There are too many things that might crop out in a team which has won four straight pennants, chiefly among these is overconlidence. Overconlidence in a team is nearly as detrimental as underconfitlence for it makes the team play listless. However, How-ever, with the leadership of MeGraw as the biggest obstacle to overconrt-dence overconrt-dence that one can think of, the Giants look as though they might repeat for a record for all time. "There Is one big reason why I might consider the Giants stronger this year," said MeGraw, "and that is the extremely fine showing of our right-handed pitchers. Our strongest opponent will probably be Pittsburgh, but we cannot underestimate any of the clubs. It does not pay. Underestimation Under-estimation of otlier clubs gives over-confidence over-confidence the chance to creep in, just as well as overestimation of one's own team's ability. "I will continue the shifting of G. L. Kelly and William Terry 'from the outfield to first base, according to the pitching we face this year. Terry hit for only about .239 last season, but I expect him to improve tremendously. The veteran pitchers, A. N. Nelif and J. N. Bentley are fully as effective as a year ago." |