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Show I SPORTLIGHT , A's Pennant Hope Is Thrown Away By GRANTLAND RICE 1 CONNIE MACK picked up his first pennant in 1902, just 48 years ago. Ho won his last flag in 1931, and 1950 was his dream year for his 10th pennant. Tr. was a dream 1 that so far has been shot full of holes. , Except for rabid I home - town team rooters almost ev- eryone was pulling for the tall and stately Mr. Mack to win this 10th flag and so pull up even when warm weather bakes out sore pitching arms and gives him at least a working staff. The Greatest Team The venerable Mr. Mack has two teams to contribute to the all-time argument of which are baseball's greatest teams. His two contributions contribu-tions are the Athletics of 1910-1914 and the Athletics of 1929, 1930, 1931. The other two selections belong to the Chicago Cubs of 1906-1910 and several Yankee outfits. The first great Athletic squad won four pennants and three world series in five years. The second won three pennants in a row and two world series. The main strength of Connie's earlier teams was his pitchers-Bender, pitchers-Bender, Coombs and Plank plus a brilliant infield, with Mo Innls, Collins, Barry and Baker. Grove, Cochrane and Simmons were his three top stars in the 1929-1931 group. The Yankee delegation of 1927-1928 1927-1928 was the most overpowering collection baseball has known on the attacking side. They had Ruth and Gehrig for two things. They had Earle Combs, another star. They had Bob Meusel. They had Pennock. They had plenty. The Yankees and Athletics have had the two best separate and distinct dis-tinct squads baseball has known. Mr. Mack banked on brilliant pitching Grove, Waddell, Pennock, Plank, Bender, Bush and Coombs among others. The Yankees relied largely on Ruth-Gehrig power, although they had their share of other important matters. What Is Timing? Stan Musial has said several times that the main idea in batting is timing. What we are now trying to locate is what timing actually is. Bobby Jones had timing tamed completely. Bob was a slow, even-paced even-paced swinger. Sammy Snead is a faster swinger. He is also a master of timing. Ted Williams, who waits until the final split second to start his swing, is among the finest of all timers. I saw one fine example of how timing can be measured. In this scientifio device, a golf ball was placed on a tee. Just back of the ball at six-inch Intervals In-tervals there were slender uprights up-rights through which the club head had to travel to reach the ball. As the club head passed through each the time was measured by some hidden instrument. . w i t h his ancient Grantland Blcerivali John Mc Graw. As the new season broke open there was an outside chance, a rather shadowy one, that Connie and his Athletics might just make it. It had to- be an outside chance with the Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers and Indians rated ahead of him. But he had a pretty good outfield, he had strengthened his infield with $100,000 Dilinger and he seemed to have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball with Brissie, Coleman, Kellner, Scheib, Fowler, Hooper and other strong men on hand. This pitching staff might do It at good odds. The Athletics looked as good as any of the others in the spring. And then somebody jerked the rug from under Mr. Mack's feet. His team finished the first six weeks of the season batting .270, well up with the leaders. It fielded well enough. But practically every pitching pitch-ing arm in camp, right and left, collapsed. col-lapsed. Bob Hooper, his Buffalo rookie, was about his best bet. Kellner Kell-ner was away slowly. In place of winning a pennant after such a ragged start Mr. Mack's main objective now is the first division. To reach this restful spot he has to beat out one team from the Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers or Indians. These look to be the four strongest teams in the league at this moment. So Mr. Mack's dream of another pennant for his 50th A.L. season doesn't look any too healthy. His Athletics needed a fast start back of a sound pitching staff. It has been 19 years since his Athletics made it three in a row with the brilliant Cochrane catching Grove and Earn-shaw, Earn-shaw, with Al Simmons and others batting in runs. There is no Lefty Grove hovering around today, winning 31 games and dropping only four. It is all a rather tough break for a veteran who has given so much to baseball for so long a time. He is almost certain, cer-tain, however, to move well forward |