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Show GOOD LUCK SMALL FACTOR ON DiAMOND Misfortune Plays Bigger Part in Pennant Races Than Fair Breaks TT Isn't In tho breaks of tho game that luck counts In the long run In baseball. base-ball. Tho strongest team will win the pennant cvorytlme, provided It has no worso luck in tho way of injurios and lllneB3 to players than other teams. It is ill luck of this latter sort which often goes a long way toward making or breaking a team making tho team by Its absence, breaking it by visitation: InJurlcB or Illness played a great part this year, and it has coine to be almost an axiom that a .team to win tho pennant must be lucky In not having hav-ing players Incapacitated. A probable exception this year is he Athletics. Last season the Athletics were extremely ex-tremely fortunate In the scarcity of players laid up. This year thoy had Eddie Collins out of the gamo for i awhllo with an Injury, also Dan Murphy, Mur-phy, but won the American league pennant pen-nant nevertheless. Detroit's chances for the American leaguo prlzo were hurt materially by misfortunes to players. Nor did these come singly. Galnor, tho hard hitting first baseman, broko his wrist early in the season and was of very little service. serv-ice. Tho shifts nocessary to fill hla placo broke up the team mora or loss, Tho spiking of George Morlarty crippled crip-pled the Tigers at a critical time, and tho absence of Goorgo Mullln while getting over tho effect-, of. an operation opera-tion was jr. further handicap. Theh Cobb became overlaxod -and was forced to lay off and rest Mishaps are part of tho game, and each manager endeavors to keap nls team fortified against them. He Is a fortunato or faraeelng manager who can keep wholly fortified, and a still more fortunate manager who escapes hard luck coming from casualties to- his men. Ono of tho moat fortunate In that regard has been McGraw of the '. Giants, though to do McGraw Justice ( he doesn't trust to luck.- but Is always : watchful and "prepared for emergencies. That Is one of his most valuable traits as a. manager. Still neither he nor any '. other man can be so fortified that no mishap could crlpplo his team, and this ! thing of accidents Is more or less a I bugaboo with all managers. |