Show As A's r P Pennant Hope Is Thrown Away By GRANTLAND RICE CONNIE pONNIE MACK picked up his first pennant in 1902 just 48 years ago He won his last flag in 1931 and 1950 was his dream year for his pennant It was a dream dreamY that far has been so Y S J 4 shot full f u 11 of holes Except for tor f o r rabid home town team i rooters almost ev everyone ev- ev everyone v- v was was pulling tl for the tall and a n d stately Mr Mack Mackto to win this lOth flag and so pull up even wit i t h his Us ancient Grantland G tI nd ran a rival John J o 0 h n Mc Mc- Graw I 1 As the new season broke open there was Vas an outside chance a rather shadowy one that Connie and his Athletics might just j u 0 s t 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 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 doit doit doit it at good odds ds The Athletics looked as good as any of the others in the spring And then somebody jerked the rug from under Mr Macks Mack's feet His team finished the first six weeks of the season batting well up with the leaders It fielded well enough But practically every pitch pitch- pitching pitching pitching ing arm in camp right and left col col- col- col lapsed Bob Hooper his Buffalo rookie was about his best bet Kell- Kell Kellner Kellner Kellner ner was away slowly In place of winning a pennant after such a ragged start Mr l Macks 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 this' moment So Mr Macks Mack's dream of another pennant for his AL season doesn't look any too healthy His Athletics needed a fast start back backof 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 Earnshaw Earn- Earn Earnshaw Earnshaw shaw with Al Simmons and others batting in runs There is no Lefty Grove hovering i around today winning 31 games 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 certain certain tain however to move well forward when warm weather bakes out sore pitching arms and gives him at least a working staff e eThe The Greatest Team The venerable Mr Mack has two teams to contribute to the time all-time argument of which are baseballs baseball's greatest teams His two contributions contributions contributions are the Athletics of 1914 1910 and the Athletics of 1929 1930 1931 The other two selections belong to the Chicago Cubs of 1910 1906 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 Connies Connie's earlier teams was his pitchers pitchers- Bender Coombs and Plank Plank- plus a brilliant infield with Mc- Mc McInnis McInnis McInnis Innis Collins Barry and Baker Grove Cochrane and Simmons were his three top stars in the 1931 1929 group The Yankee delegation of 1927 1928 was the most overpowering collection baseball has known on the attacking side They had Ruth and Gehrig for Gehrig-for for two things They had Earle Combs another star They had Bob Meuse They had Pennock They had plenty The Yankees and Athletics have had the two best separate and dis dis- distinct distinct dis- dis distinct squads baseball has known Mr Mack banked on brilliant pitching pitching Grove Grove Waddell Pennock Plank Bender Bush and Coombs among others The Yankees relied largely on Ruth-Gehrig Ruth power although they had their share of other important matters What Is Timing Stan has said aid s a i d several times that the main idea in batting is timing What we are now trying g to locate is what timing actually is Bobby Jones had timing tamed completely Bob was a slow even- even paced swinger Sammy Snead is a faster swinger He is also a master of timing Ted Williams who waits until the final fin l 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 scientific device a golf goll ball was placed on a a tee Just back of the ball at six-inch six in in- intervals intervals Intervals there were slender up- up uprights uprights rights through which the club head had to travel to reach the ball As the club head passed through each the time w was a s measured by some hidden in in- strument |