THE SPORTING NEWS - JULY 29, 1915

 

 

A GREAT TRIP, BUT GLAD IT IS ENDED

 

By Tim Murnane

 

BOSTON - Back to Old Boston Town, with its East winds, which are indeed refreshing after a stay in St. Louis, where the Red Sox wound up with one of the hardest series they have experienced this year, not that the Browns were so hard to beat, but because seven games were played in four days, and somehow, in St. Louis, it seems impossible to get a game out of the way in less than two hours' time. I intimated that the Browns were not hard to beat, but I should qualify that, for in spite of the score the Red Sox were put to the test more than once.

 

I find the Browns have little honor in their own city, but to the Boston men they appeared to be a good team and well handled, but not getting the breaks that a team must have to win. In St. Louis, too, I found a lot of Ferderal League talk, more than anywhere else visited, but I cannot believe that St. Louis fans, knowing as much as they do about baseball, subscribe to all they read in their local newspapers, the writers of which seem inordinately fond of Federalism, for what reason I do know not.

 

But I must say something about the Red Sox team, with which I have traveled since they left home three weeks ago, and which has climbed to the top of the American League race while on the road. They got an even break in Detroit, where fans and players are riding all comers in a savage manner. They took out three out of five at Cleveland, covered themselves with glory by getting four out of five at Chicago, where the crowds are immense, and wound up at St. Louis with four victories, two defeats and a tie.

 

It has been a hard trip, with all its double headers and the Red Sox players were growing very tired of the work the last couple of days at St. Louis, and longed to be back at Fenway Park, where they will play the Western clubs 31 games before the season is over, as follows: With Detroit eight, Cleveland eight, St. Louis eight, and Chicago seven. The Red Sox will have only 14 more games in the West, as follows: St. Louis four, Chicago three, Detroit three and Cleveland four.

 

It thus can be seen that the Red Sox have all the best of it in the exchange of games with the Western clubs. It makes considerable difference whether the crowds are for or against you, and perhaps several umpires are affected even more than the players. Teams out of the race will not fight as hard for the games on a contender's grounds as on their home grounds.

 

An Implied Threat for Tigers

 

This psychological condition has much to do with a pennant race and is bound to be a conspicious factor in the American League this season, where the struggle has settled down to three clubs. The Tigers, having roughed it, are bound to feel the effects of finding no compromise, with rival teams playing hard against them, and while many of Detroit's games were won as the result of riding the opposing players and the umpires, there is sure to be a comeback when the Tigers go on the road, and abroad neither the public nor umpires will allow the methods common with Jennings, Cobb and Burke in Detroit.

 

I will not attempt to compare the strength of the three leading teams, all strong and well managed, but rather to give my impressions of the Boston team, which I have kept a close tab on for the last six weeks.

 

Team for team, I think the Red Sox shade all the others in ability, while when it comes to a fighting machine I can only see the Boston men. In winning 26 of the last 37 games, matched against the seven clubs of the American League, half the games at home and the other half on the road, the Boston men played only to their real form and the fact that they got a bad start has only stirred them to greater effort.

 

On My 26 Boston left St. Louis after losing five out of the last six games played. Dutch Leonard has been sent home suspended, a penalty that brought a mighty howl from the punctured ball player, who, by the way, has been of little use to his team up to the present. Although appearing anxious to make amends, he has not been producing the goods. Was Mr. Lannin right? Time has justified his act. It has done much to get the other players to thinking, and the result is that Boston has a team in the race. Since the Leonard sensation the Boston Red Sox have played 61 games, winning 42 of them, and the team now looks better than ever.

 

Pitchers Will Stand the Pace

 

The question has been asked, how about the Red Sox pitchers? I doubt if they were ever as good as a whole. Foster, Wood and Shore the righthanders, who returned home a day ahead of the team, are in grand shape. Collins had shown splendid form, Ruth is doing well and I think Leonard will soon be himself again. Gregg tells me that he will show his old form the first time he is given a chance. If three out of five are all right it will suffice, for we have no double headers at this writing and two-thirds of the games are on the home grounds. Then, too, pitchers are willing to work when they see a chance for that big money in the World's Series. In brief, I look on the Boston staff as the superior of any staff in the country today, and in shape to finish the season strong.

 

We miss Janvrin's hitting, but he will be on hand now for use. The team is strengthened in having two first class first basemen, Hobby playing against the righthand pitchers, and Gainer against the left-handers. With Barry Wagner, Scott, Janvrin and Gardner the team is well fortified in the infield, and every one knows that outfield can't be touched by any team in the league, not even by the Cobb-Crawford-Veach combination.

 

The speed merchants are in shape to win 100 games of ball this season. If necessary to pull off the honors and the outfit that can lead this bunch over the wire will be entitled to the applause of a nation, and it will be all in and down at the heels when the act is closed.

 

That sage of Philadelphia, Connie Mack, told me last fall that the Boston Red Sox would win the honors this season. I was apprehensive about Connie's object in telling me this story, but now I am inclined to look on him as a far-seeing baseball prophet.

 

Braves Troubled in the Head

 

While the Red Sox have been in the West the Braves have been making the home stand in Boston and have been winning the major percentage of their games, but not enough to pit them up among the leaders as the fans had been promised. Certain happenings also indicate that the Braves are not keeping their heads as they must do to make a successful fight. The periodical explsions of John Evers are ominous.

 

Following Evers' wild outbreak in which he declared the umpires had been instructed to give the Braves the worst of it, and was compelled to eat his words, he got in bad again by a run-in with Umpire Quigley, the result of which was a scene that was not to the credit of the game. Evers and Quigley, accoring to reports, came to blows, or at least a blow was struck by the umpire.

 

President Tener had to give more attention to Mr. Evers' case as a result, and in his handling of it he does not seem to have satisfied the Boston writers, who are accusing him of overlooking the main item, which is the poor judgement and often incompentence of his umpires. Not being on the scene, I can not fairly comment on it, but all the accounts indicate that National League baseball has not been helped any in Boston by recent events.