BScroRS t natii ii til ii koliii THE ATHLETICS DEFENDERS ' VENING LEDGER PHTTiATELPIIIA WEDNESDAY, OCTOBEB 7, 1914 OoFiiianT, 1014, i ins Iuuo ttM Cownirr. rmvrvw mav rv-ii t Awr uti nTmmT xrx. Tm v, ' , T . .ttttvt- OTPTDTTPC n A MT7Q -f r'.jjj.YA. lvxi ruJUJLUVV MAISJYIJMN VA&l AiVJLUUlYl UF UN 1 EKES 1 bJtiU WIN UN AJmtUAL,Jtlli OJCiUmo wu.txj .:' Z "" ' ll"1" ' " ' II I .... . mil US r i ftS CONTESTS WILL FILL PARKS TO FDLL CAPACITY Much More EnrMisiasm Over World's Series This Year Than Last Facts About Former Meetings. M it Tvcro possible to ascertain Just how many pcoplo would buy world's series tlckoUi If they could, there Isn't a doubt that the games to bo played between tho Athletics nnd Braves would make a new record. Thero has been a steady genera! increase In tho Interest taken In world' forlos games ever slnco the first onr played in 1903, when Boston took five Games out of eight from Pittsburgh Tho Increase In Interest, which Is shown concretely by the Inrrense In at tendance, has always been greater In years when a given series was plated bv clubn not taking part tho previous year Conversely, there has been a slight Tail ing oft In nttemlnnco at world's scries games which bn.a been plaw-d by the same clubs. For Instance, In 1905, 1907 and 1903, tho Cubs won tho Hag In the Na tional League. The result was that there was a slight annual decrease In the aver age attendance ns well as In tho total gate receipts. In 19C9 Pittsburgh and Detroit played for tho championship. Obviously tho fan were glad to greet a now winner In the Kntlnnal League, for the attrndnmc t k a big jump. Tho avenure number whe saw tho Cubs and Tigers perform In 190S wns 1214C. nnd the total ro elpts for the scries amounted to $31,975.50 The net year, when tho Pirates defeated the Tigers, tho average number at the games was 90.756 and tho total gato receipts cro J1SS.C02.SO. DON'T WANT MON'OrOLT. These figures prove conclusively that the public dons not like a monopoly of winners. Furthermore, tho steady actual Increase from 1903 through 1912 adds still nvre to this conclusion. Last season when the Athletics mot tho Giants th( average attendance was 30 193, while the year before the average per game In the Now York-Red So series was 31,V. This p, apparent dropping In the figures does nit indicate In the least that thero was les Interest. On tho contrary. It is easily seen thnt the reverie was tho case. Last year each of the five games plated dew capacity crowds both In Now York and riihndelphla, while In 1912 the flna! Glants-Btd Sox bout drew only 16 970 Whereas the lowest previous attendance j4 in that same scries had been 30 US iinquesuonaoiy it u us a goou tmng ror everflody concerned, eNcent those In If New York, thnt the Giants were beaten by the Braves, and It would have been a help to tho game In general If the Ath letics had bun defeated for the ftac- A continued cornering of the pennant market is not what the people want This y-suf ration in Philadelphia has shown that ll The attendance at Shlbo Park has been only a utile greater than that at the rhillies' park and tho Intter are In sixth place In the National League, whllo the former are six-time pennant winners and f considered generally to bo the greatest hi baseball club over gotten together. Herewith is a table showing the aver age attendance at the world's series games from 1W3 to 1913, along with the total gate receipts: Averace Total, receipt!) .J50.000.ro . ns.-m on . lon.wion . 101.72S So . IH.OTS fii) Tear. If 0.1. .. 1!I 1W15 1WHI ... 1K17 1WS 1009 1(110 .. inn 1012 attn 'unco. . 12.5.M ,,. No scries ptam. , lMS man . IS 014 . U'-HO , sot. . 21 S-U . irs so 17i.iso.ro . 29 ''71 S42 10 'O - 11 -lS .(PO.-M'IO' !0. 105 S2S.fKn pO ion -i-sumaiea. While no records nre apt to bo broken this tear in the matter of attendance and gate receipts, both Fenway and Shlbe Parks are sure to be filled to eapneltv every dav the two clubs meet. The divi sion of the spoils will be the same as usual The players will divide CO per cent of the receipts from the first four games, the winnors getting 60 per cent ui Liiai niuuuui nun uttr lugiiB v. 4.IIC" , magnates' share will amount to 10 per ; cent of the first four Barnes, and all of I the rest of the receipts If more than four games are p'ajed Last tear each mem ber of tho Athletics received allghth more than TffiOO. while the Giants re ceived a little more than 12100 This yeat the amount to be revived by the winners and losers will prohiMy be within one I or two hundred dol! irs of the 1913 fig ures. MACK'S METHODS UN LI KB ST A LUNGS' fontlnnert from Pace 1 lief. After he hail cinched the pennant he drove his men J'ist as hard until the close of the season esterday as he did in September, when he was Irving to ills lodge the Giants from first place. In the recent series with the Giants, played after the flag was won. Stalling had his men going at the fastest clip he could send them. His theorv la that when a team has been going fsst enough to win the pennant, the men will slow down to surh ' t nn extent that they won't be able to do themselves justice In the series unless r thev continue at the same rapid paee. fc' Hence last week the Ii raves were In the game with all of their regulars, while Iit-nost of the players In Athletic uniform thtvere unknown to the "eliglblt:" members toof the White Klephant squad. ViT In the beginning It waB stated that sel dom In world's s.ne garneB has there been occasion for any great amount of managerial strategy. And this Is true Yet last October Mack was severely crltl clsed for what many fans believed to be an Inexcusable error of judgment. The Incident referred to was In the second game of the series, played In this city, when Plank and Mathewson were the op posing' pitchers. In the ninth Inning, with the bases tun ana no one out, Lapp and Plank: batted In their regular turn When the Athletics were ultimately beaten out In the tenth Inning, Manager Mack re ceived all the blame for the defeat At the time he did not reply, but later, when he did mak) a statement about the mat ter, he thoroughly convinced every one, that he had not erred In judgment. The trouble was that neither Lapp nor Plank had been able to drUe in a run. If either of them had. Mack would have been praised &s & great strategist by the sec-ond-guessers This Mas one of the few Incidences where Mack as called upon to exercise his judgment In a way which would glo any one a chanee to criticise his work. Though a. vast bulk of the credit for the victors In the coming world's series fcuuld be given to the Hliiniw manager. It will be his lonstructite work of a ea tun rather than his I'Htgnwnf ia the series. wtOch should be the real subject for praiae. ' ' ' 111 i.MiMMtQS-A Pi ii nil ii 'III III II liilf 1 1 III1 '' i"i Uln iiii fWPlW-riWIIllllHffllilill'i'l11 Mi'i ill ' i i n ' Mi MmumukZFomijmB'r- : w ' 'mamj: -r: fSamiAS'OKwTi iSVf ' stfWMr r . W-fW '"1 i ' 'v .. WIKMKm&SEfMS&MiSM " i ",, t,T?r'Y,Jf. I I I BSS!. SBjESS. ,-jj, " I " vsBissslBss&assssssssssssaHP ' ! '- f' I I SMStWSBtiWrhiSi'fi- ts'?' SSPsSUfet ..-'iAwassssssBsssssssssBssHi .IlilHHwSMiaffiBHsssssssssssW -,. .;;V-. x-w,. v -Af.1,;,, . j.. I KSS ,4" - ':-" W wxM' Tt-- -r&rr : ismffiBBMmm - fri - iMiimwri- - ;.,: i I v t V I ( 'I i ys I JOHNSON SELECTS UMPIRES FOR SERIES IN ROTATION When the National Commission met hers last week and announced the urn plrea for the world's series the general impression nas that the two selected from tho National League hod made the best records for 1911 but there was a ques tion in the minds of some as to whether the two chosen from the American League bad led the van In giving satis faction. This Is not Intended to imply that Dineen and Hlldebrand are not capa ble performers, for they are. Hut if a vote were taken among thote who have tollowed the game closely there might be others selected If the lilshest efficiency were the basis. These selections merely go to show that the methods of choosing the umpires for the series vary In the major leagues. It has always been the policy of the Na tional League magnates to choose the tw men who, in their estimation, have done the best work that season. Hence it Is that year after year. Kltm it chosen because of his recognized ability "Han" Johnson, who makes the selec tions from the American League staff. does not necessarily pick the men for the series whom he considers to have done the most satisfactory work Of course. Johnson would not put a man In the world's srles whom he did not think thoroughly capable, but his method Is to rotate, giving all of the umpires a chance at the easy money If they have shown themselves to be goM arbiters. Th reason for the varying methods cf selecting the umpires is simply that "Ban" Johnson looks oa the matter dif ferently from Goteroor Taer and from tnosa who preceded him as president of the parent league. The. National Leagua Hi A K f . it - i .1 . 5 . . iff .lf .. - . ... .,. . '!','! JtJV . Braves' Leader, who drove his club Idea U that the two umpires who have done the best work throughout the season should be tho Judges of plays In tho biggest series of the year. This looks to be a good argument until one learns whut Johnson thinks. Ilan woiks on the theory that If an umpire can go through an American l tuc bvuwii .ma -io general satis faction to the contending players he Is capable of giving th same satisfaction In the world a series, which, of course, differs from any other series only In that the stakes are higher. Johnson's method appears, after a close analysts, to be tne best In the long run for baseball. For Instance, if the same men were cho3cn oar after year the effect would be to discount the work of the other members of the um pire staff. Throughout the season both players and spectators would bo mort' or less dissatisfied when the world's series umpires were not working Thev would think that If these other men were never chosen for a world's series they were not capable, anil if the) wer tot capable of doln? that work they surely would not be satisfactory In the championship race. Furthermore, the moral effect on the umpires themselves is very great. The men in the National League who are never chosen lose confidence. In them selves, and coneijuentl are not as well fitted as they would otherwise be. In the American League when a man Is chosen to umpire in the series he feels that he has done well, and that helps him to do better work In the future Iiildebrana, one of the two men chosen by Ban Johnson to umulre in the series which begins Friday is only In his second year as a major league umpire. Yet he has shown himself to be a hard- GEORGE STALLINGS from the bottom of the league to the STALLINGS' CAREER SHOWN BRIEFLY Manager Stallings, of the Uraves, was born in Augusta, Ga., November 17. WO. Is serving his ad year as a baseball manager, 1'laved his first game as an nut tu lder with the San Jose, Cal , club ii XSSI. Won his first pennant as manager ,f the Augusta Southern League club in U93 Twenty-one jears later he has won another with tho Uraves. Started out as a catcher, but In IW tnok to the. outfield and retired -icthely after 1901 with Detroit. Has been manager for 22 ears with lie rmiouing: 1914 Boston 190:-Huffalo ISOl-Dctrolt 1360 Detroit 1S90 Detroit lWS-I'hiladelphta IW-Philadelphla 15i-Detrolt 1585-Nashvllle 1581NashvllIo 13 -Aucrustn 18:-San Jose 1913-rtoston I9i2-Huffa!o 1911-lSuuaKj 1910 Yankees 1S09 Yankees 1M-Nevv ark 1M7-Idle l!f; I luff a lo lfl5- Buffalo mt-Butfalo 1MI3-Buffal. working, clear-sighted, efficient man, and there Is no doubt that he will give per pect satisfaction to both the Athletics and Braves, and that next year his work will be vautlv Improved by the added confidence he gained by being selected for this short but Important task. The umpires reeoive !IOOQ each for work ing in the world's series. Those who are appointed for the lntra-olty and Inter city games receive WW. The world's series umpires this year are Klem and Byron, of the National League, and Dineen and Hlldebrand, of the American Lcafue. top in an unprecedented baseball sprint. HOT BATTLE FOR CATCHING HONORS EXPECTED IN SERIES When any department of play Is con sidered In the world's series. It Is diffi cult to see tho contending plas In the arious positions without thinking of the i battle which they will wage for Individ- I ual supiemaey while they are pulling for I their club to win. Almost as keenly as the work of the pitchers, will that of tho catchers be watched This means that Wally Schang. Jack Lapp, Hank Gowdy and Bert Whaling I will bo the centre of much attention Gowdy and Schang will, no doubt, do most of the work behind the bat, al though Jitri for the Athletics, will be used when Mack sends a left-hander to the mound Whether Whaling will 'get In the series Is a question. As far us world's strles experience Is concerned tho Athletics pair of receivers hae a big, edge on their rivals from llo-iton Lapp has taken part In three world's series, although last year he worked In hut one game, despite the fact 'hat Blank pitched In two In 1911, when t was predicted that the Giants would ill wild ii the h.ia. Lbijd b pej,ln liijcucciijr iiioveu nimseit tne nero of tho nour unin rrunK inner made the fans forget tver thing in the "home-run" ex citement Wally Schang Is the superior of any rfoelver on either the Biaves or the Athletics This eupciiorltj Is gained largely through his ability to hit the ball hard and often, and to run the bases like an outfielder. lie Is the fleetest catcher In the game, has the nlmblenes of a rat behind the bat, and has a ter rific wing, although at times this sea ton he has shown a tendency to b wild in shooting the ball to second base. In the world's series ox lU Schsng l played a magnificent gamo in every d- I artment. Incidentally, he dealt the ball a homo run blow, driving It to Baker's faorle spot In the right field stand. This year Stalllngs has depended nl-n-ost entliely on Gowdy, who has caught In 131 games. This means thut, unless some unusual condition arises, hr will probably bo seen In every game against the Athletics. Schang has been used by Mack In 10S games, Lapp taking cate of most of the others McAvoy worked In two or three only Schang has been batting tho ball around .270 all season, while Gowdy has hit only at a 210 rate. Lapp, once a .3ft) hitter, haa not been above .225 this year, but If tho figures are to bo considered, he Is nr worse off than Whaling, who Is about 10 points lower. Therr is really little chance of the Braves doing much on the bases against the Athletics. If Schang should have an off day. he would be Immediately replaced by Lapp, and the carnage on the paths would cease forthwith. Whether Lddle Collins and the other Fpeed kings of the Macklan clan can pilfer with any decree of certalntv is doubtful, but, on the whole, the Athletics have a better chance to steal than Uulr opponents, both on account of the higher peed and because the local catchers have an edge on the Braves' pair. As fai as handling the pitchers is concerned, every one of the catchers who Is apt to be called on In the series can be relied upon implicitly. Kach of the quartet has good judgment and know how to be of material aid to the pltchno This is esnerlally true when oun,ihtcis WD wvilviH. ill bme JUVSftier, ?iULWk vr euoil attuum uv Belli 111, Lnnil .knil I flchang will make all the decisions for the pitchers. "WINNING-TOSS" JINX MAY CAUSE ATHLETICS TO LOSE Misfortune Has Habit of Following in Wake of Manager Getting Choice of City for First Game. Is there a Jinx in winning the toss to decldo where tho first gamo of a world's aortas Is to bo played? Thoso who arc superstitious will nn swer In the nfllrmatlvo because tho rec ords show that the manager losing the toss has boen almost universally suc cessful. If this Jinx holds good this year tho Boston Braves will carry oft th baseball honors. President Gnffney failed to call the turn when Herrmann tossed tho coin last Tuesday week. That, ac cording to tho Jinx theory, gavo Mr. Gnffney's clut tho championship title, whllo It only gave Manager Mack tho right to open tho sorles In Philadelphia. This calls to mind agnln the many inci dents which go to show the honesty of baseball. It would have ocen far mora profitable to tho club owners and to tho National Commission to hno tho first gamo played In Boston, If it turns out that only five games arc to be played. In thnt event tho Increased seating ca pacity of Fenway over Shlbo Park would net tho clubs mnny thousands more dol lars. Yet there was no nttempt mado to decide the mntter any way except by the spinning of a coin. This happening took place regardless of the prediction of a paragraphcr who recently said: "If tho coin falls heads or tnlls, tho first gnmo will bo played In Boston. If It stays In tho air, It will bo pulled oft In Phila delphia." MAY FOLLOW ATIILHTICS. But to get back to the original subject, this Jinx which has been hanging over winnors of tho toss. Is ono of tho big gest arguments against tho Athletics to win, or, nt least, that Is the theory ad vanced by mnny bnll players who would otherwise favor tho Mnckmcn In their scrap with tho Braves. Tho first world's series game under the present rules was In 190.1, but the rules wero different from thoso of tho present, henco we will only consider those cham pionship struggles from 1503 to the pres ent time. During thnt period thero have been nine series played and seven tlmei I tne aeicaicn ciuo una won wie toss, j nn two exceptions were the Athletics In 1910 and the Pirates In 1S09. In those years the winners of the eeries won the toss. Tho following shows who won tho toss nnd the scries from 1903 to 1913, In clusive: 1905 Athletics won toss, lost to Giants. 1905 Cubs won toss, lost to White Sox. 1107 Detroit won toss, lost to Cubs. 1908 Detroit won toss, lost again to Cubs 1909 Pirates won toss, nlso beat De troit. , 1910 Athletics won toss nnd beat Cubs. 1911 Giants won toss and lost to Ath letics. 151? Giants won toss, lost to Bed Sox. lfll!l Giants won toss, lost to Athletics. 1911 Athletics won toss. This Jinx has followed the Now York team with unwavering regularity The Glnnts have played In four world cham pionship series nnd the only time they have won was In 19iG, when they lost the toss ror the last three enrs the Giants have been consistently successful in call ing the turn of the coin nnd Just ns con sistent In losing the series to their oppo nents. It appears that the Glonts have been besieged by bnsoball hoodoos. Besides having been followed by tho Jlnc Just discussed. McGraw's chances to win the pennant In the National Lcngue this n son were somewhat lessened, acctirdln? to popular opinion, because no club had ever won four pennants In n row HUI'UIISTITION IN BASKBALL. Superstition has been going hand In hand with bnsebnll and baseball players since the game began. When a player loses or breaks a favorite bat his hitting Is suro to be way off for some time to come, be:nuso he believes that a certain bat "has tho hits In It." This was the case with Itubo Oldrlng this season. Ituhe was hitting above 3(0 when some one mado way with his stick nftor an exhi bition plaved In Buffulo Rube's hitting Immediately went bad and he failed to connect for many games. Tho slump caused bv having his bat taken from him caused Oldrlng to finish the season under tho S00 mark, when otherwise he would probably have been among tho elite Many times fans' attention has been called to the queer movements of Louis Van Zelt, the Athletics' mascot Louis gees out before a gamo and makes ifttlo Impressions In the ground with his spikes. Every inning when ho takes his stand to carry the bats back to tho bench ha places his spikes in those same holes. If some one should kick up tho dirt or tear the ground where Louis had been stand ing he wouldn't give two cents for the Athletics' chances to win. Many persons will scoff nt the Idea of such things playing any reul part In base ball In this enlightened age. Nct i tin less they do. and it Is not at all Impmb.ible that moro than one of tho Athletic in cluding Connie Muck himself, will fiel tli.it tho-chnnces aro matcrlallj likened nv ems ho-c'uhcmi jinx Time and again things have h u , ne(j oji the ball IWld that have cuiist d i i . s tu Lelluve that they vvero full .n i i,y some kind of persistent 111 Iik k nn i v ((J find that many of the New Yenk vt ml Leaguers this seat.on at no tlnn .t i.j to win, because they hart won tin, n. nants In a row. as prcvlauslj unmk j. FOULS NOT PASSPORTS TO WORLD'S SERIES This Source of Joy to the FenLe. Hanger Boy Denied. The world's seiles U not jv , , lh small boy. who stands outslda u, , , , la after day during the lteM. ,, . ' for foul ball,. In every clt In (h, . . try It is the rule ln the leagui ... ii i nnuevir oring in a , has been batted outside the in uliali be admitted tu th ..,. l i i iim This, however, doe, m, 8JJth , .be'V "'! WM- The maj, u 0? "he balls whh go over the .u A , . fence at in series gauws re j, t (i . . these wm smi y bj, t, ' ' ' permitted to see the conn- . ' l strc-igth of that. TluTuaTmt h,1,'. ','' has won out m the tuI tr Hu If he gets away with it i. ..., '" it hJnuttlf or mUi, it ... .. ' i iht nf tlm tm . .. . 'who are alwaTs In ,i "" trunhle a UJS ,R tUj0 maiw. e & V impmffifri'i i ni-nj- - Lr- " """" "" "-' T "" "
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers