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THE ATHLETICS
DEFENDERS '
VENING
LEDGER
PHTTiATELPIIIA WEDNESDAY, OCTOBEB 7, 1914
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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.
' ' '
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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
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