Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 121, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 May 1913 — HOT RACE PREDICTED [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HOT RACE PREDICTED

Stahl Does Not Claim Hag for Champion Red Sox. Prepared for Hard Fight Which la Sure to Come in the American League:—Praises Callahan and Frank Chance. * Chicago entertained J. Garland Stahl and his world champions for a little over an hour the .other day while they were changing trains on their way bqck to Boston. "We are not claiming a world’s championship nor even <a league flag at this time,” said Stahl. “This is not the time for claiming championships, but the time to prepare for the, fight which is sure to come in the American league this year. We are ready for the opening, and I have cut the team down below the limit. . “In my opinion the coming struggle will be the hardest in the history of our organization. Looking over the field that is entered in the American League derby, I figure that to win a pennant we will have the most strenuous struggle with the White Sox, Athletics and the senators. Any one of those three teams are pennant contenders, and I realize that to repeat our performance of last season we will have to go just a little better than any one of them. "Jimmy Callahan has the strongest crew of talent, that has represented the South side club in several years, and if the hitting strength of the team anywhere near equals the defense, I fear that they will be at or near the top from the start. “I dread sending my boys against any team that has an Ed Walsh, and from all reports Edward Walsh is doing mound duty for Cal. Walsh is a thorn in the side of every manager in the American league circuit with the exception of Cal, and if he is able to perform as good and as often as he did in 1912 seven pilots in the circuit want to do plenty of worrying. “Callahan was able to get his team out ahead last year, but when at the top his twirling staff went to pieces. If he can rely upon Scott, White and Benz to pitch in their regular with Lange and one other to step in when needed he. will have a staff which will do its share tb k,eep them out in front if they get there at the start. “The Athletics are a strong defensive aggregation, and if Connie Mack can keep his pitchers in trim they will

give us a great deal of trouble. Clark Griffith can always be counted upon to put nine men on the field who will fight until the last out in the ninth. Hfs pitching crew, led by Johnson, is one of the best In the organization. | “Although I do not think that the New York team can be counted In the first division at the end of the season, I do expect that they will not receive callers In the cellar. Frank Chance will bring the Highlanders to the top of the second division. From all that I have been able to learn Chance has succeeded in injecting a fair amount of ‘pep* into the team, and a New York team will be seen in eight cities this year. “The fans may think that it sounds funny for me to be predicting such pleasing things for Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington and New York, but I do not want them to gain the opinion that we expect to walk away with the league flag. Boston will be fighting from the start Last year We did not take the lead at the beginning, but made an uphill fight to obtain the honors. This season I think that my boys will get out ahead at the getaway, and if we get the break of luck that we are entitled to we will stay right around the place where all teams like to rest at the end of the struggle.”

Jake Stahl.