“Only that it gets rather monotonous to see one team out so far ahead of the others year after year,” remarked Tompkinson carelessly, as he flicked the ash from his cigar. “It seems to me that a new interest would be given to the game in general if, for instance, the pennant should go West for a while, say to Pittsburgh or Chicago.”
“But they do get it every once in a while,” protested Joe. “Look at the years that Chicago took it time after time in the days of Frank Chance and Pop Anson. And Cincinnati got it with Pat Moran leading them. Pittsburgh has had it too. And in the East, Brooklyn has copped it off more than once and so have the Bostons. As a matter of fact, every team has a chance. Look at last year, when we won only on the last day of the season. When the Giants win, it’s because they deserve to win.”
“Oh, no doubt of that,” put in Harrish smoothly. “I suppose what Mr. Tompkinson has in mind is that it would give a little variety to the game if they didn’t win so often in succession. Let’s see, they’ve won for the last three years, haven’t they?”
“Yes,” said Joe. “And strictly on their merits,” he added.
“Of course,” assented Harrish. “But as it happened, the Yankees took the flag in their league during the same three years, so that the World’s Series was held altogether in New York. It made it a family affair, a close corporation, so to speak. What Mr. Tompkinson means is that the interest may die out in other sections of the country when they see their teams bringing up the rear time after time.”
“I haven’t noticed that the interest was dying out to any extent,” said Joe. “Last year we played to packed grounds almost all through the season.”
“No doubt that was because you were with them,” said Harrish graciously. “Half of them came to see you pitch or knock out a homer or both.”
“Another thing I had in mind,” remarked Tompkinson, “was that the winning of the pennant by some other team would put to rest to some extent the dissatisfaction caused by the fact that New York is the richest team in the league. The club has unlimited money and it can buy the best talent. It can get men that the other clubs are unable to buy. You know it’s common talk that while other managers have to develop their stars all McRae has to do is to buy them.”
“I’ve heard that old wheeze!” exclaimed Joe indignantly. “I want to nail it right here as a falsehood. To be sure McRae has money, but the money wouldn’t do him any good if he didn’t know what to buy. He’s the best judge of ball players in the country. And as for not developing them, I know of dozens of rookies that he has developed into stars. Why, McRae has more baseball brains in his head than half a dozen other managers put together.”