Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-08-06
PRICE TWO CENTS.

fourth, Chicago fifth and New York sixth This season the Bostons followed their example of 1887 by playing nine games without defeat. Chicago coming in second, with six victories and two defeats: Pittsburg third, with five victories and three defeats, and the New Works and De- troits dividing honors almost even. The latter had been beaten five times to the Giants four, but won the same number of victories
 In May Chicago took the lead, with the local team second, Detroit third, Phlladel- phla fourth, Boston fifth, and Plttsburg, Indianapolis and Washington following in order.
 In June Detroit made the best record, followed by Chicago, Washington, Indiana polls and New York. The following month was one long to be remembered- among the best in the history of the New York team, while the ChicagoS have had a correspondingly bad record. Indiana poliS and the Washingtons also did noble work in that month.
 That baseball has retained it's popularity this season, notwiths landing the efforts of US governors to prevent heavy batting. is to be wondered at. Last season the "high' and "low' ball was abolished and the three strikes changed to four. This had the deslred effect upon the pitchers, and more batting and greater opportunities for brilliant fielding followed. When the JoInt Committee on Rules came together In the spring they suggested a return to the three strike rule. This suggestion was put into practice, and baseball critics all over tie country predicted fall off in the batting
 The first part of the season indicated | that this alarm was unnecessary but as soon as tue pitchers got fairly to work and became acquainted With the characteris- hcs of the batters games grew conspicuous Tor the comparative small number of hits. Games ln which more than ten hits have been secured have not been abundant, and the result of this continual complaint on the part of the patrons of the game. i People who go to the pasume know 1 few things about it, and they dislike to i sitfor a couple of hours looking at the ball ! as 1t IS thrown to a catcher and returned to , the " box" The rule makers realize that 1 they made q mistake in not moving the ! "boX" " back five feet further or retaining tho high and low ball, or the four strike rule That they will again toy with the ' pitching rules before next season IS certain or more heavy batterS will have to be de- Veloped. Some of the men, like Anson and Brothers, have fallen off greatly in stick ! work, and the number will be increased 1 unless something IS done to remedy it Another evidence of the falling off in bat
 
 or men with an average of 3UJ over.
 While the Joint Committee on Rules has made this mistake, the American Associa- tlon has tried to pOpularlZe the game by introducing Ladies' Day" Once a week, on each Of the grounds, members of the gentler sex, accompanied by escorts, are admitted free, and on othor days only half price is charged, On q few of the grounds tho managers have found it profitable to lj H concerts.
 In Brooklyn, Philadelphia Cincinnati and Baltimore the introduction of Ladies' Day" IS pronounced q great success, as many as ,50U women being in attendance at some of the games. The popularity of the pastime is yearly growing among the ladies'
 Down South in the smaller towns the clubs depend largely on the fair admirers to support the game, and the feature of the Amateur Championship battles is the large number of gayly dressed patrons who fill the grand stand and discuss the merits of the game. They wear the colors of their favorites and show their rivalry in many ways.
 At New York grounds, too, lady patrons are on the increase. When the best teams play here they turn out en masse. Many of them are as we'll informed on the 1 IQCrlUS ana LecnQlCdllLlCS or the game ana the characteristics of the individual play CTS as the majority of men. The skill dis played ill keeping score card will enable not a few of these patrons to describe the game in detail at its conclusion. So high has their enthusiasm been known to grow as to lead them to bet on the result of the game or all Inning.
 To-day the four Western clubs of the League will appear on Eastern dia- mond fields for the second time this sea- son. Indianapolis will encounter the Giants on Monday, Tuesday and Wednes- day, and the latter three days will be taken up by the Pittsburgs. These two clubs are now playing better ball than the Chicagos and DetroIts, and all their rivals of this section will have to hustle The six games straight taken by the Hoosiers from the eX-champions and Wolverines i boomed their stock away up, and if they put up similar article of base ball in the East as they have in the West Boston and Philadelphia will rise no higher in the scale than they are at present. The Chicagos play thelr first gamo at Philadelphia and the Detroits meet Washington.
 Before the rivals of both sections meet the four clubs ot the East and those of the West will have finished up another homo series.
 In the East there has been nothing to pre- vent the New Works from holding the lead ing position among the Eastern clubs, as they defeated their rivals in 2S games and lost 12. Boston and Philadelphia are about even.
 In the West Chicago and Detroit are fighting to beleaders. At present Chicago is in ithe van, with 23 games won and Is lost. Pittsburg has big lead over Indianapolis in having won IS to the Hoosiers' Il games, and sustained only It defeats to the 26 of their rivals.
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