The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-04-25
NOTES ON BASEBALL.
w. T. Harris Gives His Views on
this Seasons Prospects.
CHICAGO HAS NOT MUCH SHOW.
However, Arson May Wrest Victory from the
Jaws of Unlikelihooi A General
View of the Situation.

A week brings many changes Last week
1 thought there were five clubs licensed to
win the league championship. Now I am
inclined to count the Chicago team as being
out of it so far as first place is concerned. Of
course one must not forget that the greatest
of all baseball captains will be at the helm
for the ChicagoS, and that all things are pos
sible to q team where Arson is the leader, but
although he is the Napoleon of baseball the
odds seem too great for him to win. With
DAILY and Tener out of condition and Ed
Williamson on the sick list, and with team
no stronger than he had last year, opposed to
four such aggregations as Pittsburg, Phila-
delphia, Boston and New York can this
year marshal, Arson will do well
if he captures fourth place If he does bet
ter than that, without re-epforcementS in the
box and behind the bat, he will achieve the
greatest triumph of his career. That he will
start out with his usual bluff, 1--WE will win
the pennant, sure, no one who knows Arson
will doubt; but in their form the Chicagos,
unless Williamson's injury shall prove less
serious than it appears, and Days arm re-
gains its cunning, are out of it. If the unex-
pected, which happens SO frequently in base
ball, should knock out some of the main props
of Boston, New York and Philadelphia,
Spalding's pets might carry off the prize, but
they have so many props that such an event
as the disabling of enough of them to affect
the result is hardly to be anticipated.
A LITTLE COMPARISON.
A comparison of the New York, Boston,
Philadelphia and Pittsburg teams shows them
to be pretty well fixed for pitchers. The
II. a.
They have in Butiinton, Sanders and Casey
three tried men in the league. Pete Wood,
Gleason and Mitchell are somewhat in the
nature of experiments, but Wood and Gleason
may be counted on to do good service. New
York has four first class pitchers in Keefe,
Welch, Crane and Titcomb, with little George
to fall back on in an emergency Boston's
quartet are GARRISON, Radbourn, Sowders
and Madden, while Pittsburg can show Gal
vim, Morris, Pete Conway and Staley, with
several youngsters thrown in. Carefully
compared, l think it Will be admitted
that New York has the strongest
pitching team OF the four clubs. Be-
hind the bat Boston has the best of
it with Bennett, Camel and Kelly. New
York has really only one great catcher. That
is Ewing Without him the team would be
in a bad way The Phillies are not much
better eff with only one tar-Clements-and
Pittsburg's only Al catcher is Miller. Both
Philadelphia and Pittsburg have, however,
some promising youngsters. So far as field
ing is concerned the four clubs are about
evenly balanced. At the bat, which, after
all, is the great thing, Boston and New York
are very nearly even, Boston having a slight
advantage. Philadelphia and Pittsburg COM
pare about the same way and both are infe-
rior to their two opponents. With Kelly,
Brouthers, Nash, Wise, Hardie, Richardson
and Johnston, Boston asseven terrific hitters.
Ewing, Connor, Herman, Ward, O'Rourke
and Slattery can hardly equal them and,
neither Philadelphia nor Pittsburg can touch
Boston's big seven. All three of them can,
however, discount the Bostons in team work,
and that, other things being anywhere near
to equality, will balance Boston's superior bat
ting skill. New York, in addition, can put in
its superiority in the box. Taken all in all,
the four clubs are certainly pretty near to
being on an equality, and it may safely be
said that with fair luck-and both of them
have heretofore had so little of it that it is
safe to look for improvement in that line this
reason-both Pittsburg and Philadelphia will
rivals. With teams so evenly matched luck
is great factor and much depends on the
start A very bad start for either Pittsburg
or Philadelphia will put them out of the
swim. A bad start will not affect Boston or
New York so much, for their great confidence
and heavy hitters may overcome the misfor-
tunes which may come in the first month of
the fight. Summed up, should say tho
IL A.
way: Boston even to take the pennant; New
York, 10 to S against; Philadelphia, 10 to
against; and Pittsburg, 10 to against. This,
it must be understood, is merely figuring or
the strength of the teams as they look on
paper before ball has been thrown in tho
championship contest. Of course, any one of
the four clubs is liable to have a luck
streak which will give them a lead
almost impossible to overcome. This is par
ticularly so of New York and Boston. Should
the Chicagos be able to start out with all
their men in good shape | should say their
chances are about equal to those Of the Phil
adelphia team. A month of play, however,
will be q test, and no doubt these odds would
be somewhat changed, as u teams paper
strength often vanishes when the men get on
the field.
Never before, however, in the history Of
the league have the teams been so near each
other in playing strength as they will be
when the battle begins April "a Hence
paper calculations are worthy of more con-
sideration than ever before, and although
expect to be criticised severely for counting
Chicago SO lightly believe my conclusions
to be based on good grounds and expect the
result to show that nay judgement was not al
together wrong. W. [. HARRIS.
Skedaddle.
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