Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-05-10
A REVIEW OF SPORTS,
Good and Bad Points of the Various
National League Teams in
the East and West.
REMARKS ABOUT TIE LOCAL CLUB.
The Beneficial Results That VIII Follow the
Sew 4lliance Of the Amateur
Organisations.
PROSPECTS OF HOMEW0OD RACES.
Opinions About the Coming elov, Battle Between Jack
son and Corb.tt
REMARKS ABOUT TIE LOCAL CLUB.
PROSPECTS OF HOMEWOOD RACES.
oprions About the Coming elov, Battle Between Jack.
son and Corbstt

conducive to the success of baseball. It
takes quite quantity of really unadulter-
ated enthusiasm to prompt one to watch a
ball game when one has to 60 through va
rious kinds of acrobatic feats to keep warm.
1t is, therefore, safe to say that cold weather
Is a very trying time for baseball. II it
can hold up Its head triumphantly amid the
cold winds it will be big success at other
times. Well, during the week just ended
there has been some very cold weather in
deed, and despite that fact, judging from
reports, the games at the various cities
have been very we'll attended; in fact, the
patronage bestowed gives very strong iudI-
cations of very successful year financially.
There has also been a slight improvement
in the PLAYING OF the various teams in the
League, although the quality of playing is
yet still far below par. We cannot expect to
zee the real out and out contest Of the first
rank until everybody in the contest has
gotten warmed up thoroughly. But we
have had some excellent contests, and the
fact that the teams in the races are, gen.
orally speaking, so close together, shows
that matters are already quite exciting. Al
though the contest is a close one at the start
it NAV soon develop into one of a more one
sided kind, l don't hesitate to say that one
or two teams are being greatly favored now
by what may be called the stroke Of fortune.
BY this mean that as soon as all the teams
get down to their best work, some who are
new playing a very prominent part may take
a considerable drop. This has been SO in
the past, and will certainly be SO again, not
only in the League, but in other organiza-
tions. In dealing with baseball contests we
must never forget that they are to a very
great extent different to almost any other
outdoor contest that we know OF. l know Of
nothing more uncertain, and I know of
nothing wherein public form is, as a rule, so
misleading. For instance, we may have a
team which is regularly near the foot Of
the list and yet that team may
three times out of every five times they
meet. We have all seen results of this
kind, and these results very plainly show
that there are indeed many elements to con-
slider when discussing baseball affairs. And
there is another tact, viz, that the strongest
team We can put together are, at any time,
quite liable to make a very sorry show, and
TO continue that very sorry show for q very
long time. But no doubt it is this uncertainty
In the national game that makes IL SO interest
ing, and therefore so popular. We're one team
always so certain OF defeating another. as is q
superior sCulsr of defeating his inferior, every
time they met. we would tire OF baseball very,
very SOON. There is nothing like honest uncer-
tainty. Well, we have plenty OF l. just fow in
the Leag race, and anybody VINO can pick
the winner Will perform quite a task. OF
course we can all guess. trust that the race
will continue in a way that it will always
abound with uncertainties.
The Teams in General.
Tomorrow the Eastern teams will begin their
6rst battle in the West this season, and IL may
not be out of place to say a few words about
them. For long time have noticed that the
Eastern contingent OF the League is always
welcome in the Western part and suppose the
case is vice versa. Many of us invariably have
q notion that the great teams must necessarily
come from the East. This is not a notion OF
mine, but 1 am somewhat disposed to think
that at the present time tine East has slightly
the best OF the argument, But like the West.
ern teams those IN the East are far from being
in their best form. The New YurSs are un.
uaChT 10 DC in very good condition whe1 they
commence hOStilltl9s here tomorrow. But i.
seems to me that the present New York team
Will never be as reliable and as brilliant as were
the New 1orks who won the pennaut during
recent years. There are good men no doubt
IN the present New York team, but how vastly
they mus improve 10 equal the work of the
former champions who made such a battle
against Boston! True there are many of the
game players but il does not follow that they
are playing with the same skill and unity
and IL may he that the pitching force of the
Giants thlS year VIII not be as reliable as it
used TO he. Already there are indications of
Tom heefe being on the wane, at least the
New York club talks of releasing him. also
firmly believe that in coming to Pittsburg the
New Horks meet the strongest team in the
West Boston by all accounts is also in diff
culiies. The pitchers of the team are in bad
shape and this may be fatal blow to that
teams chances of winning the pennant. Ii
seems to me that the Boston club has made
one very grave mistake, VIZ: in working Clark
son 80 hard at the very start of the contest
lie pitched in the opening games just as he
world pitch in the fall and as a result his 'arm
Is sore" de might have looked for
nothing else. Boston had younger men
who could have been utilized with ad-
vantage even though defeat were the
result Philadelphia is another team that
Is already in difficulties. They. too, lack
good pitchers, ana until they get one or two
tHCy are always likely to make q more or less
poor Show. John Wards team So lar has been
quite disappo1nt From the first have
Lrver been able TO see how the Brooklyn team
could rank with some others in the League and
If the Bgidegrooms succeed IN finishing near
the top. l Will be greatly surprised. The lower
down the list the BrOoklyns get. of course the
worse il will be for John Ward. But he selected
his own path. The Western teams are getting
better. Probably the team in the best condi-
uon in the western section are the ChlcagoS
and it may not be unsafe to say that they are
almost In as good trim now as they will be
this season. If this is true. 1t means that tney
are much lighter than the maj orIty of League
clubs. Cleveland continues TO do we'll but
fully anticipate big drop for our GENIAL neigh
borS although 1 would be very sorry TO see il
Cincinnati Is getting stronger every day, and
with any kind of goou fortune thai team should
do very well.
Our Own Taarn
To say the least of it, our own team have been
Disappointing SO far; they have been dIsap-
pointing in that they have not played as well as
they can play Once or twice they have given
US glimpses Of what they can do, but there has
been an irregularIty about their work that has
wearied almost every admirer they have. Now
am not at all going to roast the club or any,
body else, because there is not sufficient reason
to 90 So. The season hasn't progressed far
enough yet for US to say definitely hat this or
that is an absolute failure. The truth is have
lust as much faith in the local team as l ever
had, anu until l am satisfied that they cannot
get down to their best form will continue to
have faith IN them. They have shown us that
they are capable of playing the very best kind
OF balls bat they have been unable to sustain
that first-class form. Probably the local team
have taken part in the very best League games
this year. But we will have much better chance
TO Judge our team during the next two or three
weeks, while they are contesting against the
Eastern teams. 1 am not uunindiul of the
fact that there are still many compiainings
about the makeup of the team. Miller COM
tlnues 20 be the target Of the complainers, but
Judging from what President O'Neil said to me
ihe other day ! fancy that George will remain at
short few days longer. Let me say word or
two about Miller i am not going to make an
apology; not at all, but simply state a fact or
two. Miller hos played short in tue wort possis
b!e fashion, and he has played It brilliantly.
The latter gives hope that be may become
tteadied IN his play, aud make q hrst-class man,
Tor we must not forget that he IL 40 expert
msnt. Well, Is not this hope sufdcient to in
euce the management to keep hold Of him an
81 all hope is gonef think il Is But at the