The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-05-25
LUCK IN BASEBALL.
Up and Downs That Clubs and Players
Contend With.

In the lead a few days ago, pushing on for the
pennant, flushed with success and inspired with
confidence; next TO the tailenders today, play
ing loosely and seemingly without hope-such
are the conditions of the Seattle baseball club.
so aptly illustrating the ups ana downs OF base
ball. In no sport is uncertainty so frequently
lowering near as it is in the great national
game, and even those least prone to superstition
a e forced to admit that in baseball, II in moth
ing else, luck ia an important factor in determ
lining the fate of clubs and the destiny of
players.
All players have their of days, sometimes
their off weeks and even seasons. The history
OF the game and many of the star players show
that Players whom clubs have released as
worthless and incompetent, have become high
priced stars, and command better salaries to-
day than congressmen- Men who in
one league seemed pursued by the de-
mon of bad luck, upon making a
change have frequently struck winning
streak and made records that surprised even
themselves. With team the period of hard
luck is generally shorter, for where there is a
good man at the helm to steer the club
past the obstacles and difficulties that beset
it. the breakers are avoided, and the
men who are out of form and often Respondent
are braced up and encouraged on to victory.
An excellent illustration of hard luck was the
Chicago Brotherhood club last season. Com
posed OF the stars from the Chicago National
League club and the famous st. Louis Browns,
the Chicago Brotherhood club was supposed to
be invincible but for weeks, and even months,
hard luck followed it from place to place, and
TO have disabled players was the rule, not the
exception. One man would not recover before
others would be knocked out, and veritable
"Jonah" seemed to be relentlessly pursuing the
combination of the stars. and the pennant
upon which they seemingly had cinch, was
soon far beyond their reach.
Seattle Ia another instance, but its fate may
not be so deporable as that OF the Chicago
Brotherhood. The fact remains, however, that
from the beginning of the season the club has
been decidedly out of luck. Players for whom
everything had been arranged were disappoint
ments in one way or another One pitcher from
whom much was expected, failed to appear,
another slipped from Seattles grasp into the
greedy clutches OF a rival club, and another be-
came disabled before the season opened. De-
spite these difficulties, however, with determi
nation worthy of better fate, the club went
forward and took first place in the race for the
pennant, but its "Jonah'' pursued IL and after
holding its own for twenty-one in nings in the
greatest game on record Seattle lost in
the twe1ty-second After that the clubs
"Jonah" began scoring a series OF trinmphs and
it seems that in every particular the team is out
of luck. The pitchers are In bad form, the stick
work has suddenly become detective and every
thing is going amiss, but it is a long lane that
has no turn, and with Powell at the helm the
club will soon strike winning gait and advance
to the front once more, to snatch victory from
defeat and the pennant from the pole from
whence il now so YEARLY floats