Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-17

the second contest. Indeed 1 would notbe
surprised if the Boston team are not in the
first two at the end of the sea son.
The Philadelphia team have done well,
and had they male better start they might
have finished closer to Brooklyn than they
did But the Cincinnati team deserve as
much praise as any team in the League.
While few people expected the Reds to
do we'll, q very large number OF people
never for a moment thought that they would
make such hard fight for third place.
They didn't get that position. OF course, but
they have done remarkably well; indeed.
the success. of the Cincinnati team to q very
great extent shows what able, practical
management can do. 1t seems quite reason
able to say that if the Reds had gone along
in the same idiosyncratic style this year
that characterized them last year they would
have been no higher than they finished last
wear. This, in my Judgment implies that
to Captain Comiskey belongs the maj or part
of the credit for the good standing OF the
team. He has fully demonstrated that
there is very much indeed in the manage
ment of ball team, because he took hold
of team in thorough disrepute and at the
bottom of the list and has landed them al
most at the top of the tree in few months.
There is a lesson in this for magnstes.
Chicago and New York Failures.
The Cleveland team have, as they always
do, played q rattling and successful game.
They have won their position fairly, and
they deserve it. They have been we'll man
aged, and that has been one of their ele-
meuts of success The Washington team have
finished better than many people expected.
and much of their success is due to the way
in which Arthur Irwin has handled the
team.
But the other disappointments, and, I
nav say, failures OF the season so far have
been the Chicago and New York teams. 1t
is, indeed, o novelty to see Anson and his
colts down to eighth place. and as result
all kinds of reasons are alleged tor the big
drop. We cannot shut our eyes to the fact
that the absence of Pieffer from the team
has had something to do with the colts.
downfall. Pfeffer was greater source OF
strength to the Chicago team than he is to
the Louisville team. But the most serious
drawback Anson has had to contend with
has been the poor condition of his pitchers.
They have had very poor time of it. Be-
sides this some of the best felders and
hitters of the team have been injured or sick
and unable to play. All these drawbacks
have combined to down the Chicago team
and their remarkable manager.
that is fast becoming general: Anson is
failing fast. He is not the PLAYER he was,
and it may be that the sense of his own
waning on the field impairs his Judgment
and vigor as general in the struggle. Be
this as it NAV, it is fact that the last time
he was in Pittsburg he showed none of his
former vigor and vim, and played very
poorly. This may be the last season of
Anson as q PLAYER.
The New York team have been worse fail
ures than the Colts, or anybody else. No
body expected the Baltimore team to be
higher than twelfth, and, therefore, nobody
is disappointed in the "Birdlets." But do
say nobody on earth ever dreamed that Man
ager Powers and his Giants would land in
tenth place. But "there they be-" and
there they are as a sample of the most mis-
erable failures that ever were in a League
contest 1 fail to see redeeming feature
in the New York team. A more careless,
indolent and dissatisfied lot of players never
came to this city. They have travelled
around the country just as recklessly as if
they were under no management, and had
nobody to whom they were responsible.
Most certainly there are good players among
them, but apparently there is nobody in
charge of them to bring the good PLAYING to
the surface. 1t certainly is very humiliat-
ing for club with the prestige of the New
Yorks to nave a team finish nearly on
par with the remarkable Birdlets from Bal
timore.
Prospects OF the Second Race.
1t may be that the contest in the second
half of the season will be little more ex-
citing than in the first half; that is, that
the fight for first place will be closer. There
cannot be a much closer contest for the posi-
tions ranging from second to eighth and
ninth than there was in the first half 1t is
to be expected that almost all the teams be-
low the first three or four will play little
better and if this expectation is realized it
will make great difference to the leaders
The indications are that the second half
will not be as good financially as the first
halt has been. This NAV not be consoling
to manv, as the first half has not been a
success by any means, and if the balance of
the year is worse there will be trouble.
There is nothing to show that the second
half will be as good financially as the first
part of the season has been, but of course
there may be compromise in store.
But there is one thing that we will all
hope for during the remainder of the sea-
son, viz. a more satisfactory state of things
regarding the umpires- Certainly there has
been a heap of trouble with the umpires so
far this season. Doubtless many teams
have suffered, but in all fairness and with
out any exaggeration L think the Pittsburg
team has suffered most know that they
have suffered far more than any other
team while playing in Pittsburg. There
has certainly been more unpleasantness on
he'local grounds this season than we have
had for long time. Much of this has
been encouraged by lack of frmness on
the part of the umpires An umpire who
loes not firmly enforce his decisions and
cause players will persist in calling him
lown.
The Legality Of Live Pigeon Shooting.
1t is a great pleasure to more than one to
note that the case of the Humane Society 4
against Messrs. Shaner, Dixon and others
for shooting at live pigeons has fallen to
the ground. Readers of this paper will re-
member that when the misguided humani-
tarians of Philadelphia entered a similar
suit against a number of Philadelphia
sportsmen 1 argued the unreasonableness
and absurdity of such q suit Since then it
has been steadily argued in these columns
that there is less cruelty in the shooting of
pigeons by experts than there is in mem
bers of humane societies or citizens in gen.
eral going a hunting and blazing away at
that appears in sight
Judge Ewing takes this view of the mat
ter and further than that he reminded the
of Messrs Shaner and Dixon
that the basis of American morality
the Bible-states that the birds of the air
are for the pleasure of man. Judge Ewing's
remarks cannot fail to be of worth to the
Humane Society members. Depend upon
1t, there are numerous other things which
need the attention of the Humane Society
officials far more than live pigeon shooting.
There was never any reason for the prosecu-