Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-17
Opinions Regarding the First
Pennant Contest of
the Ball Season.
DISAPPOINTING FEATURES.
Prospects of the Second Half and
Its Probable Results.
THE SHOOTING OF LIVE PIGEONS
local Amateur Athletes Eaking q Very
Timely Protest
THE SULLIVAN AND CoRBETr FIGHT

With its good results aud bad results the
first halt of the baseball championship sea-
son of the year has gone into the past. 1t
is over and Is a matter os history Nobody
can say that there has been anything re-
markable about 1t or that It mas been char
acterined by ANYTHING Of brilliant kird.
Generally speaking. .ne quality of ball
PLAYING has been poor, financial e1pecta-
tions have not been realized and the mag
rates have indulged in the most unfair and
deteuseless method cf reducing the salaries
ofplsyera
There are facts to bear out all these state
ments and / venture to make another asser-
tion, viz, tha. there is not that "kindly"
feeling among :he magnates that We were
told SO mnch shout during the League sur
render st Indianapolis There is more sus-
picion existing now among the baseball
magnates than there has been for a very
long time. Altogether it is easy to see that
the more that the baseball business is re-
duced to a mechanical or uniform and sta
tionary basis the worse it is tor everybody
concerned
The great object of the ruling magnates
during the half of the season just gone has
been to bring uniformity by reducing
things to lower level
Instead of Higher.
There has been more effort made to bring
strong teams to a level with weak ones than
there has been to raise the weak ones to the
power of the strong ones. To prove this
nothing more need be cited than the ado2-
tion of that very ludicrous "13-rule," as
it is called. That rule certainly places an
embargo on the development Of any team.
1t gives little or no chance for club to try
and develop young player, as the rule
keeps the number of team so small that
all the players must be ready for harness
every day. Now it is quite easy to see
that this is bad principle and handicaps
those enterprising clubs that are wishful to
lay hold of young men in hopes of getting
Gne or two good PLAYERS from among them.
A policy of this kind is simply this: Jones
is not able to keep up certain pace, and
he and his friends resolve to stop Brown
from doing So
Certainly this rule is bad for the players,
as it reduces their chances of employment.
This will, of course, increase competition
among the players for work, and this COM
This may be one Of the objects of the rule,
and, if it is, the means of attaining the OBJ
iect are not good and cannot but have bad
results. But the new methods and rules
adopted in the first half of the season
prompt considerable curiosity regarding the
second half 1t will be interesting to watch
how matters proceed under all these novel
conditions.
Some of the Dfsappoinfments.
To be sure, there have been many disap-
pointments resulting from the contest for
the first pennant. Just before the first half
commenced 1 made the remark in these COL
umns that there were only two points /
would venture an opinion about One was
that the Boston team would win the pen
nant and the other was that the Pittsburg
team would finish in the first six. Both
of these expectations have been realized.
Although the local team is sixth on the list,
they are within the limits predicted.
do not hesitate to say now that 1 really
expected them to finish higher up than
sixth place just as sure as ''eggs is eggs"
the team is capable of doing much better
than they have done. Why they haven't
accomplished better things may be matter
for conjecture and debate, but it is just as
plain as the noses on our faces that they
should have been much higher than sixth
place L imagine hear somebody talking
about ''team work. Yes, team work has
had much to do with it and more so during
the latter part of the contest than during
any other part. Of course, there have been
difficulties encountered that no management
could help, but / do argue that many games
have been lost more through lack of man
agement than ANYTHING else.
/ am told that Manager Hanlon, of the
Baltimore team, offered Captain Burns, of
the local team, any pitcher on the Baltimore
team in exchange for Stricken. Burns took
Terry. Herein was grave mistake, as a
man like Mcmahon is worth dozen
Terrvs. saw this out of no disrespect for
Mr. Terry; he is every inch of him a gen.
tleman, but it is apparent that his pitching
days are gone, almost. And it is pitchers
we need. Terry may now and then be able
to pitch good game, but at this stage of
baseball history he cannot be compared
with a man like Mcmahon.
1t is also true that Ehret's lack of condi-
tion in the early part of the season cost the
team many games He is now all right, but
as ill luck will have it, Baldwin is now the
only one likely to be able to back him up.
This means that the sooner another good
Young pitcher is secured the better. still
have considerable confidence in Baldwin,
club would make big mistake in exchang-
doubtedlv been one of the most unfortunate
pitchers in the League. True, his careless
ness NAV have cost him game now and
then, but on very many occasions games in
which he has pitched have beer lost BY the
most remarkable strokes Of bad fortune.
Baldwin is a good pitcher and one of the
most willing in the business. Certainly,
like every player in the business, he has his
shortcomings, but abuse and discouraging
demonstrations will not make matters any
better, neither in his nor anybody else's
case.
fsemarlxs About the Respective Teams.
Whether or not the Boston team have
been favored by what we call luck during
the contest Just ended, i am not going to
stop and argue. They may and RAY not
have been, but do claim that they have
won the pennanS on their merits. In say
ing this am free TO admit that they started
in with an advantage over ali other teams
and particularly the Brooklyns, their
closest rivals Tee Bos.ons We're all right
from the start, while the Brooklyns were
not. Had the latter starred in the race in
as good form as they were q few days ago,
the result might have been different But
what contend Is that far both teams
have gotten what they played !or, generally
syesking. 1t wos because the noetoIs were
jn such good form to start in with that they |
have been able to keep up a winning gait to
the end.
Nobody will for a moment dispute the |
statement that the Brooklyn team hare |
fairly and honorably Won their position.
Ward has done well with mis- team and IL |
must be admitted thst he has good one. |
His good bitters have pulled him through |
and after all there is nothing better than a |