Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-08-27

ton that makes ii rather easy to see the
end. The Bostons will without doubt
come out an easy winner. The Pitts
burg club has been figuring IL out so
that It claims good chance to beat the
Bostons on the home stretch. That task
is hardly possibility, The Pittsburgs
are playing good ball and ought to take
second place from the Clevelands. The
Philadelphias have temporarily gone 10
| pieces, and il Is now no sure thing that
| the New Yorks will not beat them out.
The metropolitan giants have at last got
| into seeming form" and are playing
such ball as would have made them
equals Of the Bostons had they done the
same kind Of playing earlier in the sea-
son. The first three clubs In the race
I At the end should be the Bostons, Pitts
burgs and ClevelAnds in the order
named. II is long time till September
| 80, but these clubs will undoubtedly fin
| ish one, two, three.
There is something In the Oft told
story OF luck as applied to base ball,
and Of course, luck is OF two kinds
good and bad Philadelphia and Cleye-
land are justified in complaining OF an
unfair distribution OF the hard Kind In
their favor. 1t has had much 10 do In
keeping them down In the race. The
Philadelphia are desperately weakened
by the loss of their star player, Billy
Hamilton, who is stricken with typhoid
fever. Hamilton's illness is also loss
to the entire League. He was star
indeed. For several years he led the
players Of the country as batter and
also as a base runner, while his fielding
has always been phenomenal. IL is
| hard 10 estimate the real worth 10 a
| team OF man Ike Hamilton, nor yet
to figure out the percentage OF weak
ness which his absence from nine
| would occasion.
Besides the loss OF Hamilton the Phil
adelphias, just at the height OF their
success, were deprived OF the services OF
Boyle, Holman and Reilly and Thomp-
son, their heavy hitting outhelder, de-
veloDed o lameness that was a serious
handicap TO his work. The Clevelsnds
have also had an unusual share OF alb
senteeism from their team by reason OF
injuries. Tebeau, McAleer, OConnor
and thinner have all been placed hors
| du combat within the last month.
On the other hand, the Bostons have
been extremely fortunate. Only one OF
their players, Merritt, has met with In
| iuries since early in the season. But
it is not luck that has put the Bostons
so far ahead In the race. II Is good
ball; team work; playing the tricks OF
IL Inn 10
gether as one man. Every player knows
at all times just what is expected OF
him and just what his comrades on the
nine will do under any circumstances.
| They know all the tricks Of play, too,
and never fall to WORK them TO adYant-
age. The official averages will show
that the BOstons have made many more
sacrifice hits during the season than
any other club. They have won more
by working around runs one at a time
than by batting out block OF runs now
and then. A favorite play has been to
| allow one base runner TO be caught be-
tween the bases while the man on
third watches his opportunity and
scores. At least seven games have
been one by them this year on that
| piece or strategy.
These be fearful times for Uncle
Arson. For the first time in his long
| life on the diamond he is fighting des-
perately to keep out Of last place.
Gradually club after club has passed
his Colts" until now con two remain
| behind, and they are coming up fast.
The experience is decidedly new to the
veteran. Usually at this season OF the
year he has been hammering around
near the top. To be laundering at the
bottom is deeply humillatIng. To add
to his troubles be has II hands high
Charley horse which occasionally keeps
him In the stable, and his star player
Ryan announces that his recent rail-
road injuries are so serious that he
will not be able to play again this year.
Alas for the "old man"
MY recent prediction that the West
ern league would organize and enter
next season on a large scale has been
confirmed. / suppose It Is safe TO say
that st. Paul, Minneapolis, Milwaukee,
Kansas City and Omaha will have six OF
the league clubs. II wisdom controls
the conference Of these men when they
get together, they will make tneir
organization one OF eight clubs and
| avoid the weakness Of IL club circuit,
which aided largely the disruption OF
the southern league this summer.
The Mississippi valley has had sea-
| SON OF rest from the eXcltements OF the
national game, and the people should be
"rIpe" for the sport next spring. The
wear Of 1894 promises 70 find base ball
enthusiasm at high tide once more, and
the venture OF organizing In the west
will not be attended with the former
amount OF risk.
The dlsbandlrg Of the Southern and
California leagues was the result OF oaa
MANAGEMENT rather than OF natural
decline In interest Last spring
pointed out several serious mistakes
made by the Southern league. one was
the increase OF their circuit from 70
- cities; another was the continuance
Of the double championship after the
National league had dropped II, third
was miserably arranged schedule Of
games. A..
In addition 70 all this, few OF the
climbs Welded 10 the temptation OF
r,oney held out 10 them By National
league clubs for the release Of faVorlte
nlayers Other clubs partook OF the
craze. and . steady emigration OF 'be
southern clubs best players set 10 20
the north early in July. The result
va. not hard TO foresee. People In TIE
south naturally became dIsgn'ted and
Withdrew their patronage Inen came
the end very speedily.
In California there were 700 nHpJ
games and too few clubs. four eiuD'
make q. improbable league Is 90 ~
The best number is eight, aud the Ma
- ta,,ns vvfu not be long under the