The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-26
GOSSIP ABOUT THE
NATIONAL GAME
One View OF the WiIkes.Barre Story 0i
Hard, Hard Luck.
THE EASTERN LEAGUE PITCHERS
Youngsters Who Are Doing Great
Work Just NOW..What Our Ex.
changes Say About the Passing Of
Arlic Latham. .Odds aud Ends Of
Base Bali News Gathered Here and
Tharn

many admirers of the Alligator City
boys are singing. This Is what the
News Dealer says:
THE admirers of the Wilkes Barre
club say that its unprecedented series
of defeats has been caused by hard
luck. Hardluck fiddlesticks. There is
as much luck i'm baseball as In other
games, but hard luck cannot shoulder
eight straight defeats. The fact of the
matter is that the Babies can not hit
the ball and that they are unable to
take proper advantage of their hits
and their opponents errors by failure
to do anything on the bases. A glance
at the stolen base column in the score
shows that on the average the oponents
steal three bases to the Babies one.
This Is not due to Diggins' failure to
throw either. for there is no better back
stop In the league 1t Is due entirely
to the listlessness of the Babies when
on bases.
Another fact, too. that places our
team at disadvantage Is that the boys
lose heart SO easily. IL they are once
headed In a close game 1t Is all up with
them, they do not seem to possess the
necessary fighting qualities for a hard
finish. If they had the result of the
Buffalo games would have been differ
ent. Last year we had a strong team
with the same men. We need q good fast
fielder and hard hitter and another
strong pitcher. Our pitchers are doing
fairly well and with timely, yes even
ordinary batting,the Babies wouldihave
won az least half the games played.
"All in all, with another pitcher and a
strong fielder we would have q fairly
good team, one which should get into
the first division. Not a phenomenal
team in any respect but one which
would do good steady work 1t pays to
have a winning team and the directors
knowing this should not hesitate to
spend money In Strengthening the club
where 1t Is necessary"
EASTERN LEAGUE PITCHERS.
There has been many, very many.
surprises in the Eastern League thus
far by the pitchers. Men heretofore
unheard Of have been making records
that are simply astounding. Here are
Willis OF Syracuse, Herman of Roches-
ter, Started of Buffalo, Dunn Of To-
ronto-pitchers regarded as amateurs
yet they have held teams of acknow-
lodged ability in batting down to one,
two and four hits, while old and tried
veterans have been stacked up against
this wonderful work and their perform
ances made to appear only that of or
dinary pitchers.
Fridays games saw four of the East
ern League clubs make total of eight
cen hits or an average Of but four and
One-half hits per game, while the same
opposing clubs raped out fiftyfO
hits withan average Of almost fourteen
hits. These same men above quoted
are in luck at this stage and certainly
cannot continue this work; and when
they are destined to swing around the
circle with other Environments they will
find that Keenans. Coughlins. Grubers
Johnsons. Browns, .Eagans, HodEons
and others will as thoroughly overshad-
ow them as has been their work in the
initial gar1es on their heaths.
Heavy hitters who are now meeting
with poor results will have regiined
their batting instincts and leather
chasing will be more promiscuous with
the men supporting the phenoms of this
date.-Wilkes-B Barre Record.
ABOUT ARLIE LATHAM.
The passing of Arlie Latham. long
delayed, has come at last and the man
who shared with Mike Kelly the dis
tinction Of being the most popular
player and best drawing card in the
profession, has dropped out of fast
company. He has lost his playing skill
which made him one of the best expon-
ents of the national game. but he's
good fellow at that. and the Old Guard
will hail with satisfaction the intelli
gence that Latham's lines have once
more fallen in pleasant places. If the
thousands who have been entertained
by his wit and funny antics on the dla-
| mond would contribute in proportion TO
| the enjoyment he has afforded them,
| the comedian of the game would pass
| the rest of his days in ease.-Sporting
News.
The following appeared in the Colum-
| bus Dispatch recently when the base
ball writers of that city thought Lat
ham was going to play there: so we
are to have the pleasure of Arlie Lat
hams cOmpany-good. jolly good fel-
low is the famous third baseman On
| a winning nine he is the source Of more
solid unadultered amusement and
mimicry than Old Dan Rice or Billy
| Sweatman ever aspired to be. Then
too he IS one of the most versatile of
men. bright. snappy and always In
touch with the times. On the coaching
lines. don't think his equal ever lived"
GATHERED FROM THE DIAMOND:
The truth about Billy Rhines sounds
stranger than fiction. In 1890 Billy in
jured his pitching wing, and the base
| ball writer's numbered his days. But 1t
| was a case of necessity being the parent
| of invention. as Billy practised and ac-
| quired the knack of the oldfashioned,
below the shoulder delivery. This be-
! lated style of twirling. at which Tom
| Bond was an adept generation ago.
| Is Rhines most effective ball, and he Is
| fooling the heaviest batsmen in the
| league with it.-Washington Post.
| In practice Pitcher Campfield shows
up well. He has good control Of the
ball. great speed, and his enormous
| ,ao,t, nf arr, and Loo apn h1ay him IN
shorten the pitching distance about ten
| feet. In the last thrOes of his delivery,
that Is. when he has finally unloaded
himself, Campfield appears to be plac-
| ing the ball against the bat with the
thumb and forefinger Of his right hand.
In private life Campfield is poultry
doctor, physician and surgeon at Mead
VILE during the winter.-Pttsburg
Chronicle Telegraph.
"As an all round man. base runner,
batsman, and fielder Win Mercer is the
superior Of any pitcher in the league"
says McGunnigle, of Louisville.
This is the nasty fling the Springfield
Union makes at Manager McDermott:
"Wonder If Mike McDermott finds any
difference between the Eastern and
New England leagues? McDermott
was a. little god in the New England
league with his champion team and
| carried out several nlsn-HaHueu EaIHeS.
He Is now wallowing around in the
scum at the bottom of the Eastern
league. He is in the company now of
men who won't take any of his funny
business"
"Scrappy Bill' Joyce has this to say
about kicking: ITS all stuff to talk
about 1t doing no good to raise row
with the umpire when club gets the
hot end of a decision. ! know by en-
perience that it is the thing to do. or
course. rarely get what kick for, but
usually matters are evened up before
the game Is over, and then know that