The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-08-06
CAYLOR'S BALL GOSSIP.
The Ups and Downs Of the Great
Pennant Contest.
The Value of Confidence and Team
work-Credit to Buck" Ewing.

Uncertainty, thy name Is baseballl When
| the National league season opened last
| April. the man who should have picked the
| Cinoinnatis as the probable pennant win
ners would have been ridiculed. Ewing's
team was put into the second division by
| nearly all Of the anteseason prophets.
| Even Ewing himself went on record with
| hope 70 fetch up among the first six
| clubs That was, In his mind, "a consum-
nation devoutly TO be wished. i have In
| my possession tho memoranda of IA wager
| made between one of the shrowdest news
paper baseball critics In the United States
and an ex-manager OF one of last years
League clubs, In which the critic bet the
ex manager that tho Cincinnatis would
beat out the Louisvilles in the race. NJ was
n pona nae even money bet, too, and tho
hacker of the Louisville team, with oil his
knowledge of baseball players, believed he
had the better end Of 1t. That shows the
tenor of public opinion concerning the Gin
cinnati team as lt existed before the play
ing season opened.
On the other hand every one was talk
ing about the five clubs which had chance
TO win-namely, the Baltimores Bostons,
Clevelands, Philadelphias and New Yorks,
with chances In about tho order named.
Boston's team was particularly considered
a dangerous foe to oil other aspirants, and
the Phillies had moro followers than ever
before. The almost total collapse OF the
/ Boston, Philadelphia and New York teams
has been scarcely less astonishing than the
remarkable record made by the Cincin-
natis. Can all this be accounted for?
With three exceptions, the Cincinnati
team this year Is the same which finished
eighth I'm last seasons race by the narrow
margin Of half n game. Irwin replaced
Latham at third base and the battery OF
Ehret and Peitz was added The other Ia
players took part in last years race. Ii
Is not the work of the three new men
which has wrought this great reversal In
team form. But players who were laid of
for incompetent work In 1896 are heroes OF
wonderful deeds this year. That is espe-
ciaIly true Of Hoy, Burke, Vaughn, Fore
man and Dwyer. From the verge of fail.
ure In 1895 these players have suddenly
risen to stars Of full magnitude Smith,
the short stop, was several years ago
turned loose" by the Brooklyns, which
club is now fighting hard to got into the
first division. Burke has been released in
turn by the late Harry Wright, manager
Of the Philadelphias, by the Pittsburgs,
by tho Milwaukee Western league club and
by the New Yorks. Hoy until this year
was mover considered player worth con-
tending for. Vaughn for several years
was butt for the sacrastio rooters even OF
his own city. Foreman, as a pitcher, kept
hanging to q pay roll, here or there for
several seasons. Ehret has been traded
from pillar to post till he scarcely knew
where it was safe to unpack his trunk.
And this Is the nondescript team which
Is giving the Baltimores the hardest fight
for the flag club has had for years. Why
Is itS
As 1 said before. Ewing's leadership must
get large part of the credit Buck"
knows the game from A to u, and his play
ers respect him. His pitchers haye been
unusually successful. Their good year
came to all at the same time. The team
got a good start, kept going had n streak
of luck here and there, and finally got into
that stride of the victor which is hard TO
stay. Confidence cuts n large figure In
their work. 1t Is great element for good
in the national game. The lack of the
confidence which Is making winners of
Cincinnatis mediocre players is keeping
better teams in the rear This irresistible
belief in themselves carried the New York
team forward with that great rush in the
last half of 1894, their confidence being
based upon tho pitching of Rusie and
Meekin. A lack Of this baseball requisite
has kept the Philles from reaching the
coveted goal year after year.
With the example of the present Cincin-
natl team before them there is no club In
the National league which should not have
more or loss hope--reasonable hope, too
of bidding high for tho pennant next
year or In some year TO come "A team OF
all stars Is not sure winner. During the
Players league campaign in 1890 Chicago
gathered such q team and on paper Ii look
cd like walk" for that combination of
diamond kings But less pretentious and
more easily governed team carried of the
prize Team work wins in baseball.
The National league raco this year is
perhaps the most uneven and generally un-
satisfactory of all during the past decade.
With two-thirds of the season finished, the
battle for first honors has settled down TO
three clubs II is very different from that
of 1894, when six clubs at this time In the
season were dsputing for the title Of cham
pion. In the great money making cities
of New York and Philadelphia disappoint-
ment has almost smothercd enthusiasm,
and all the clubs will lose money thereby,
yet tho honesty Of the game is once more
shown 5y the subversion of profit to team
ambition.
The Cincinnatls' record Of 10 victories in
21 games played against the six eastern
teams and the Clcvclands challenges I'D
miration. The two defeats from the cham
pions divided this long string Of victories
into unbroken series of IL and s.
This IL reminder that the eastern clubs
second visit 60 the west was one Of the
most disastrous ever made. OF 105 games
played the west won go. The Baltimore
team alone of the six eastern visitors won
n majority of It's Rnmos--l2 OF IL. The
record of the other five was New York.
won, II lost; Brooklyn, g won, le lost;
Boston, won, l3 lost; Philadelphia, {
won, ~ lost; Washington, 3 won, l I lost.
The Western association has disbandod,
assigning the season Of Its failure 90 the
national election year The rcascn is not
n good one, because tho Western league oc
cupyinR adjoining territory reports tho
IL Il