The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-10-04
RURKETuT is CHIEF OF SLUGGERS.
NobIy Aided by Scorers, He Sefzes
First HOnOrs.


Chicago News.
Figures-those long and intricate columns
in which the soul of the gentle ball crank
doth delight. are now in the market, and
the man who would rather pore over queer
looking chunks of matter headed ABB,
r.. B.H. P.O., A, e." than read Rider
Haggard's latest novel is in his glory.
Some days ago, on a train going over the
Baltimore & Ohio, a fat, energetic little
man was making a canvass of the passen-
gers to ascertain their political views. AS
he passed through the smoker he came
upon another fat man, who was reading a
paper which to the eye of the second
seemed Eeplete with strange statistics of an
utterly incomprehensibie nature.
Excuse me. my friend said the politi-
cal canvasser, but 1 should like to learn
YOUR views on Cleveland's financial pol
ICY"
cleveland, Cleveland?" said the other,
m~usingly. tWhat club does he play within
what club? Cleveland? Why
.Oh. you mean the team. Why, I think
the management is pretty good, but the
patronage is growing so small that they'll
have to shift the nine to Detroit or Indian
apolis before long"
The political canvasser looked bewildered.
Then he tried a new tack.
"Would you give me your views on
Bryan's ideas concerning silver?"
.Bryan-Bryan? There isn't any such
man in the ! daeagueht I DO you mean JACK
And the seeker for political nformation
faded away with a despafring groan.
There are hundreds of men almost as
rabid on baseball and the statistics thereof
as the fat man on the train. THESE men
will shake their heads a tribe at the news
that Burkett again leads the League in bat
ting. The fact that Burkett also leads the
League in runs scored makes his claim look
a trife more valid, for runs are not as easy
to manufacture on a score as base hits, and
any man who can make 159 runs in l32
games is assuredly a great slugger. keeler,
Delehanty, and Jennings come cioSe p Tsanni,naur
and Jennings hold as batters and fielders
must make the New York and Louisville
clubs. which possessed these men and threw
them away. emphatically sad and sore.
Willie Lange, of Chicago. leads the whole
outfit in stolen bases. His record Is the
How has the most sacrifice hits to his
credit, and must have done great work IN
advancing Eddie Burke, who preceded him
at bat, around the bases.
The fielding averages are entertaining.
Pitcher Payne, of Brooklyn, did not have a
wild pitch all seasonal. good record for q
Northumberland Nichols, of Boston, did
not make a. fielding error. Young, of Cleve-
land. accepted the most chances per game.
Camel leads the catchers, with Vaughn
and Kittredge well up. The value of age
and experience in tho catchers position is
nlI dI1 ell0CllNtIN 1CAOa ~ y Ii0
fact that the seven leading backstops are
all seasoned veterans and the five lowest
on the list are youngsters.
Lajoie, Philadelphia find, made only one
error in thirty-nine games on first base.
McPhee, on second, made a record the like
of which was never equaled by a second
baseman. The hardest work in the posi-
ton, however. was done by Lowe and
ChiIds, each of whom had $50 chances per
game, as against 5.71 for McPhee. Charlie
Irwin tops the third basement, but Collins
had $50 chances per game to TWINS 31S.
Lave Cross leads at short, but Jennings
was the real king of the position, having
7.08 chances to the game, as against
CrosS's GIG.
as the star in right and Burke
in left. LANCE caught more flies than any
other outfielder.
The Temple cup series begins to-day and
the cranks have a general belief that
Cleveland will not be able to duplicate its
work of last season. Cuppy is not in good
condition, and. with Esper and Nops to
shoot left-hand curves at the Spiders. the
latter stand a good show of receiving a
sound walloping.
~Esper. by the way. is the most deceiv-
ing pitcher. in one way. that ever wore a
uniform. Nobody is ever satisfied with
him-there are always cries of Release
him. and he has been released frequently.
This year the Baltimore cranks have been
down on him and have demanded his head
time and again. 1T is understood that Nops
was signed to take Esper's job. and yet
well, the figures will show that the lazy
and unaggressive Eoper won just fifteen
games cut of nineteen he pitched and leads
all the League pitchers with a percentage
of 100. He may be lazy and he may be
unpopular. but he wins his games. and
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