The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-06-26

this year. OF their first 81 games at the
Polo grounds the Giants won 16, tied Q and
lost only 3. That percentage, IL carried
through the season, would win the PEN
nant. But unfortunately for New York its
team weakcns whenever it is called upon
by the schedule to play In Baltimore, Bos-
ton Or Philadelphia.
There must be good reasons for this
high percentage Of home victories, of
course. The principal one IL the perfect ia
miliarity which each team has with it's own
grounds, Just as mans constant use Of
his dwelling permits him to go from room
to room in the dark with ease while vis-
:tor wSaiu get confused in trying to do
tho saiic thing.
Every baseball ground has It's peculiari-
ties, which can be and are turned to ad-
vantage by the home players. The Philn-
delphias furnished an apt illustration of
this fact before the recent improvements
were made. Right field fence was very
close In to the diamond and many batted
balls struck that fence. Thompson, the
Phillies' right fielder, had studied the
caroms from that fence as a billiardist
studies the angle shots in the game he
plays. Consequently strange visitors to the
Z 1ulluuclDlIu BEOunu WCiO OipCN BIicCo
to see the big right fielder apparently run
ming away from the ball when 1t was hit
safely In that direction. A moment later
they would realize the philosophy OF the
act. Thompson had played for the car
om and made 1t, holding the batsmen to
single base hit thereby. Visiting field
ers were apt to either chase the ball direct
~ and then have to follow it In Its angle
or would miscalculate the carom, which
would result in just as much disadvan-
tage and give the batsmen two or three
bases instead of one. Tiernan works the
correct angles at the Polo grounds upon
balls hit against the base OF the right field
stands In Cincinnati the outfleld Is half
surrounded by IN embankment some 80
feet In depth. The Cincinnati outfielders
climb this embankment like goats In fol-
lowing long flies, but 1t worries the visit
ing players.
Very few diamonds are "dead" levels.
Some have low first base. Others show
with depressions mt other corners The
diamond at old Sportsmen's park, In st.
Louis, on which Comiskey's famous
Brown Stockings won four successive PEN
nants, was probably tho most trying dia-
mond in the Union for visiting teams.
There was decided rise from the home
plnte to the center field. Visiting catchers
throwing to second base were very apt to
ground" tho ball. But the greatest handi-
cap was placed upon the visiting pitchers,
who were forced to pitch down hill instead
Of over q level plane. That threw them
all out of their bearings, whereas Coinis-
keys pitchers worked the familiar decliv-
ity to marked effect.
Outside Of tho advantages OF familiarity
Of grounds, the home players have the en-
courageIhent Of the spectators' sympathies
and "rooting" They usually get what
ever bias the umpire may show. They
have no night rides to tire them for their
next days work, nor yet the temptation
to overfeed at we'll provided hotel table.
All these advantages, when put together,
are bound to result In q tremendous elc-
ment of strength.
II 10 early to forecast final results In the
National league race, but the campaign
has progressed far enough to make it al
most a certainty thnt Boston and Balti-
more will fight it out alone for the pen
nant The general opinion among ball
players II that the Bostons have the better
show. Their pitching force mp to the
middle of June showed far superior to that
which Hanlon has, and strong pitching Is
bound to tell In the end.
The western six have been n sore disap-
pointment To their supporters. The miser-
able showing of the entire sextct during
the eastern tour was body blow To the
western hope that the pcnnant, this year at
least, would fly over n ground west of the
Allcghnnies. There is now apparently no
such hope Whatever rally the Cincin.
patis or Clevelands may make during
their home series In July will probably be
Offset by their hard task Of finishing the
season away from home with more than
90 games each. IL will be surprising II
more than two western clubs end the race
In the first division.
A players associations may mako or
break him. A good instance Is shown In
the oase Of Third Base Man Donnelly. The
man has been playing ball for ten years.
When Mc0raw was stricken with typhoid
fever In the cnriy spring Of last year, Han
Ion, a. tho best he could do, called Don
nelly from minor league and put him In
Me(tranfa vsootttnn 1ho orpof 0ono