The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-31
Western Lengue Stnndinr.
TEAM IN GOOD TRIM.
Eight Victories Out of Twelve Games
Is the Record.

The victorious Hoosiers returned home
last evening in company with the St. Paul
team, with which they will open a series
on the home grounds this afternoon. Nat
urauy they are feeling pretty good. Eight
victories out of twelve games is the best
record any team ever made on a Western
trip in this league, and it is only exceeded
by the last Eastern trip of the Hoosiers,
when they won eight out of eleven.
The indianapolis team plays better away
from home than any other team in the
league, and if it won as many at home as
one or two of its near rivals no other club
would be in the race. The cause is not hard
to find. Those really anxious to see the
team win all the time are inclined to lay
the blame largely upon a crowd OF twenty
or thirty in the '|bisachers, who are in The
habit of unmercifully roasting a nome
player every time he makes a slip, whether
it Is justihable or not, and abusing MIN
every time he fails TO make hit, partcu-
larly II 1t is in an emergency, The players
expect abuse and guylng away from home,
bur at home it demoralizes the best of
them Only those VINO thoroughly appre-
ciate the steady nerve, clear head and
quick judgment required at critical mo-
mentS in d ball game can understand how
much the spirit of the home audience mas
to 90 with snappy ball on the part OF nome
players.
Almost every game on the trip has been
fought under adverse circumstances ana
some of them have been hard uphill bat
ties. OF course, they got the worst of il on
Indianapolis. However, it cost at least two
games. In the close game that was lost at
St Paul, Goar was seized twice by the
third baSeman and held when he had oppOr-
tunities to come on long flies
In Minneapolis they were worked with
soft balls, and Watkins had to stand fine
to get around the difficulty. Every time
the Hoosiers came to bat an old soft ball
was worked in on Them, and it could not be
batted out of the diamond. The MinneapO-
lis players made practice of pounding and
doctoring balls at the bench to have
them in readiness, Phillips hit one of these
balls square in the nose with one of his
powerful swings and expected to see it sail
over the fence. 1t went bobbing through
the air like a sponge and the shortstop got
it, Phillips threw up his hands. He could
hit it no harder than that. Watkins. COM
planned of the trick, and when the umpire
gave him no satisfaction he stationed
Foreman and Brown behind the bleachers
with knives and gave Kahoe his own knife
and some instructions. Finally a foul was
knocked near the bench and Kahoe Selling
the ball, ripped the cover off: The umpire
fined him ''ive,'f but Watkins paid the
fine and declared they would rip up every
soft ball they could get hold of. After that
they got decent balls and Won out the
game.
said Manager Watkins last night. mot
man is laid up, and they are playing cham
pionship ball right along. Flynn has been
doing magniticently at short. He gets
errors only because he gets in front of balls
that other shortstops would not get in the
neighborhood Of Why it was only yes
to-day that he got a. hot one between sec
0nd and first base and got his man out.
But he is not the only one that is doing
business. Stewart, Mccarthy Motz, Nc
Farland, Hogriever, Gray, all the boys have
been doing handsomely and they are in the
game every minute, while Woods emer
gency hitting. has been something beautiful
Mind you. this trip is the first time we have
had all our men and no cripples or substi-
tutes Holding first place, as we do / have
every hope now of landing the pennant."