The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-07-21

the other aspirants for championship hon.
ors. They forgot that the Bostons had
but one Nicols. Then came news of I'm
Gle Anson's second triumph and the base
ball world marveled. Two victories out
Of three from the leader by team which
fell down before the weakest of it's op-
ponents But the climax of astonishment
was reached when news Of the third VIC
tory was flashed over the wires.
1t will be long time perhaps before
this instance of uncertainty shall be
matched. The sequel to 1t, however, add
ed to the proof that "form" In baseball,
or what is called "the dope" at the race
tracks, Is very vagarish. Following the
Bostons came the Brooklyns to Chicago.
They had just been beaten twice by the
st. Louis tailenders. Yet they 90 in
against the three times victors over the
leaders and beat them easily, even with the
mighty Griffith pitching. This is pretty
good specimen Of baseball uncertainty,
which induced bookmakers and booksellers
to drop the sport from their speculative
list. So long as the gamblers could "fx"
the games they had chance to win, but
when crooked playing passed away so did
pool selling on that sport.
With the championship season half over
one pretty safe deduction may be made of
tho finish. Five of the clubs can almost
surely be assigned to the first five places,
though, of course, not individually, and
these five clubs alone have look in on the
pennant. They are the Bostons, New
Yorks, Baltimores, Cincinnatis and Cleve-
lands, None of the other seven, even with
all the uncertainties Of the game, has
seemingly a l out Of 100 chance to get
higher than sixth. And Anson is likely
to get into that second class favored niche.
On midsummer performances the Bos-
tons and New Yorks aro generally picked
as one, two, and the most probable con-
testants for the Temple Cup at the end Of
the season. Hanlon still insists that his
champions will win out, but his conf
dence, bluff or whatever 1t may be, is not
shared by one player out Of every 20 In
the league. II the Baltimores had pitch-
ers who could face crisis whenever one
arose In their games, Hanlon's g faith might
find justicflation, but that Is just where
the apparently insurmountable weakness
of the Baltimore team lies.
The Clevelands will be dangerous fac
tor IL their pitchers ever settle down to
effective work, but their two former stand
bys, Young and Cuppy, have so far been
Of little use, and Tebeau has had to look
for help from new stars Of the slab, and
new pitchers are always unreliable.
Public opinion upon clubs chances Is
usually shown by the attendance at games
when the rival candidates are on the road.
Rooters will always give the preference Of
their presence at games In which club
takes part which they consider has the best
chance to win. So, on the western trip
this sentiment was distinctly bestowed
upon the Boston and New York clubs,
plainly indicating that public opinion in
the west has picked these two teams In the
order named to finish one, two. II the two
places fall to the eastern section.
Mr.. Young, president of the League, an
nounccs that six umpires will do all the
League work until the season closes It
means that the double umpire system has
been tried and found to be unsatisfactory
A significant fact Is now on record that
the umpires who are surest Of continual
ton Of their jobs and those who have last
I'd the longest are those who have not been
home umpires, and therefore have been
most violently abused by spectators and
local press. OF such are Hurst, Lynch,
Emslie and O'Day. They realize that un-
less they are overtly unfair they cannot
get the good opinion of local crowds In
most cities Rather than sacrifice their
sense Of right, they have stood abuse from
the stands until, like Damascus blade,
they have been tempered and made fit for
their business.
Two or three Of tho very smallest OF the
minor Leagues put up their shutters and
went out Of business after the Fourth Of
July harvest. This II always tho result
Of tito custom of organizing temporary
leagues among towns and cities which
have not the population 10 support even
cheap teams, but the recognized minor
leagues are all doing we'll, and there will
probably bo no serious interruption 10 the
regular seasons programme among them.
Are bntsmcn mastering the secret pow
ers Of left handed pitchersf IL seems TO be
20. Kilien, called the king" who stopped
everything which faced him carIy I'm the
seoson, was numerically pounded In July.
Nops, Tannehill, Friend, Hill, Damann,