Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-05-17
BLUES BATTING AVERAGES.
Heads the List. with Cap
tain Carney n Close SecOnd-SiX
Over the 300 Mark.

The season is now well under way. but
1t is too early to predict the outcome eN-
cept to hint that in the final windup IN
dianapolis. Columbus and Minneapolis ana
Kansas City will probably be doing Some
energetic work for first division hohors'
with Milwaukee and Detroit not far be-
hind. The Blues have made d pitiable snow
ing on the surface. but there Is no douot
that the team will yet strike It's gam ana
hustle along toward the front in a way TO
please its admirers. The peSsimists, whfch
is another name for cutters. nave taken
the most hopeless view of the case Of the
Blues and nave assigned them TO the last
plaCe i'm the column or worse. There is no
doubt of the teams individual strength ana
there are "A great many games yet 10 De
played this season.
The greatest disappointment in the team
is the falling off in the batting OF some or
the members. The Bannons have not come
up to their advance notices. although jim
mic has been lacing the bail out of late
better than he did in the start OF OF the
season. He is but 4 points under the .@O
mark. His fielding has not been of the best,
especially on ground balls. Tom Bannon's
batting eye is away on a vacation, "Gd
Connaughton is hitting fairly well. Carney
is still lining them out and Delehanty
gives promise of strengthening the
has displaced Tom Bannon in left
field. is improving in his fielding of lies,
but is still lacking in the work of picking
up bounders. He is a pretty reliable ran
to come to bat at a time when a .llI Is
needed to bring in a run. and the chances
he takes entitie him to a higher niche In
the batting order. Fred Lake is not hitting
the ball the way he IAN. and he insists on
putting long flies into the field, instead OF
trying to send the ball through the dia-
mond. Reilly has picked up some in his
stick work. but he is not fielding his posi-
ton in the best manner in the universe.
Perhaps the most surprising thing in the
league this season was the fact that st.
Paul slipped into the lead. The Apostles
held the advantageous position for a time,
but now that it has looScned IL is not inn
probable that il will be Il great many
moons before ii will regain the place, II II
ever does again this season. Pete Daniels
is keeping Columbus well up 10 the top,
bit he did that in Kansas City one season,
until he drew his salary, and then various
and sundry mixers of ConcOctions that
paint landscapes on mems minds began to
Jingle silver dollars in their pockets and go
buggy riding much more frequently than
before. About this time the Blues began to
lose. and Lucky Pete was not as popular
as he had been before.
Grand Rapids certainly is playing in
tough luck. The team is not so greatly out
classed that ii should drop games with such
surprising regularity, but there is little eN-
cuse fer a losing ball team, and if that
team has any the Grand Rapids papers
must make them.
Detroit is going to be a pretty formidable
factor in the race, from all appearanceS,a and
the addition of Terry to the Milwaukee
pitching staff strengthens that team.
In the table below the batting averages
are given up to. but not including, yester-
DAYS pama.