The San Francisco call., 1898-07-24
TERRIBLE!
 TERRIBLE! An Expert Verdict on the
 Ball Game. ATHLETICS PLAY HORRIBLY THEY EMPLOY THREE PITCH 
THEY EMPLOY THREE PITCH
 FRS USEL LESSLY.
San Jose Won Handily by Putting Up Excellent Ball in Marked Contrast to Their op-
 ponents' Work.
BY JOE CORBETT.

As I am a most ardent admirer of our great national game it is with great reluctance that l allude to yesterdays performance between the San loses and Athletics as a game of baseball. It was, or course, in one sense, yet to an indi vidual endowed with but the usual amount of sagacity it appeared more like game of checkers" That is, the San loses played baseball and the Athletics, who have gained some little reputation of late as a good ball team, played at it. The difference In methods gave the game to the first named aggregation without even an argument.
 To describe the contest as it really oc- cured would, I sincerely believe, be inn possible; yet, as 1 must give some idea of the game, and particularly dwell upon that point which conveys how it was won and lost, l will say that 1t was from be- ginning to end complication of precipi- tate confusions
 The San loses played almost perfectly; that Is, until after they were assured of certain victory, and the Athletics. well, they tried hard and lost. To give an idea of how hard they tried three pitchers were necessary, and absolutely so, to finish the game. Now, if that is not em- ploying every available means to emerge victorious, l am sadly mistaken.
 It was, after this changing process" became so common. that the Athletics gave the impression that they were play ing checkers"
 Fitzpatrick made the first move at the end of the fourth inning. Things weren't going well with him. and he conceived the idea that a graceful retirement, under the pretense that he must pitch to-day against the Sand Crabs, was preferable to being compelled to retire amid aval- anche of base hits and possible three baggers.
 lis successor was MT. Fountain, who has been taking care of the bats since signing a Crowley & kaplen contract. He had way of sending men to first base that was really remarkable, no less than three being given free transporta- ton in such rapid succession that the crowd howled derisively for another pitcher.
 The crowds and their quarters account for that new fence now going up, which. by the way, began to turn yellow in the middle of the game, its hue being, no doubt, the reflection of the Athletics play
 The entreaties of the assemblage. in view of the above mentioned fact, could not be ignored, so 1t became MT. Foun- looked alike to those Florists, and when Josh Reilly undertook to ease the situ- himself, the game of checkers became baseball history, and the whole affair terminated in a josh"
 Reilly was improvement over his vanquished cohorts, yet his efforts to make the game appear as near baseball as possible were appreciated and applauded. He certainly Is an earnest worker, and without him it Is needless to conjecture what would happen to the Athletics.
 The pitchers were not the "onliest ones mixed up In this game of confu- sion They were admittedly very much a la Perrine or Russell but their work fades into oblivion when confronted with the miserable exhibition put up by those players who are engaged to accept field ing possibilities and make runs.
 l know of no more appropriate manner in describing their attempts Ghey were whole, they outclassed the famous blue ribbon" collection. This 1 realize is mak- ing use of some acrimony, but it is true. not the Friscos of the present, for they have reformed-but the Friscos of the past.
 It was confusion on confusion with them all through the game. The "Flor- sts' made ten hits, yet scored as many runs That in itself will give an idea of 1t does not convey a proper conception of their color. Yellow is the hue, the same as that now being put on the fence, and the reflection must have been very strong to inspire those painters, who were 1 un- derstand supposed to use black. They cannot be censured, however, for 1t cer- ldluly was dWlui, anu IIldH COulQ IOI be blamed for killing another after leav- ing the grounds.
 in the seventh inning Iberg took things easy, and the crowd was brought to it's feet by a rally, which, for moment, looked as though 1t would last until sun down. A continuity. of base hits, clean as could be, marked the first stages of this inning. The spectators thought 1t was the turning point of the game, but termineled with an error or two, Iberg started pitching again. and the hopes of all were shattered beyond recognition.
 Four runs were scored in this inning, and then confusion asserted itself, as pre- viously, and reigned supreme until the end.
 The work of the San loses was really good, despite the fact that they made six