The San Francisco call., 1898-07-09
STANDING OF THE
 CLUBS IN LEAGUE RACE.
< BY JOE CORBETT. 4 4 4 %% 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
 STANDING OF THE CLUBS.

the baseball clubs of the League on this Coast up to date. The fact that the Gilt Edges still lead in the race for the championship pennant is no great sur prise, as they will no doubt win the pen nant without even an argument. San Jose. their nearest competitor, while a good team in most respects, is in no sense capable of heading them off, un- less that glorious uncertainty of the game asserts itself. which is hardly prob able.
 The teams, as the table demonstrates, have not struck their gait. Oakland and Fresno should be up with the others. This is so of Oakland especially, as it Is good team, despite the fact that 1t has lost more games than it has won. The standing of this team to me Is a great dis appointment. 1 really looked for them to be near the top for l consider them, as a team, second to none, excepting Sacra- mento.
 Their pitchers are not as strong as they might be when compared with other tWirlers of the League who are winning games. q refer to such pitchers as are not in the same class with Harvey, 1berg and BalsE. 1 see no reason why they should not prove equally as effective
 MT. Russell's great fault lies in his in he should practice more frequently, so as to overcome this weakness. 1 might also suggest, MT. Russell, that you employ q quicker motion in delivering the bah with men on bases. They steal off you with provoking frequency, and it is all on ac- count of that long motion you adhere to.
 MT. MOskiman, on the other hand, pays too much attention to base runners, and 1t 1nterfereS greatly with his control. Don't De continually watching the bases, MT MoSkiman. Pay more attention to the plate. Your inability to locate it, at times, Is due entirely to your desire to watch the bases and pitch at the same instant
 l have said before it Is quite unneces- sary for pitchers to do this and I will supplement the assertion by stating that an occasional glance will do more to in pitcher might make.
 do not wish to give the impression while commenting on the pitchers, that they are responsible for the defeats of the team, for such would be wrong. To be frank, the support accorded them in some ! games was very eccentric, much more so than Is readily imagined. A decided i'm proyement, however, characterizes their work of late. With the. pitchers giving tween their present standing, and their climb to the top should be of short dura- tion.
 The Athletics and Sand Crabs" belong . where they are. When the FresnoS and Oaklands strike their gait the real fun will commence
 As to the San Franciscos. it Is difficult to size them up, principally on account or the new faces visible every time they play. The rumor that Mir. Rauer intended entering on the managerial role has not been confirmed, yet there is a possibility that he will do so. As owner and manager of the San Franciscos he should make the thing success-that is, if he Is capable of running a team. which I doubt
 There is not much use in discussing pos abilities; so l will dwell for a few mo- ments with the tailenders.
 This proverbial collection of eccentrici- ties, whose unsophiSdcated methods would well grace former age. have won three games, one of which was taken from the leaders. l am told that all they possessed In this wide. weary world, baSeballicaIly speaking, consisted of an unrealized If qT1I x1rith and a bat bag
 It Is said they play excellent ball when at home; but if the exhibition they handed down when here some few days or weeks ago Is any criterion, l must exclaim, 'Ierrible!" How they ever defeated the Gilt Edges is too deep for me and | therefore attribute it to that glorious un- certainty which is ever welcome with the tailenders
 No doubt; this aggregation will honor the tail end of the ladder with its pres ence all season. Let us hope so, at any rate. for 1 would much rather see them there than the Friscos. It Is simply i'm possible to figure on their finishing any where else, and unless they take a brace and very soon-it will be too late to catch up.
 Ham Iberg. one of the best if not the best pitcher in the State, has left the San loses. What is this world coming to when man of his caliber is permitted to roam about unsigned? He left the San loses because the management wanted to de- duct Sl0 from his salary to pay another man who had been engaged to participate as pitcher in Saturdays game. What an unlimited amount of cheek you have, Mir McGucken. I will tell you one thing-that if such men as Iberg are not engaged to play ball when they are available this league will burst, and the remnants will never be found.
 The great trouble with some of you managers is that you have become inflat- ed with the idea that this State contains a superfuity of good players, and in con- sequence such men as Iberg are compelled @r, NTAxr- fsaly fIv- are greatly mistaken.
 If the league contained a few more good players (you may rest assured that the poor are in the majority 1t would be drawing better crowds. If you are con- tent for the sake of a few dollars to let such star players go the people who do patronize the games will discontinue doing so.
 With the baseball public MT. Iberg is a very popular individual. They like to see him pitch because he pitches good baseball, and the quicker some of you managers realize this fact the better. I never saw such a queer lot of business men (so-called).
 Here you are endeavoring to run com plete baseball league without investing a cent. Baseball is a business, and very profitable one, If properly handled. Base ball, however. will not run itself. It, is exactly the same as any other, and man, to make it successful must invest his money.
 Do you suppose for a moment that peo- pie would go to the OTpneum or the Elm porium and spend their money if some thing was not given in return? Do you suppose that if the best actors left the Co., lumbia, the play would continue to be a bowling success? Not much; and the same holds good with baseball. If you permit your best men to leave the people will not go to see the games. Iberg is a card in himself, and if you, MT. Me Gucken, or any other manager, for that matter thinks it best to leave him out, do so and suffer the consequences. He is worth that $10 a hundred times over, and what a fool he would be to permit it be- ing taken away from him. I would ad- wise some of these teams to grab him, quickly, and, MT. Iberg, if they will not pay the money, you are justified in re- maining idle.
 To-days game will be red hot. The line up follows:
 San Francisco. Positions. Fresno. StroecSer. ..Catcher.-.......... Mangerine Shea. Pitcher ............... Thomas Dunleayy. base. Held Croll oecoIu farley Collins -s nlTu Dase.-s--..'.--. Moore krug.. SnortStop ...-.-.----.1ourtn J1eardy y..-...---.-.lSeIl netu. erBuSon I3eatOn... AlcCue Barry. Right held.......... Britain
 Soldiers to Swim at Sutro Botbs.
 Volunteer soldiers will again be among the competitors in the swimming con