Evening star., 1898-08-15
CURRENT SPORTING NOTES


Fewer games were played by the Ma
ticnal League teams last week than in any
similar period this season. and yet the con-
tests waSed between August Z and IA will
go down in the history of '9S as the most
important up to date. Only twenty-three
games occurred, but the result of these
has caused a shifting of the base ball
camera with the focus turned toward Bos-
ton instead of Cincinnati. New life has
been put in the race for the pennant at a
most important stage, and the interest
aroused by the success of the champions
and the reverses of the Reds should prove
a veritable Klondike to the lovers of the
game and the magnates as well. From this
out the fight for the championship will
undoubtedly attract more attention than
ever, each days games will be watched
more closely than at any time before this
season, and the turnstiles of the various
clubs should click more frequently in con-
sequence.
The past weeks play changed the COM
plexion of the league race a good deal
The Cincinnatis lost valuable ground. and
Boston is now right at their heels, playing
at home, and with Hamilton back in the
game, while Ewing's men are on the road
and must beard in their denS both New
York and Boston. Cincinnati stock took
big drop after the Reds were beaten
three out of four by both New York and
Boston on the Reds own grounds. Another
black eye came their way in Brooklyn Sat
urday. Cleveland, also. has lost valuable
ground lately. 1t looks very much as if
Boston would take the lead this week. and
if the Orioles can continue their squirt they
will be very likely to step into second
place during the next ten days This Is
period of sunshine for the birds. and they
should not let the opportunity slip. Pitts
burg. st. Louis and Louisville look easy on
paper and with the right kind Of work
should prove the same on the field. New
York is not out of the race by any man
ner of means. Captain Joyce can be de-
pended upon to keep his players right up
to the mark, and with Ma gnate Freedman
in foreign cline the clubs upward march
will hardly be checked before they land in
the third position at least.
Looking over the games played last week
ii will be easily seen that the western clubs
have been up against it, especially those
fighting for hOncrs around first place. Of
the twenty-three contests played, seven
teen were victories for the eastern clubs.
The four teams that lead the western dl-
vision lost heavily and their eastern rivals
cid exactly the reverse. AS result Boston
is right on TOP OF Cir cinnau, Baltimore is
again in the fight for third place, New
York has tishtened it's grip on fifth position
and pushed Chicago back, and Philadel-
pbia has once mere become d factor IN the
race for the leadership of the second di-
vision. During the PAST six days Boston
has done nothing but win. The club Sc
cured five winning brackets as against not
single loss. Three of these victories We're
over the Cincnnatis and two -over-Cleve-
land. The Cincinnatis won but one game
cut of five played, and it looks as If a panic
had seized upon the camp of the leaders.
although the scores of the games would
show that the Ewingites are battling as
hard as ever, with but few signs of doing
the quit act. Cincinnati has done too
well this season to raise any such cry. The
club deserves the highest praise for. its
gs.menesS 50 far this season Last week the
Reds lost .02' in percentage, against
gain of .019 in percentage for Boston.
Almost a similar state of affairs exists
in relation to the Clevelands and Balti
n2ores A week ago it looked though
the Baltimore birdlets We're going to be
out of the hunt. They. however, won all
three games. while Clevelant captured but
one out of four. These games caused a
gain of .013 in percentage for Baltimore,
as against a loss of .0l6 for Cleveland. or
III second division teams the Phillies made
the largest, in fact, the only important
gain. while Pittsburg suffered the greatest
loss. Philadelphia jumped .012, while the
smoky city lads dropped oil. Chicago also
went backward, losing .007. The Wash
ington boys didn't lose anything in per-
centage, which is something to be thank
full for. although their gain was only O02
winning two and losing three games
The board of directors of the National
League meet In Philadelphia TODAY to de-
eide the case of Andrew Freedman. presi-
dent of the New York club, vs. Edward
Hanlon, manager of the Baltimores. Mr. ].
Earl Wagner is a member of this board
and he left last evening for Philadelphia to
be present at the meeting The special
meeting was called by President Young for
noon at the Hotel Walton. The board will
consider the New Workers. appeal from
President Young's action in demanding the
$1,000 and 800 in fines, provided in the con-
stitution, for refusing to continue the game
in New York, because Outfielder "Ducky''
Holmes had hurled an obnoxious name at
one of the patrons Mr.. Freedman claims
he was justified in stopping the game The
Baltimore end of the argument is that the
power to discipline Holmes lay with the
umpire, as far as that particular game was
concerned, and afterward with the presi-
dent of the league or the board of discip-
| line nc off rin MI