Omaha daily bee., 1898-10-02
LEAGUE RACE NOT YET OVER
Baltimore Still Has Chance to Beat Boston
for the Pennant.
TWO OTHER POSITIONS TO Be SETTLED
New York and Philadelphia and Pitts
burg and Louisville Have n Couple
of Neat Little Disputes of
Their own to Adjust.

It Is an odds-on bet that the final result
of the league race two weeks from yester-
day will be one-two as Boston and Balu-
moro are placed now and any one who would
pick otherwise could be accused OF possess
ing more valor than discretion. To be sure,
there are all sorts OF possibilities. For eX-
ample, Baltimore may win all six OF the
games with the Bean Demolishers, but 1t is
hardly possible There may be a good hot
finish but that is about all the honor tnat
the Birdlings are likely to get out of it. 1t
would be a good speculation for the sporty
boy TO pick UP at a premium all bets against
Boston that he can find.
Well. the problem is likely to be solved
very shortly In fact, it may be settled in
the next three days, for tomorrow the Bean
eaters commence the first of the series with
the Birds. BY winning the majority Of all
Baltimore has a good chance. BY dropping
the majority they are still able to make 1t a
hot finish. BY losing all, they are out of It..
After finishing the series Boston has three
with Brooklyn and three with Washington,
q not very hard proposition. On the other
hand, the Birds have something bit harder
in six straight games with the Giants, three
on the home grounds and three In New
York Then comes the final series between
the leaders.
There are two more races going on in the
league that are as warm, IL not warmer,
than this struggle for the championship.
One OF these is the fight between New York
and Philadelphia for the last hole in the
first division. Upon the surface the Quakers
have all the best Of 1t. They have New
York, Washington and Brooklyn in the
order named and IL there is not too big
streak Of yellow zigzaggng down their backs
they ought to win out, for besides the series
with the Quakers the Giants have six hard
ones with Baltimore They wind up the
season with the Senators.
The other struggle is the frantic effort
of the Colonels to overtake the Pirates and
supplant them in eighth place. Pittsburg
has vantage by playing st. Louis during
the early part OF the week, while Louis
Vile is lying idle. but this may be over
come when the two teams come together
for a series on Thursday. After that Louis
Vile meets Cincinnati and Cleveland but
that is no harder than the Cleveland and
Chicago proposition that the Pirates will
have to buck against.
Every other aggregation in the race will
wind up in the positions they occupy at
present.
Just fourteen days more remain before
the curtain will be rolled down upon the
season OF 1898. disastrous sort of a year
1t has been, too, according to the figures
that have been given out during the last
week by President Nick Young. Only FIVE
OF the teams can figure out a balance on
the profit side OF the ledger. OF this num-
ber four have had a fairly good season
from financial point Of view-Cincinnati,
Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia. Louis
Vile, the only other aggregation which
will pull out winner on the year, is able
to do so only because Of the fact that the
team has braced up so wonderfully during
the last few weeks. The moral OF this con
dition OF affairs Is that winning team is
absolutely necessary in order to enable the
owners to pile UP the plunks. Cincinnati
made it's money while the team was in the
league and a pennant possibility. AS soon
as 1t commenced to fall backward the at
tendances began to grow smaller. Bos-
toms team has been a winner all through
the season. Chicago acted the part OF a
dark horse to perfection. Philadelphia
late squirt increased the number OF the in
flowing dollars. There are exceptions ia
the rule, to be sure, such as the cases OF
the Cleveland and the Baltimore clubs AS
a general rule, however, the winners have
been making the money, for all the rest OF
the teams who could do no more than re-
tain their places or fall backward have
been losing.
Rumors have been rife in the last month
or so that New York City will have a hard
time retaining its franchise in the league
II the owners persist in refusing to accede
TO the demand OF their eleven partners ia
depose Andy Goose Freedman from the
.l.II Izl.. A.
seems to be no doubt that Freedman has
most effectually killed the game in the
metropolis. When a first division team
reaches such stage that but 300 and 400
people out Of metropolis containing mil
lions will attend the games either change
of policy must be inaugurated or else the
city will be dropped. Base ball managers
like everyone else, are out for the money
and they will go where they can get II
The disgraceful actions Of the New Yorl
club. moreover, are having a wider effec
than merely disgusting the fans OF New
York Their actions on the road have beef
as bad as at home. 1t is safe to say tina
after the evidences of disorganizaton ant
mutiny that was given In Washington dur
ing the last week the New Yorkers woulC
draw but small crowds in the Capital Cit.
were the season longer. For the good o
the game Freedman ought to go and tn
signs seem to indicate that he will.
II the Brush resolution had fulfilled tn
rosy results that were predicted for 1t, sucl
acts as the Giants have been guilty of thi
season would have been impossible. AS
matter OF fact, however. the Brush rule ha
proven to be delusion and a snare. Their
has never been q season when so many dis
graceful occurrences have happened on tn
diamond. Even in the home of Brush him
self, the other day an umpire was assaulte
by one OF his own team. Some few of tn
clubs have tried to live up to the Brus
principles, but it is safe to say that mex
year they will do nothing OF the kind. Their
are many base ball critics who believe tina
the rowdyism OF last year had it's effect
upon the attendances this season, althoug
the war was unquestionably a great caus
for displacing the game in popularity, an
It is freely predicted that next year wi
see still fewer crowds on account OF tn
ruffanly conduct of teams this year. Th
Brush rule is all right II its provisions ar
enforced, but the trouble is that they ar
not.
The increase in the pitchers effectiveness
or tho decrease in batting skill has this yea
resulted In much lighter batting than in an
season since the lengthening OF the pitchin
FEh =