The record-union., 1899-10-02
THE SLOWEST THIS SEASON.
WEARY GAME BETWEEN THE
gifts AND OAKLANDS.
The Leaders Slide Down One More
Notch-Whither Are They
Drifting?

Drifting?
Just another little game dropped TO
the tail-enders. Oakland ., Sacfa-
mento Z. Saltpeter couldn't nave
saved the Gilts. Even Umpire Jack
O'Connen couldn't present them with
the game, though he tried his hardest
and as a rule he is, in a pinch, very
effective
On the diamond the atmosphere was
at times thick. Baseball artists, as
rule don't object to tasting dust, but
when it comes to taking it inwardly
in the form of mud poultice, and OUT
Wardly as an armor for protection
against pitched balls, a few of the
players dropped The north zephyr
lifted nice gray clouds of real estate
and hurled it into the mouths of the
players, and it had a habit of taking
on it's wings batted balls, which had
they been left alone would have been
easy outs, and carrying them out of
metes and bounds for home, and sew
eral other kinds of runs.
The game was as a wood-wagon and
just about as cumbersome. Home
runs, three baggers, base hits, stupid
blunders, rank errors, ratty decisions
by the umpire, and wooden-legged
plays of all kinds served to fill in the
two hours and twenty-five minutes of
dreary agony which elapsed. Even
the spectacular finish, a la Garrison,
failed to lift the game above the dead
level of mediocratic amateurism. The
ssrl,t Il
1t was all right in its way but didn't
weigh much. and was good for the
kind, but a poor kind.
There were those among the specta-
tors who muttered something about a
hippodrome display. They felt GER
tain that the game had been fixed"
and that it was on the slate to bunch
the four teams in the league for a
pyrotechnic finish. Those people were
probably wrong, for it is so old a say
ing that it has become a proverb that
Sacramento is a good baseball town
only so long as its team wins. The
last three games in this city, two to
the ''LObsters'' and one to the
Dudes" had been dropped, and it was
policy to win if possible. But it
wasn't possible-even with the assist
ance of Umpire O'ConneIl, who in the
eighth, called Hammond out at first
while Hutchinson was crossing the
plate with the run which tied the score
Hammond was safe enough, as the ball
thrown to Pace bounded from his
hands into the air and was there spin
ming when the gritty little catcher
reached the bag. OConnell subsequent
ly admitted to Lange, the Dudes 3"
Captain, that the decision smelled as
loud as a defunct cat in a woodbox.
but pleaded that he could not change
his decision after announcing it, But
1t transpired that the Gilts could not
beat the Oaklands, even by the grace
of Jack O'ConneH.
Grandpa Harper was not nearly so
effective as in the days of bitter mem
ory, when4 playing with the date Beet
Pullers, he shut the locals out. He
was nearly as wild as a Filipino. but
he stuck to his text to the end and won.
The silent scion from the home Of
the horned toad started to do the pitch
ing for the locals, and though he
Jagged, kept at it until the sixth in
ming, in the middle of which he threw
up the sponge and introduced Charlie
Doyle. 1t was circulated abroad that
Harvey was sick. but there were othe s.
Russ Pace, former catcher for the
defunct San Jose team. was rung in to
replace O'Connor at first. O'Connor.
according to reports. was also sick.
and there are those who imagine thev
have noticed his illness for some time
past.
The visitors picked up six errors.
most of which We're costly, while the
locals took eight, besides grouping
around descending balls several times
and listening to them plunk holes in
the ground. Several double plavs
We're made, which gave the crowd a
chance to yell
In the third inning, Hennie Stulz.
who had not OF late been attracting
special attention to his stiekwork lift
ed the ball over the bulletin board for
a home run, and in Oakland's half of
the same round. Grandpa Harper lust
to even things up, rolled one into the
southeast corner and trotted all the
way around. Then again in the fifth.
Harvey rolled one against the south
field fence and trotted in-three home
runs in an exceptionally poor game.
The shouting came with the Garrison
finish. When the Dudes" went to
bat in the ninth, they We're. thanks to
Car O'Connell, a run to the bad. They
strung in the Big Chief" to bat in
place Of Donovan. Now it So happens
that Chief Borchers is the greatest
pinch hitter in the league. Time and
time again has he faced the music in
the last inning and lifted his people
from the slough of despond. The
crowd didn't like the idea of Borch-
ers batting for Donovan, and hooted
some, but the Chief lifted his battered
cap and made the most of the occasion.
But Doyle had no intention of giving
Borchers a chance to raise the ball
over the fence. He tossed four wide
ones and gave the big fellow a free
pass, and then came the fireworks
Dunleaxy rolled a beauty to Stulz, who
fumbled it. both runners safe. Then
Lange tried "Truckerino" Egan. who
was due for a tumble and made it.
and the bases We're full.