The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1899-07-25
BASEBALL x6TEs.
Miles City Don't &knt to Tackle Helena
Homes Billings win win.


MILES city Don't 4Dknt to Tackle Helena
Hopes Billings viii Win.
The baseball fans of the city are al,
agog over the games to be played here
next Saturday and Sunday with the
champion Helena team, which are ex'
pected to come off without fail, al,
though at this writing Manager Lissne1
OF Helena has not accepted Manage,
Nix's terms. The latter gentleman re-
ceived a letter Sunday from Manage,
Gordon Of Miles City, whose club, il
was expected, would play Helena or
tile 31st and Aug. |. after the Billings
games. But Manager Gordon does not
want to tackle Helena, giving a a
reason that he has lost three Of his
players-Andrus, Biddell and Wilson
being temporarily absent from home.
Whether the declination of Miles City
to play Helena will deter the capital
city from coming to eastern Montana is
not known, but Billings is ready for
them and will put up a game that will
surprise the Helena hog. Manager
Gordon writes a very nice letter to
Manager Nix, says that he and some
others from Miles will be up to see
Billings go against Helena and that
Miles baseball enthusiasts all want to
see Billings win. Manager Gordon
says the baseball boys down there ''are
not quite as frotlty at the mouth as the
Billings papers over the last games"
but he should remember that the yell
lowstone Journal has been rubbing it
in on Billings for several years about
the alkali flat muffers' and it was a
good time for the Billings press to
"play back" He advises Manager Nix
''to try to inject more team work and
less individual playing, and then Bill.
ings will have a nine equal to any in
the state" he says. That is true, and
Manager Gordon's advice is good. He
knows good baseball when he sees it,
even if he did bring a weak team to
Billings. The Gazette is glad that
Mr.. Gordon and his boys feel kindly to-
ward Billings and is willing to admit
that if his ball players practice persist
emily at rolling pumpkins for the bal
ance of the summer, they may have a
chance to win a game from US next
season. But Manager Gordon is a
Thoroughbred, anyhow, his ball players
are gentlemen and this city wishes
them better luck in future.
Helena didn't do a thing to the Boze.
man team at the capital last Sunday,
Strengthening them to the tune OF ~ to
z. But that doesn't frighten Billings.
Bozeman probably sent the same kind
Of a team to Helena that Livingston
sent here.
McNeeley, the star Minneapolis
pitcher with the Boston & Montana
team Of Butte, which defeated Helena
by a score of 7 to week ago last
Sunday, was knocked out Of the box at
Butte last Sunday by the Butte &
Boston nine. They landed on McNee.
ley for twenty safe hits, including a
number of doubles and three. baggers,
winning the game by a score Of II to s.
The game at the fair grounds here
last Sunday, between mines from the
north and south side, resulted in a vic.
tory for the former by a score of Is to
Is.
Billings ia disappointed in not being
able to secure a pitcher from the west
that Manager Nix was figuring on get.
ting here for the balance Of the season,
in time to pitch one Of the games
against Helena. But Harker and Tay.
Tor are both pretty good twirlers and
with our strong batting nine, it is
pretty certain that Helena will be up
against it good and strong when she
tackles Billings.
The Red Lodge Picket says that
quite a large delegation of Red Lodge
baseball votaries will come to Billings
this week to witness the two games to
be played here on Saturday and Sun.
day between Billings and Helena.
The table below gives the batting
averages Of the Billings team for this
season and, when it is remembered that
300 is a pretty good average for profes.
SIGNALS, it will be seen that the boys
are pretty good with the stick, only
three of them falling below those
figures. The big averages, however,
are accounted for from the fact that the
club has been against several weak
pitchers, although it has also faced
some pretty good ones. The table fol-
lows:
Games Times No. of Aver
Played. at Bat. Hits. age.
hose .............. ) 30 10 $3.50
Calhoun ........... 3 Is 8 900
Hines. ......... 81 16 .5n3