The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-15
WONDERFUL THINGS WHICH
HAPPEN IN BASEBALL.
MAINS DEFEAT OF PHILADELPHIA
WAS NOT SUCH A TREMENDOUS
AFFAIR AFTER AI.-HEiD-
RICK AND DONLIN LAID
GP-pITCHER HARPER
DOING WELL.

One OF the most wonderful things which
occurred in baseball this season was th'
failure of the Philiies to get a hit or rIr
of Hahn at Cincinnati on July d. Nhef
the game is figured out the feat. though
praiseworthy, was not so very difficult
after all. To be sure, the Phiilies have tbs
regulations of being pitcher killers. But
they have never been any too good against
left-handers Slagle. Thomas. Flick and
Wolverton all bat from the south side Of the
plate. Lajoie was out Of the game, and his
substitute. Doian, is not a hitter. Neither
IS Monte Cross. So, counting the ieft-hand-
ers. who were marks for Hahn's good curve,
the opposing team was made OF one good
hitter-Delehanty. He was playing his first
game in week, having been sick OF
course it was a great accomplishment. but
1t was not so great as has been represented.
II a right-hand pitcher should do as much
there would be more cause Of wonierment.
Another odd thing was that the next day
after the Reds had blocked the Philiies the
latter team killed all the pitchers in Pitts
burg and made twenty-three runs Surely
there IL nothing like a certainty about this
game.
a third remarkable incident was the win
ming streak developed by the st. Louis
Club, with apparently the very weakest
team 1t put IN the field all season. The team
which could not win with NcGraw on third
and Heidrick in center won with billiard
Playing for McGraw and Sudhof subbing
for Heidr1ck
1t was all due to the fact that Boston.
which yielded three OF the five games won
In six. was hitting worse than St Louis.
Not man in the Boston club. but Haulil-
ton. Is hitting Even Stahl and Tenney have
waTCfHa Nd n,.;a-
Long is hitting everything in the air,
swinging up on them Collins is batting IN
hard luck. line drives going right at fieIders
Freeman is at the pitchers mercy. HamiI-
ton alone Is making a bingle now and then.
ine Huoites are playing dead ball. not try
Ing, net watching, and losing games right
along
Heidrick and Donlin are keeping each
other company these days at the Normandie
Hotel Each has his leg incased in plaster
or paris. and is impatiently tanning flies
readlhS the papers and drinking lemonade
through straw. 1t Is hot living In bed
thesa Gays. Both players expect to be cut
VI their rooms and walking around BY next
1hursday. They are boosts for their own
game. They never passed up the bah game
Tor the races when they were injured.
Jack Harper, the little pitcher farrned by
st Louis TO Fort Wayne, looks ike the
pest twlrier III the Glass leagues HI. Is
pilchinS three AMI four-hit gaines right
along ana never gets raped for more than
seven OF e'sht hits. 1t is quite safe 10 say
tnat ne has not been hit into double fiuuras
this season At the same time IN Is stated
t p inc 81, Louis club wants to get Pitcher
fooie or Wheeling. who Is by no means a =
good a pitcher on paper as Harper Rn4 hs
may De better on the field.
Mr.. Tebeau takes especial Mains 70 NJ.
Tempt TO retute through an afternoon psner
me Lrretutaole statement made that Bur-
49, net. DaStlhg and acting captainshIp of tina
team hlo deal to do with the winning of
sanles IN the Boston and New York saTi.s
ms inns Is the way Mr.. Tebesu tiles TO get
Certain baseball writer's hav. bean p,v-
ing Burkett the credit of being the acting
eap1Hh during the present winning streak |
iebeau was asked Thursday IL Burketr mad |
oeen acting In that capacity and he said
team ON the field In the absenca ~ tbs
regular captain. and Criger has caught
very nearly all Of the games since McIiraw
vas incapaciated. he has been the acting
captain. Burkert's batting streak has baS |
much 10 Go with the recent success of The \
Team. but he has not had any more au
thority since our luck changed than he had
when We were In the rylt -
MI Tebeau is mistaken Every one very
wen Knows that Burkett was not specially
sppolhted 70 act as captain In McGraw's /
pace Burkett Is q friend Of Jack O'Con-
knows what nan sets Far pe aSf;n Nun; He
ing captain for Mr. Tebeau Rurkstr ,s no
cheap cheap man But even II Criger had MT.
did the eaptaining Just the same. He did
the hustling, the hitting. coached the field.
and ran the game No doubt 5e G ths umpire
well paid for doing the work as O'Connor
was. But Burkett was feeling good and did
~. Mr. Tebeau's tremendous anxiety 10
point out that Burkett had no hand In the
success OF the team would lead one to be-
Heve mat Jesse is slated to follow OCon-
nor, Cuppy and thinner to come back and
win games Tor other clubs against st.
captain OK the team or not, he did the
work and the hitting and won the game.
Ana nobody can truthfully deny it. Any
how MIR; Tebeau's team has won so few
games this season that it does seem he
might be glad enough with the victories
without hghting over the means Of winning
On the recent trip OF the Boston club 70
thu, city one Of the Boston players wanted
TO Mow why II was that Gus weighing had
euch good thin g pitching game a month |
while Cuppy, who had served Tebeau for |
eight years. was turned down.
one game a month" said the player, why
was not Cuppy given the chance? He was |
getting no more money that weighing. and
work later showed that"
ra AspTopos Of G,upgy's iay-off by Manager
the st, Louis players were On the verge of
strike on account Of what was deemed |
S-yeoN aSothiStt VI MS play En- IL tCppy
had not refused to countenance the move
ment II would have taken place 1t was up
10 him, Well. George" said Lave Cross, |
DO We put on cur uniforms or not?" Well |
rever put them on II you say So" said an
other player. But Cuppy was good-natured
and SAID: Boys, Ii is but a matter of SO
or SO. Let Ii go. 1t is not worth such
trouble" and they let it go at that
manager Tebeau had wired from Chicago |
70 Cnppy, laying him on without pay until
ne was in condition to pitch winning ball. |
Cuppy asked for his release. but he was
beid Tor price. 1t was given out that he |
was offered TO every club in the League, |
Tut that none would have him. He was |
onered with OConnor for $500. Ed Hanlon |
Gays he would have taken Cuppy then, but
Did not want OConnor then. So Cu2py |
had later to 60 with a poorer club and
work harder 10 win. Tough on a good old
standby. Taking baseball and other forms |
OF sport and pastime too seriously, making
work or play. is a very bad American habit. |
cans make 1t work. Victory not pastime |
is their desire. No doubt there is scant |
pleasure In defeat. yet, in sport, victory is
not everything. |
Baseball. that is professional baseball, is |
taken too seriously, especially by baseball |
writer's of the daily press. With them it |
Is science. a very serious thing. quite as |
important as law. or medicine. The proper |
government Of baseball is to them a deal |
more than the proper government OF city, |
state or nation is TO the writer of heavy |
political editorials. The past, present and |
future OF the national game are very close |
and dear to the heart of the baseball |
sportsmans' disease. ''victomania," which is |
& morbid, overdone. intense desire to WIN
Ihere is no particular use taking baseball |
too seriously The baseball writers who