The Saint Paul globe., 1901-07-09
FREE FOR ALL FIGHT
-FOUR WESTERN LEAGUE TEAMS
HAVE A CHANCE AT THE
PENNANT
SAINTS PLAYING GREAT BALL
billiard and Ryan Lead With the
Willow, While All Are Bunched
for Fielding
HOnOrs.

Today finds the st, Paul baseball team
In fourth place In the run for the West
ern league pennant with the season just
mali nniShed. The race this year IS
one of the prettiest in baseball annals.
Five of the eight clubs are well punched
and any one of the five has more than
chance to finish in front. Kansas City
still holds the first round on the ladder.
but they are hanging by their hands
now where they had a good, comfortable
seat three weeks ago. The Counter
1eits' have shown very clearly, in the
last two weeks. that they have a streak
of yellow in them and many are the pre-
olctlons that they VIII never land the
pennant. This is not surprising but
exactly what was expected by the fans
who study the dope. The race that
Tebeau's men have made has caused
many to wonder, for me team did not
have the men in it to warrant such
runaway. 1t is now developing that the
Missourians We're out on a shoestring.
The team might well be compared to a
crack tive-eighths horse trying to win
out in a mile event. The horse will lead
the bunch for his distance and he may
hold out for an additional eighth, but
he is sure to weaken and will generally
finish well back in the bunch The Kan
sas City team may finish in the first
division but, unless it Is materially
HNA Glib AiiSliSt, II W III never WIN out.
Behind Kansas City and within easy
hailing distance come Omaha, Mime
apolis, st. Paul and ST Joe so we'll
punched that a win and a lose may
change the entire order. The four teams,
which started today in the order named.
could hardly be closer together and not
all be even up. There is but two games
difference in the four and all are playing
good fast ball and all are, in the opinion
OF the knowing we'll matched al
though many think that the Saints with
the addition of one more fast pitcher is
the fastest aggregation in the league
This statement applies to the team as 1t
stands today and not as it was made UP
month ago.
Colorado Springs is playing a pretty
1ast game and there is a. possibility that
this team may get further up the lad
der, but there is hardly a chance that it
can get within sight of the pennant Des
Moines is also showing considerable inn
proVement, but the Iowa men are more
than hundred points back and if they
win better than half their games for the
rest Of the season, there is but slight
hope that they can improve their present
position unless some other team takes a
decided slump. Denver is running easily
IN last place and indications are that the
team will finish the season at the foot
of the ladder.
DlLLARD LEADS IN BATTING.
Below will be found the batting and
nelding averages of the Saints and the
number Of games that each man now on
the team has played in. In looking over
the batting averages 1t will be seen that
the Saints have five men that are sticking
800 or better. Two of these are pitchers
and the third, Lattimer, has been in b.t
two games so that the team really has
but
batters. Dillard and Ryan are evenly
matched as stickers, although the former
is now leading by several points. This is
due to the fact that Ryans hurt caused
a slump in his batting. He is rounding
TO again, and is coming to the front at
a rapid gait Five men, Cogan Curley,
Brain, Holmes and Lippert, are what
may be termed fair stickers, while Holy.
Huggins and Wilson are far below the
average and can rarely be depended on
Tor a hit. The three nave secured but
SeVenty-one hits in a total of 414 times
at bat. In Higgins favor it must be
said, however, that he is developing into
great base runner and he is one Of
the best men on the team to get around
the circuit. The batting average of the
team is but .25S, and, leaving Check and
Breitenstein out, it would fall considera-
bly, below this, but the team has i'm
proved great deal in its batting, and
1t is a safe prediction that the next
month will see the grand average con-
siderably higher
In fielding there is but one man who
Is proving a disappointment, and that is
Lippert. His average of .7O3 is very low,
but in spite of his bad record in the
field he is one of the most valuable man
on the team, for he makes runs, and it
rs runs that wins games. Whenever he
reaches first base he will make the cir
cuit if given half a chance Check leads
the list. The youngster fields his posi-
tion well and has yet to fall down The
is no doubt but that he is going to make
a great pitcher unless he is overworlzed
and killed off in this way, as he has been
in the last week. The rest of the team
are all fielding their positions well They
are doing as well as can possibly be eX-
pected. The work of Holmes at first base
is deserving of great credit He is cover
ing the bag in fine shape and is now
sticking well. If he continues to improve
with the bat he is the right man in the
right place. Higgins name is wei down
in the list, and Brain is almost at the
Bottom, but 1t must be SAID of these
men that they play ball all the time