Waterbury Democrat., 1902-05-26
BASE BALL NEWS.
Waterbury Lost Again and New
 London Proved the Victor

so Game Was Played at Plum Island
 Yesterday-Result of Other Connectl-
 cut League Games-Waterbury Plays
 In Springheld the Next Two Days
 Bridgeport Is Now Making Squirt
 From the Second Division--Results
 of Other Games.
 New Haven, May 26.-There are evil dences that the Connecticut league baseball clubs are about to recover their footing after the bad start that was made at the opening of the sea- son. There is no denying that the start was a bad one and that the clubs have been too widely separated to make the pennant race one of interest However, the experiments have been pretty generally tried out now. and most of the teams have settled down for a place in the race There will be undoubtedly a number of changes in personnel during the next week or two, as the higher class leagues are releasing their extra men, some of Ayhom will drift into this circuit.
 The coming week will be one of considerable financial importance to the managers, bringing as it does the first holiday receipts of the season. Usually, too. the results of the games in the Memorial Day week show pret- fy definitely the pace that will be set for the season and establish the pace makers as well.
 Some of the clubs have displayed a ;, TaIox during the past week. The ability of a team to secure a greater number of runs than it's opponents, with a small CT number of base hits, is the true test of playing ability. Just at this stage, when all the teams are making errors at a lively rate, the best efforts at team work are apt to be nullified by misplays, but when the stretch of gruelIing midsummer contests |. is reached the teams that have developed Superiority in playing for the side without regard to individual records will be found among the leaders. Just now the eight clubs are placed nearly in the order of number of runs they have made But the cost of the runs made is widely at variance. The following figures showing the average number of hits required by each team to send a base runner around the bases will be of interest as illustrating the value of team play: New Haven, 1.32; Norwich, 1.41; Springfield, 1.41; New London, 1.53; Hartford, 163; Bridgeport, 1.92; Meriden, 1.93; Wa terbury, POT. These figures read in connection with the team batting and fielding averages explain pretty clear 1y why New Haven, for instance. the poorest fielding team in the circuit and batting only moderately strong, is able to hold third place in the stand 6ng- The Waterbury team, which re- quires a tride more than two base hits to complete a run, with New Ha- ven's average, would have scored 30 more runs than it's record shows. As Waterbury has lost three one-run games, the value of these lost runs is amply Illustrated.
 In team batting Norwich still holds the lead, having added 10 points to it's mark for last week. Hartford jump ed Il points, Bridgeport 10 and Springfield three, while losses are shown by Waterbury of four points, by New Haven of two. by New Lon don of seven, and by Meriden of 16 points. In team fielding Springfield advanced four points and maintains the lead; Meriden gained seven, Nor wich six, Bridgeport 12, Hartford five, and New London two points Wa terbury lost three, and New Haven six points. The averages are as follows:
 BATTING.
 N0rWlch ................... .31S Springfield ......... 261 Waterbury .260 Bridgeport .25O New Haven 245 New London .239 Aeriden .233 Hartford .216
 FIELDING.
 Springfield .933 Waterbury 1926 2 sN1eriden .923 NofWlch .................. .92U Hartford SIS Bridgeport .917 New London .9Ol
 After a period of reyerses, Bridge port came to the front with an un- broken string of victories during the week, winning all four games played. Norwich and Springfield found their progress somewhat obstructed, each carrying off a bare majority of their five games Waterbury also won three out of five. New Haven broke even on four. New London lost three