Rock Island Argus., 1902-09-11
RIVALRY BETWEEN TOWNS.
Healthy Baseball Spirit shown I'm Season
just CIosed-As to Pennant.


Just CIosed-As to Pennsnt.
The season just closed has been
characterized by conditions which
have made close rivalry between the
teams comprising the league-at
Rock Island and Davenport, Terre
Haute and Evansville, Decatur and
Bloomington, and Rockford and Ce-
! dar Rapids. While this was not due
to the relative positions of the clubs
in all cases, the ambition in the
towns so paired was to excel. As be-
tween Rock Island and Davenport,
the same spirit prevails in baseball
as in all other things. This is true
also as between Bloomington and
Decatur, which are neighboring cit
| les. and Terre Haute and Evansville
being the only Indiana towns in the
circuit, there was a natural feeling
of pride TO outdo the other on the
part of both teams. Rockford and
Cedar Rapids have been baseball ri
walls for years. Hill and Nicol, being
both veterans, their clubs have al
ways put up a strong fight against
each other.
Evansville tried hard to put in
winning team this year to outdo the
other Hoosier nine, and probably hal
the most expensive aggregation in
the league. Davenport's zeal to fin
ish ahead of Rock Island was 'respon-
sible for the employment of more
high priced players than the average
on each team. Rockford and Cedar
Rapids have had probably as low, IL
Tnn h.. 1a oil lnl he. in he
league. Disorganization and rowdf
playing demoralized Bloomington and
took it to the bottom of the ladder,
where it belonged. Decatur labored
under the disadvantage of too many
changes in the team until Fred Pfef-
fer took charge, and since then has
been putting up Il consistent article
of ball. Evansville has changed play
ers too often to make a good show
ing. Terre Haute would have prob
ably made Il pennant-winping finish
with practically the same lineup as
it had last season had it not been for
the knocking that discouraged the
players in the early part of the year.
Since this element was silenced in
Terre Haute the team has been max
ing rapid strides toward the front,
and came within an inch of retaining
the flag at that.
Win by Hitting Bali.
The Rockfords have won the pen
nant simply with the stick. The team
has been weak in the box all year,
but has been able to find the ball
when hits were needed. Davenport
has had good team, but it never
has been regarded as strong as Rock
Island. The element of luck has ia
vored the Davenport nine, and the
character of the roofing on that side
has helped the players to get away
with several games that would have
been otherwise lost, to say nothing
of the intimidation of umpires. As
far as Rock Island is concerned the
team has made a splendid and gen
orally satisfactory finish, landing on
the 800 mark and proving in every
way far superior to the team that
represented the city last season.
Rock Island has beaten out Daven-
port by demonstration of superior
merit. taking the final series of three
games from that team and thus eX-
changing places with it in the per-
centage column.
Great credit is due Manager Dom
nelly for the showing his team has
made, and for the general character
of his players and their behavior both |
on and off the ball field. Mr.. Donnel |
Iy has demonstrated that a ball play
er can be gentleman, and while |
there have been, unavoidably, in
stances that were an exception, the
team, as a whole, taken throughout
the season, will come as near to 4
model one as any in the league Mr.
Donnelly himself has become a favor
ite and the majority of the patrons