Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-09-16

Wnicn rs one -of the reasons the team
dld so well. And in the retrospectiye
view of the season it is safe TO assert
that with the waning of the knock
eFs' influence came the Improvement
of the team. When the team came
home for its Fourth of July series 4.
was holding a good position in thu.
percentage column and was well in
the lead of Davenport. There were
those of course among the PLAYERS
who were not quite up to the stand
ard, but the team was playing well
enough together, and there was no
valid excuse for finding fault. Yet
the knockers had it in for a particu-
lar player, and, yielding at last TO the
bowling of this element that player
was let go. No sooner had this been
done than shortcomings. were pointed
out in other players and the
management soon found that
il had contract on its hands
i'm lis endeavors to please those whose
disgruntlement was almost a disease.
The demand came that other players
must walk the gang plank, and event
ually 1T became apparent that the
knockers were more intent in direct
ing public attention to the misplays
of individual players than in encour-
aging the team as a whole to win.
The consequence was that the team
went on the toboggan, and finally
ii became clear to everyone
who had the best interests of the club
at heart that needing the walls OF
the knocker was disastrous prac-
tice and must be stopped. and the
quicker it became known that this
better. Then the most pronounced
of the knockers began, happily for
all concerned, to stay away from the
games and the team in their absence
made the rallies that brought Rock
Island up to the respectable position
in the percentage column from which
it fell in the early part of July.
The Knocker Did Not Count
The result ought to put n complete
quietus ON the knocker, at least as
far as his influence is concerned in
Rock Island, for all time to come.
Terre Haute was deprived of the pen
nant this year because of the knock
ers in the Hoosier town at the open
ing of the season. The management
fought it out, declined to make chang
es on the team and the consequence
was that it triumphed over the OBJ
iectionable element in the town and
came within a few games of retaining
the championship flag.
The knocker is to the national game
what the anarchist is to- society in
general. His mission is to disturb
and to destroy. He finds fault be-
cause he has nothing else to do, and
does not know otherwise how to be
have himself. In Rock Island and i'm
Terre Haute he has been taught that
he does not count.
Dust From the Diamond.
Milton pitched Sunday for the
Quincy Reserves, defeating Pfeffer's
Decatur team ) and ,.
Wright, Rock Islands first base
man, is doing good work with Omaha
in the Western league. He is playing
first, and up to Sunday he had a
fielding average of 1000. having ac-
cepted 81 chances without an error.
With II times at bat he had made
four runs and six hits, giving him Il
with the willow of APO,
~
Durham. formerly with Cedar Rap
ids, made his debut with the Chicago
American league team yesterday,
holding Detroit down to four hits and
his game. The baseball wri-
tiers give him Il great sendoff, saying
he knows how TO use his head and the
stick as well as his wing. Mcfarland,
another Rabbit twirier. made his bow
in fast company yesterday. pitching
three innings for the St. Louis Ma
tional after the game had been lost
by Wicker. Mcfarland showed up
well. Weaver. also of this seasons
Cedar Rapids team, caught for St.
Louis.
St. Louis Republic: Hackett and
Weaver did fairly good work, but
their entrance in the game furnished
an element of comedy in contest al
ready laughable. Weaver has a trick
of leaping about in frog fashion be-
hind the bat, which drew much at
tention and comment from the spec
tators. AS soon as he discovered the
cause of their merriment behind him,
he cOyly adopted a more rational
method of getting about. Weaver is
Il tall, melancholy appearing blonde,
who was greeted with cries of cheer
up when he appeared on the field.
Inasmuch as but one run was scored
from the new battery as compared to
eight off O'Neills, the change was de
cidedIy beneficial. Hackett is the new
pitcher from the Three-I league and
Weaver is from Cedar Rapids. The
debut of the pair was rather auspi-
cious in spite of the eventual fizzle
of the contest.
Scores on the Ball Field.
Chicago, Sept. 16.-Base ball scores
made yesterday by the expert agSre-
cations are as follows:
League: At Philadelphia = Boston
6. Philadelphia 4: Second game) BOs-
ton 2. Philadelphia 4 at st. Louis
L,I...-I.-.-.u- q i ..,,is. o. Non. W