The Minneapolis journal., 1902-06-14
SHOULD Be HIGHER
Millers Seem Stronger Than Mil
waukee OF Kansas City
MEN ARE HITTING THE BALL
Relentless HoOdoO Is Still Pursuing
Both Of the Twin City Base
Ns ball Teams.

their normal position in the percentage
column. Certainly they should rank
higher than the collections of misfits led
by Gear and Ciingman. Three out OF
four from Milwaukee and the same num-
ber from Kansas City were secured with
out any APPARENT effort, and in fact, IN
some games the millers did not seem to be
playing up to their normal form, as witness
the game this week, when Kansas CITY
made seventeen hits and the millers nine
errors, and the millers won the game.
One gratifying feature of the past
weeks work is the disposition to Slam
out safe ones when safe ones are needed.
Usually it has occasioned comment When
the millers ran their total Of hits into
double figures, but thirteen or fifteen hits
a game have not been uncommon of late.
Lynch, who took several weeks off, seems
to have recovered his batting eye, and the
veterans, Wilmot. Werden and McFar-
land, are showing tendency to lace the
leather out into the pastures. Willie
Phyle has fallen off in his fielding
trif1e. but is still making the swats that
win games with great regularity. -
r.. Pitching Staff Still Weak.
The pitching staff is still sore spot.
Cribbins, who was expected to strengthen
the teams materially, has reneged, and
the millers are worrying along with the
most reliable men, and Dad Clark. The
staff Of slab artists, consequently, needs
strengthening even more than before.
Sporer, Newlin, Figgemeier and Chap
leski at present constitute the dependence
Of the team. and of these only Sporer and
Newlin have proved their reliability, al
though Figgemeier has done fairly fell
in the few games he has pitched
While on the subject of pitchers, what
monumental joke 1t was to say that
Wilmot took Cribbins from St. Paul in
preference to Ferguson For steady, con-
scientious, 'heady twirling, fast fielding
and good batting, and his value as an
utility man, the stocky boy with the
auburn curls is about the best in the
league. He can take his regular turn in
the box, and play first, second, or almost
any old position on off days, and deliver
the goods in either capacity.
Admitting that the millers are entitled
to a higher position than they now hold.
it must be confessed that with their pres
ent material they do not seem to be in
the same class with the four first division
clubs, and fifth place is about all that
can be expected from the team until some
radical meaures are taken to strengthen
it.
Close Race for First Place. s-
Those four first teams, by the way
are making ma agnificent race, and 1t Is
anybody's money yet for the rennant
All the teams except louisville and To-
ledo took an off day Wednesday, and the
colonels moved up into first place tenn
porarily by taking the scalp Of the Ohio
ans. The four are SO closely punched,
however, that couple of games won and
lost would put the fourth club into first
place. t5@# 80 a. -, ,>$-1
One of the sensations of the season is
the crowds. that the Columbus team is
drawing at home. In years gone by it
made little difference whether Columbus
had a winning or losing team, the club
lost money with beautiful regularity.
Nowadays Grim's men are drawing crowds
of 5000 and 5000 on Sundays. and about
1000 or 5000 on week days. Possibly
some of the fans come over from Gin
cinnati S~-, +. -
Hard luck seems to be pursuing both
the twin city teams. Hardly had the
acquisition. of Curley, who found favor
with the fans at once, before the fast
second baseman was disabled. This
forced the return of Quillin, who is still
nursing a bad knee, to shortstop, while
Grant, who was taking Quillin's place.
was switched to second Fortunately the
new man has been doing we'll, and Quill
lin even with bad knee IS as good as
many short fielders. Fortunately, too.
the millers have been pitted against weak
teams since the mishap occurred, so that
It will probably not occasion the loss of
many games before Curley gets back into
the game again.
st. Paul has lost shortstop Shea, who
rubberlegged to California At present,
Ferguson and Check alternating at second
base. Up to date this combination has
proved fairly successful
Anything from Ohio, barring Columbus,
seems to be hoodlooed in baseball these
days. Toledo, Cincinnati and Cleveland
are cheerfully bringing UP THE rear in the
American association, National league
ophy and sangfroid. Cleveland, however,
has pulled up and won few games since
La Joie got into the game, and If the sew
| rices of the big Frenchman can be re-
tained the team bids fair to get out of the
rut and emove into the first division.
Pittsburg VS.. whftesox.
In the National league this week the
sensation has been the sudden collapse OF
Selee's recruits and the irresistible ad-
vance Of Brooklyn. Hanlon's makeshifts
have won some dozen games in the last
two weeks and are steadily drawing away
from the field, and pressing close upon the
heels Of the faltering remnants. Chicago
seems to have quite forgotten how to hit
the ball, and although the pitchers are
doing reasonably good work, they cannot
win their games. How long the slumI
will continue is problenlatical, but its
effects upon the youngsters in the team is
likely to be very bad.
| Pittsburg also has lost number Of
games during the present eastern trip
but the pirates have such a leaf that they
are not likely to get dangerously close tc
| the field before they recover their stride
Moreover they are all seasoned men, ant
not likely to lose their heads by rea sor
of the slump.
New York has changed managers again
and this time Smith, the second baseman
is the man to- stand the kicks from Freed
man for a time. Most fans would say
change owners.
Collapse of the Recruits.
Considerabl BILE discussion has been occa.
! stoned over the question whether any o.
the clubs in the American league could
get away from the Pittsburg cinch. Chi.
| cago writer's as whole think that the
white stockings could show the pirates {
few points, and probably the fans of Bos-
ton, St. Louis or Philadelphia think their
favorites could give the National leaders
a race.
In the opinion of the writer, however
| the white sox would hardly stand one
| two, three with the champions of the
other league Recognizing the value Of
men like Griffith and Callahan, neither Of
| them is more effective man than Phil.
1ippe, and certainly Piatt, Patterson are
not Of the same class with Tanaehill
Chesbro, Lever and Dohney. StssLouis