The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-30
SHY OF PITCHERS
Millers Have Only One Box Artist
Who Appears in Shape to
Win ANY Games.
Pennant Race in American League
Still Continues One Of the "
! ! : = Best on Record.

!. 'Ihe Minneapolis team has remained in
statu quo this week. Perhaps =. it has
been a little worse than that: 3 Indeed.
though, the team has been in a, bad way
many times before, it is doubtful If 1t
was ever so badly off for pitchers as 1t is
justsnoW. Two weeks ago Sporer, Martin
and Newlin were all putting up a fair
article of ball. Now Newlin has a. charley
horse and Martin has appendicitis. Sporer
is. still delivering the goods in fair sha pes
He was sent to the stable last Saturday
but came back Sunday and won his game,
and on Tuesday gracefully responded. to;an
encore, Cribbins still suffers from his old
epidemic of base hits, 1t looks If the
management made a sad mistake when
they took Knobs O o'Tennessee in prefer
.ence to Charley Ferguson, who is winning
games. for st. Paul with painful sregu-
larity. "a. $, a.. -: ~.
With.just one pitcher able to work with
any success, and such a weak hitting
bunch of millers. there isn't much doing
for the locals. The other aclubs around
the circuit seem to: be enjoying it: hugely.
2 The change made by Wilmot lin Shift
ing Lynch to third and putting Sullivan in
the center garden was probably tthe best
thing that could have, been done: under: the
circumstances, but it hasn't developed
any great Improvement in the work of the
team; Lynch isn't third baseman.. and
Sullivan, though a speedy man in the
field, has failed to exhibit any strength
with the willow; George :Yeager 8 addition
to: the: catching staff helps a little: &On
tfe7 one or two occasions on which he
: has appeared behind the chest protector,
sthe did much to steady down the pitchers
and the whole infield. =. ...i {: 49,
Can't Change Much. +, -, 81.
+ The season is rapidly drawing to a close,
tho will or'f h ~
much lower. I4ouisynle stlli maintains
her lead, but has by no means a cincl
on the pennant. Both. the colonels and
the boosters are playing consistent ball,
and it is even money and take your
pick, with Tebeau's men having perhaps a
shade the best Of it on account, Of their
present margin. 1T is practically an i'm
possibility for st. Paul to get any higher
or for Kansas City to overhaul the. saints
The cowboys, the brewers and Columbus
are pretty well punched, and a switch may
come any time. -' -
It looks more and more unlikely that
Pittsburg will win 100 games this. season
The pirates may manage to play twenty
five more games and they would have tc
win nearly 800 per cent Of them. AS they
have just barely been able to keep to the
$50 mark in the last two weeks, they
will hardly get 100 games, although they
will not be more than three or four shy
of the century mark.
| Brooklyns lead in the race for second
place in the national is slowly but steadily
[ Increasing, and the staying qualities Of
Hanlon's men are becoming more evident
I ItslooKs very much as if Gin cinnati sWeulC
overhaul the Chicago The cubs instead
of recovering their early season form, are
getting, farther and farther into sthe r11ire
every day. while the reds have been com
ing like race horses since Kelley got hole
of them. :. i::-.'t<a@
. Philadelphia Running Strong -
ID Philadelphia has been going at a, run.
away gait in the American &Mack's .ner
are holding on to first place like grin
| death and increasing their lead little by
little: st. Louis, which had a beautiful
winning streak up to about ten days
ago, shas been dropping games consistent
T " to any old club that cared to take them
and dropped to bad fourth. Boston is
| resting easy in second place, and the race
| Is still beauty, with any Of the, frs
| division clubs in a good position to lanl
first money while Cleveland has a fail
show to wrest fourth place from st. ;Loui:
unless the browns take a brace. E=:'.-. ,
! The closeness Of the American league
| race may explain the greater patronage
enjoyed by the American league this sea
| SON, but a large part Of it is ALSO due
undoubtedly, to the personal unpopularit!
Of some of the national league magnates
notably Brush and Freedman. = Colone
/ Pulliam of Pittsburg asserts that the de
/ parture of Brush from Cincinnati in
creased the value Of all the other nationa
league franchises 25 per cent .Whateve
the cause, however, the American Ger
tainly has outdrawn the National. al
around - .-, 49,. . -sa&..': /:
The >rurnor that Pittsburg would go in
| to the American next. season did: not ,sount
so plausible when 1t was announced tina
the American was after some of the king
pirates, and had signed Chesbro, the sta.
! pitcher of the star Pittsburg, staff, ant
Hans Wagner. These two men, the tw,
serious loss to >Dreyfuss, and If the 2re
port-that they will desert AT the end o
/ the season is correct, it seems to prett.
we'll puncture the story of Dreyfuss join
! Ing fortunes with Ban Johnson. :, Undoubt