The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-08-02

= II IL a forlorn hope TO wish for pcnnan.
baseball team In st. Louis this season, but
the lessons learned by the American League
management during the present campaign
Mill not tie lost. This wisdom will be stored
up for future use and the application of II
may give st. Louis a team OF pcnnant- win
ners next season.
q At the beginning Of the season critics
throughout the country conceded the
Browns to be me of the strongest pennan,
rontenders In the johnson organization.
Figuring the dope at that time, ST
Louis looked as strong as any of the Ameri-
can League clubs On paper its batters
were as strong as those IF Cleveland, Bos-
ton and Philadelphia.
In the field the club was considered n
veritablc stone wall and many of the local
enthusiasts thought nothing but cannon
pah could be shot through the quartet of
snnelders. while they imagined that the only
snstnod OF getting ball out of reach of the
outneiders was to drive 1t over the fence.
Dy this time the fans have altered their
opinion In. the same proportion that the
Browns have altered their position in the
race and not even the most enthusiastic
rooters Tor the tribe of McAleer can SEQ
awning better than the bottom of the first
oivlnon or the top Of the second division
LOT incir favorftes. At that the locals will
nave 10 commence to work hard to even
reacn THIS inconspicuous place In the race.
HEDGES LIBERAL. WITH PLAYERS.
"hen Hedges started to sign players at
'ne opening OF the campaign money was
hot spared In the effort TO give St Louis
. winning team. Players of caliber. or AL
ssa caiiper, who wished to play in st.
-.ouas could name their own terms md
ses would come up to the mark.
Aiter pickering with McGraw and other
r.aa.sers and using their offers az \, lever
a nk Donahue pried an alarmincly fat
contract out OF Hedges - -
he suiEeS m method mo-, was unique: For time
shskeu the manager Of the .Dist,,rber.,,
.s.r m M1h ne would give him for the sea.
5000. D onaSneo nered him something like
was s .he latter CON about how McGraw
ths nnliiing to give him a half interest in
shares Of s ubWas. with with few hundred
ne would only pitch a came or oi t,va ~: II
son for New York Hedges VT %as Two tatsn sea a.
and at once n sirnsd pitchers pt willy method
utner PLAYERS worked the same e" tr,n nsuf on
the ~. and when pay day comes around in
cxnrrss r,osnp hedges has to borrow an
which to pay on. 'ie eash Win
mai Ct Louis has not foam ~ ra,.
evervs Shaser 5; is no fault of Hedges. He did
Sae-s tnhs IN MS power to place strong
Team In the field. He even went % se e,on as
Nc corral Mathewson and Bowern,an az ne
Of Affairs at the Cincinnati pes eular turn
New York club t'uiheu 10 tne
nsctioS 3, nM1 sss not daunted by the de-
, 70 tne fore with the open wallet and , ~sni
they wnn1.a DVWnies to take as much as
here The Brownies aihsy si Eesld only pay ban
and grabbed all they could Hed situation to-
game and did not kick. What he was Vas s.ay
figures that eertsinly sha 9san and he paid
tnat could finish one two. three team
me Browns. notwithstanding Hedges.
they should pisy NOT or PLAYED the game of bali
sney could play II they had 10. " A'a"s'
nnowNs. WORK DISAPPOINTING,
=, sSI Work mas been the disappointment
Sn,b me season IN baseball way. In this
s sa With. as they are both gentlemen Wbo
Msve their heart. as well as their, n,,rso
su1ngs. In the game. puise
,N0r can want OF enthusiasm on the mar,
o. the local rooter be CHARGED as 's Dali pa.
LOT tne Browne' poor showing. When The
nis,snr s s,r1G Isl, ginning streak and were
welI,patronixed amusement grounds A. er.
ample or the popularity Of the national
s sme vas given when over 10000 fans
Park to watch the double header befrsaen
Boston and the Browns ON that 49,
the Browns doubly disgraced themse.ves hv
peing smut out twice, and their playing LOST
them many stanch friends. io'1
LACK OF HITTING CAUSED SLUMP.
Many critics attribute the Browns. slnmn
70 their lack Of hitting. This is one Of the
lessons One OF the other reasons is that
many OF the players have lost heart In the
game. Tne only time they seem to get
very busy is around pay day, when they
can urge hump on themselves that Womb
win the championship Of three or four ma
Barring. Burkett. Wallace, Powell and
gudhc6 the team as constituted at present
horse would have in the Suburban Handi-
cap The catching department Of the
Browns has certainly failed to make GOOD.
Knhoe H. fair worker behind the bat but
Ougden can b termed punk" Anderson
AanAges to string albng with the 3oo-stick-