The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-08-01
STILL LOSE GAMES
That Long Overdue Brace by the
Millers Has Failed to Ma
teralize.
Ginger Is Lacking in the Local
Teams Play-Fight for First
Place. E.6zs.s

When the millers left Minneapolis on
their eastern trip, it was hoped that they
would be able to take at least half the
games while on the road. The disastrous
opening at Toledo has rather dashed the
optimism ;of the fans, however. After
losing three out of four to Toledo, 1t does
not SEEM probable that the team will get
| much out of the Louisville and >Indianap-
oils series, but the men are notorious in,
and cutters, and they are just likely to turn
around and play a strong game when they
run up against the two. first division teamss
AS the& losing streak of the locals has
continued; the fans have been asking:
| themselves the reason individually there
are few weak spots on the team. Ludwig
as a catcher is not up to the mark, but
Ludwig Is by no means the only one who
has fallen down. The chief trouble is that
the men have gotten into q rut,i and have
ceased to- play with any spirit The quail
| ity known as ginger has been conspicuous
by its absence Time was when the mill
ers were noted for their grand stand fin
ishes, and many game has been pulled
out of the fire by q: fierce batting rally
time apparently has passed, for now
whenever the opening team gets a little
| lead, the millers appear to resign them
selves to defeat.
Win Indianapolis came here last week,
|
of ten games, and the team was badly
crippled Yet the men played ten times as
spirited a game as the millers, who had
had the best Of the series just preceding.
| Whenever the boosters were in a tight
place. every man was shouting encourage
ment to his neighbor When the millers
found things going against them, silence
settled down over the field like wet
| newspaper over baby carriage. -
/ The fans would find it easier to overlook
defeat, if the team played with more
snap, and kept working all the time, OF
late, however, the men have shown alto
! gether too ltstless a spirit, To an out
slider it looks as if the manager should
come in for at least a part Of the blame.
The herd generally goes just as fast as
the bell cow. When Yeager was nursing
a broken finger he did not take the trouble
to get into bis spangles and out on the
coaching lines. Run after run was thrown
away because there was no one on the
side lines who had his wits about him
| Yeager might have saved some Of these
runs and he could at least have set an ex-
ample to his men, If the ma lager is lazy
the same spirit Is sure to be reflected in
the rest Of the team.
It is too late this season for the nillers
to hope for first division honors, but if
they can brace up and take half their
games from now on, the fans will stand
by them. The average baseball enthusiast
wants to see his team stand high, but If
he feels that he has an even chance of
seeing his team win and is assured OF
seeing good snappy baseball, win or lose,
he will attend the games. "A; good man
ager certainly should get better results
out of such. a bunch as the millers. They
have shown that they#can play, the game
when they want to, and 1T is UP. to the
manager to see that they. do In some OF
the games recently there has been some
headless and indifferent. work which
should call for strenuous measures.
The fight for first between ST. Paul and
Milwaukee is growing interesting. The
, saints proved themselves a. much better
road team than the brewers when botf
clubs were in the east in June, and II they
< can keep up their work, they will have, &
comfortable lead when they reach home
, again, From now on the contest will b.
) largely one of nerve and luck, for, on paper
t there is little to choose between the twt
teams ST. Paul has the better base run
ners, and may win out on that score. The,
/ have gained slowly but steadily in the las
! two months play, and stand an excellen
chance for the bunting.
The Louisville crowd must be reckonet
! with, as well as Indianapolis, but the for
) mer bunch is twelve games behind tn,
: leaders, and Indianapolis is eleven to Sth,
: bad. This is not an impossible handica]
to overcome in fifty odd games, but t,
. turn the trick requires either phenomena
? playing by one team, or a slump on tn,
Z part Of the other. Neither st. Paul no
Milwaukee shows any signs of weakening
just at present.
Pittsburg in the National League is hav
ing all kinds of hard luck. Clarke ant
Phelps have been out of the game of an,
on for some time. and Wagner and Leacl
have been playing with badly bunged Vi
hands. On top Of the other troubles come
the desertion of Doheny, lone of the main
4 stays Of the pitching staff. A continuanc
Of the hard luck might enable the Chi
Cages to overtake the pirates, but 1t. 4
probable that the two-time champion
I will get back into their stride before long
Barney Dreyfuss stin has all kinds Q
confidence In his team, and he is look
ing for the men who want to bet that Sth
pirates will not cop the bunting.
= The showing Of the. cubs has occasione,
e much comment. There u are q lot o
= youngsters on the team, and it was no
: thought that they would stand the strai1
z of a gruelling contest but selee seem
d to have got his men going again, and sue
, ceeded In passing New York. Selee ssurel
n has a fast lot of kids, and nosone know
e how to develop men better than he. i
e another year the microbes will be sur
factor in the pennant race. The giant
i still look weak in pitchers, and the Net