The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-12-27

mick tried to fill Dicks place, but neither
was any too successful.
Nc MeGormick was e great fielder but j,
frommage de brie both at the bat and
in the field. II Padden fails to round to
next season. Gleason should be better
The Browns' pitchers we're not in con-
dition early last fall. Francois Donahue
returned from Yale with much inflated
Uranium. This malady cost the Browns a
Cleveland to advantage. The lake breezes
and several good cloutings reduced the
Size Of Donahue's Uranium, SO that before
the campaign closed Frank was able to
too much worry.
With Powell and Sudhoff in condition.
the Browns have great pair Of twirlers.
II they get going good next season. they
will make the American League batters
hustle.
Sudhoff was good all last season, but
Powell did not hit his stride until too
late In the campaign. With a little more
material to land them in a higher posi-
ton at the close Of the 1904 battle than
they held at the wind-up Of last season.
McGINNITY'S WORST PLAY.
In every baseball players career there is
always some particularly timely base hit,
q more than usually brilliant play, or an
especially great game won by that play
in his mind to the exclusion of all he may
have done In any other hard-fought and
hotly-contested battle of the. diamond.
Such events are stamped in his memory
Of his professional experience.
Again, too, some glartng biunder that
has cost his team victory rankles In his
me nor, and and will not down. TT There was
forgot to roast" the umpire for the time
being and concentrated his excited atten-
ton on the unfortunate player who was
called everything from a ''wall-eyed has,
been" to a ..paii Of oieo1nargarine." When
5000 half frenzied baseball cranks got on
their legs and with unanin1ity howl their
displeasure at q player, the scene is indel-
IDLY impressed on the unfortunately mind.
His attic" retains the picture. For tho
benefit of the fans these cold winter
days, Joe McGinnity, the iron man. tells
OF his blunders
least It was one that I Kick myself the
most for doing" said the famous pitcher,
was when l tanned with three men on
sSs bases when sass hit Of amy SSvs sRa non
US the game. It was only last season, and
at the Polo Grounds. The Giants were
playing the st. Louis Cardinals. and We
and tuck with Chicago and every victory
counted for fair. We looked upon Pat
sey Donovan's crowd as dead easy, and
they were, too. for they came on to the
are; get us quick and lot US So home"
was about the way they felt They were
O demoralized bunch and we knew It, but
my striking out did the business for our
fellows.
at was in the ninth inning and O'NeIl
was pitching. he did not have enough
speed to dent butter. and knew 1t.
could always hit him. too. and went up
expecting to swat tho ball mile. Gil
bert, Lauder and Babb were on the bases,
all good runners, and I thought 1t was all
over but the shouting. swung at the ball
as II I We're using dali ! had three s,,
hit wind each time. But IL had pasted
the ball on the last swipe, III bet would
have broken it. The score was to 2 or
something nke that aga agaha rs US; any now
@Weli you should have seen the gang
in the clubhouse after the game. TaNs
about a caildown. got mine from Nc
boys would hardly look at me for two
days. But felt worse over II than they
did. have made many rotten plays. but
that was the limit. kicked myself for
my best work! Well. don't want to
crack myself up; people will think am
stuck on myself. will say. that CON
sder have done better dI pt fb ,aan
for which was given q world OF credit
I appreciated, Of course. ell the nice things
said about me for those victories; put
when I pitched five games In six days for
the Brooklyns in 1890, and won them all.
-Four OF the games. too. were against the
Pittsburgs. That was doing pretty Wen.
wasn't 1t? Still. ] was not troubled Win
a lame arm. had just as much speed IN
the fifth game as when 1 started the first;
But. mind you, was beautifully supported
in the field and was backed up Win ,,,s so nos
have made such record. guess 1t Is the
underhand swing I use with my raise ball
that saves my wing. know that never
s ETH : but nie can pitch that out easily.
In discussing the changes Of tho past
season. in baseball, John G. HegdIsr, s sec c,
rstasy to President H saIg yto e lam OF
''The trouble with batting ana base
running compared with dozen or more
years ago. is that the style Of play has
pitching and otherwise. It is now a case
Of the batsman hitting for the runner
ahead. or the manager knows the reason
why; In a Sase-runntng way sba It Is Easy "
Chance started to steal with every op..
portunity. aided by the obsolete trick OF
the batsman chopping over the pan, the
total nearly hundred, where now sixty
or seventy IL considered fair. II your fast
man nowadays reaches first. he IL likely to
get orders to run with the hit II the
batsnnan fails, the runner keeps his feet,
nine-tenths Of the spectators swear that
man man does hit, the runner probably reaches
third, and so ia robbed OF his chance to
steal any way the play goes. The mana
ger, after all, IS a pretty big factor on
the field. He shapes the policy and sets
the style of play suited TO the speed of
his team. II he thought he could gather
more runs by allowing every player to hit
It out and run bases at VIM. I dare say
be would grab the chance. even at the risk
Of being dubbed numsknll.