The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-05-30
REAL BALL PLAYING
The Millers Have Been Putting Up
q Stiff All-Around Game
Of Late.
Injury to One Of the Pitchers Would
Be Disastrous-A General
Improvement,

still galloping up the stretch toward the
first division at q terrific pace. The team
which was a punching bag for all The
clubs in the west three weeks ago, is nov
playing a stronger all-around game thar
any In the association. Good work by
THE pitchers and tremendous hitting By
all the team. have been the chief factors
In this happy result. The Toledo bunch
proved a soft proposition for 'Yeager's
men. Two Of the four games were wor
by close margins. the other contests were
lslaughters. Columbus was just as easy
except in the first game, where Williams
had the heavy hitters dashed to the mast
The first game with Indianapolis, while
mot a walkover. belonged to the locals from
fthe start
In all. the Yeagerites have taken eight
out of the last nine games Figuring UP te
Friday morning), and thirteen out Of TWEEN
lty-three since opening on the home
grounds. That is an excellent record. ever
lat home, and cannot entirely be explained
Iby the theory that the other clubs had
bad days. Toledo, after losing four
straight to the millers, broke even at st
Paul, and none Of her pitchers suffer
such a bonlbardment as they experienced
here Columbus, after taking three of the
-four at st. Paul. dropped three here.
~ Such a winning streak may possibly con-
tinue, but it is not probable. If the millers
take three out of five at home and break
even on the road hereafter, they will be
doing very creditable work. If they win
two out Of three at home and four out
two outsof three at home and four out OF
ceedingly well. The fans should not be-
come discouraged If the nillers drop two
Tor three straight, or even more than that
sometime soon, for winning streaks are
usually followed by losing streaks, and
the best teams have their bad spells. The
aggregation which represents Minneapolis
just now has shown that it can play as
good ball as any in the league, and has
demonstrated it's right to the support OF
the fans thru any temporary bad season
which may come. It is to be hoped, and
1t is quite possible, that the millers will
continue winning, but in any case it has
proven itself worthy the admiration and
loyalty Of the fans.
One Of the most praiseworthy features
OF the last few contests has been the fact
that the team showed no disposition to
play loosely when it had cinched a, game.
Errors were made, quite frequently at
times, but there has not been. a time
since the first contest with Toledo when
the men have not worked hard,and played
just as strong a game in the last inning as
in the. first They have taken no chances,
but kept going until the last man was out
in the ninth.
Another hopeful sign is an improvement
in team work and headWork. This was
shown especially in the first game with
Indianapolis, when several possible runs
were shut off by fast work on the part
of the millers. It is noteworthy also that
fewer are being caught mapping on
the bases. In short the all-around game
put up by the millers has been improving
steadily, though there is still room for
Improvement
The pitching staff, though not yet what
1t should be. is in much better shape than
1t was a week ago. Thomas looks more
and. more like the real thing with every
game he pitches. Stimmel Is delivering
the goods regularly, and has allowed but
fifteen runs in sixty one innings, a large
number Of those permitted by errors. Vas
binder, in spite of his bad thumb, is doing
magnificent work. If these three keep
Then there is Salisbury to fall back on,
find, altho 1t is too early to make pre-
dictions in regard to him.
Were Katoll on deck, with his throwing
wing in shape; were Sporer uncrippled
and Vasb1nder's sight certain not to
bother him, the rnillers would be on easy
street. AS it is, the fans can only pray
that no n1ishaps befall any of the four
twirlers now working.
After many vicissitudes the manage
ment has finally nodded the team into
that shape where it can afford to tilt its
chair back and stand pat. There never
was any doubt in regard to the outfeld
after Elmer Smith was secured to take
Wilmot's S. place. All three men are hitting
at tremendous clip as we'll as fielding