Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-05-04

tiona1s. but have so far hit for seventy two bases from long hits. They have made ten three -baggers and twenty-one two-baggers. No home runs are to their credit as yet, but there would have been several were the new grounds there extended to the distance they will be by the time the Americans return from their next trip. Williams and Keeler are the best distance hit ters, the former with two triplets and five doubles, and the latter with three triples and three doubles. Conroy has made triple-bagger and five doubles.
 As far as known there was no Sun day games yesterday and the additional officers on duty had pleasant day all to themselves. There will be no at- tempt to break the laws by the teams in the City league at least, and we be- heve the Greater Waterbury league will not attempt to play ball on Sunday. Some of the younger lads may get into the game and it is difficult to see how they are going to be stopped. The stop page of Sunday baseball will give the officers in the center much more work and perhaps the violation of law will go on even if it is not fractured by the playing of baseball. De- tails of police were sent to the various ball grounds about the city. At some places games were in progress when the police officers ar rived but the games were quickly stop ped when the officers told the partici- pants the purpose of their visit. At Riverside park a game of foot ball was in progress when the police arrived. Those playing were told to cease and one of them took the ball and let the wind out of it and the play ing was over. The police and about 300 or 400 remained on the grounds or nearby all the afternoon but there was no trouble. The police state that much larger crowds walked along the streets of the center yesterday than for many Sunday before. It is said that the police did not intend to make any arrests yesterday if games were played but would take the names of the play CTS and they would have been arrest ed later. Chief Egan said to-day that no more warning would be given to the Sunday baseballists, that sufficient notice had been given and the public ought to know by this time the posi- tion of the police in regard to the mat ter.
 The following is expert opinion on the comparative strength of the Ma t1onal and American leagues and is given for what it is worth. It comes from one of the best ball players in the country, who was with the National league year before last and the Ameri- can league last year, but who now is not playing in either league and is in position to express dispassionate opinion: 1.-The American league is the strongest base ball organization in point of players that ever existed It's harder to win games in the American league than in the National league There isn't team among the eight but what you feel when you go against it that you have got to play your hardest to win. l have played against all but one of them, and that one played on and know how strong they all are In the National league, when such a team as Pittsburg comes along, the chances are in favor of that team win ming, but such chances do not exist in the American. It is harder to bat out games in the American league on ac- count of the strong array of pitchers and the pitchers are facing a harder lot of batsmen at that than are to be found in the National. Just take a look over the pitching talent in the American. There isn't team in the bunch that has not got at least two l first-class boxmen. and some of them have three. There's New York with l Chesbro, Tannehill and Griffith, not to l mention Howell; Boston with Young and Dineen; Philadelphia with Waddell and Plank; St Louis has Powell and Donahue on its staff; Mullen, Donovan and Kitson are pitching for Detroit 1 Cleveland has, three corkers in Bern hard, Joss and Moore, and in Chicago are Callahan and Patterson. I don't remember any league that had as many good pitchers and where the teams were so we'll matched" Nevertheless there are several teams in the National league which just now are playing speedy ball. The New Works is one of them. and as the New York Ameri
 cans also are playing a fast game, New
 Workers are enjoying a double dose o1 good home work. It remains to- be seen which team will maintain the clir the longer, and while, according to the
 opinion quoted above. the New York
 Americans have the harder opposition
 to buck against they have the strength with which to do it.
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