The San Francisco call., 1904-06-04
COMMUTERS LOOK
LIKE HEADLINERS
FOR HALF SEASON
From Present Indications
LOhman's Stars Will Lead
League When Time Expires
PORTLAND'S HARD LUCK
When Dugdale Gets Team
in Shape Again There May
Be a Big Surprise in Store

Oakland has managed to maintain
the leadership in the baseball fight for
another fortnight, and the chances OF
being the headliner at the first half OF
the season, July "a, look good and
bright for the venerable Lohman. At
that, he will not slide in after Ieis-
urely fashion, for there are a couple
more baseball clubs in the league that
are liable to be after him in hotfoot
order.
The Oakland manager has been doing
great things with his ball team within
the last few weeks, considering IL is
crippled in three places, two Of them
almost fatally. Peter himself has not
experienced the pleasure Of winging
any base runners out at second for
nearly three weeks, while Francks has
been on the shelf for a week. and Dun
leavy's timely bingle has been missed
for more than a month.
If Portland could only be spared a
little Of that hard luck that has been
landing in her camp by the bucketful
the northern team might give some OF
the toDnotchers a tussle for the hon
ors. There is no team In the history
of the league that has suffered more
hardships than has the northern aggre-
cation. Instead of getting Castro back
into the game Manager Dugdale was
handed a package in the form Of the
crippling of brennan and Francis. But
every road has its turn, and the Web
feet will. surely enjoy a chance to rally
ere long.
That extended series between Seattle
and Tacoma in the north may be ex-
ceedingly tedious to the fans there, but
at any rate it has done much to make
the race interesting. Both teams are
evenly matched and the way they have
been seesawing makes the run excit-
ing They Will have still one more
week of it after the present series is
finished, and by that time the Tacoma
fans will never want TO see a Seattle
played again, and the Seattle roOters will
about go frantic when they lay eyes on
another Tacoma star.
Uncle Harris says he will be rest
ing easily as soon as he grabs another
first baseman The San Francisco
team certainly needs such a man and
needs him badly. Uncle claims to
have a fast one in the East all but
signed up. He will have to get him
on the ground in rush II he wants
to cut in on the honors for the first
half of the season.
Umpire Huston is not the best Judge
of balls and strikes in the world. He
showed it plainly the first day he UNI
pired in this city and his work has not
improved sincs-that time. In Thurs
days game Julie Streib received a
mean rap on the hand from the ball
while at bat, but Huston refused to
allow him to take his base, although
every fan in the grand stand saw the
player get hit. 1t is an umpire's busi-
ness to see these things and Mr.. Hus-
ton misses lot Of them.
Dunleavy's injuries are not as seri-
Gus as was at first thought and the
fast center fielder will soon be cut
ting capers in the Oakland outfeld-
Lohman thought Dun would not be
able to play any more ball this sea-
son, but luckily for him and the team
he is on the road to a speedy recovery.
1t looks as though Jimmy Byrnes
had landed a permanent job on the
Oakland team Jimmy was a try-out
man for the last couple OF years in
this league as we'll as in the Pacific
Northwest organization, but for some
reason never held a job long The ball
he has been playing for Oakland is
good enough to suit anybody. With an
instructor like Pete LOhman+ Jimmy
will improve right along. and, as he
has the best wishes of the local and
the Oakland fans, he will undOubted-
ly succeed