The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-05-31
A Summing Up of the National
League Race Given.
Chicago, New York, Pittsburg
and Cincinnati First Four.
THESE HAVE LEADERS.
st. Louis and Brooklyn to Fight
for Fifth Place.
Philadelphia Expected to Bring
Up the Rear.

New York, May 31.-This is the way
the National league looks now-if a
prediction or two can be ventured:
Chicago, New York, Pittsburg and
Cincinnati to fight it out for the first
four positions, with St. Louis and
Brooklyn for the fifth position. Phila-
delphia and Boston will undoubtedly
trail. And the reason the first four are
picked to be the ones who will decide
the leadership when the final count is
made is because they have the teams
and the leaders.
Take Chicago-A great leader in
Frank Selee. a, man who, in all his long
career as a baseball manager, has new
er been identified with a loser. A
StrOng-hitting, fast baSe-running and
good fielding infield; a bunch of pitch
ers that are reliable men-good for
their regular turns every fourth day. In
King they have the best catcher in
either of the big leagues thing
considered. The only weak spot is the
Outfield. Aside from Slagle there is not
800 hitter, nor yet a star outer gar
dener.
New York-In McGraw that team has
one of those scrappy, aggressive lead
ers who can get more out of men of
| mediocre ability than any manager IN
the countryside alone excepted. His
men will die fighting. He has probably
better control over his old men and can
else could. That has been proven.
! Whether or not he is a developer OF
young blood remains to be seen, as that
has not been demonstrated
PittSburg-The three-time champions
In Fred Clarke the team has one of
the greatest playing managers the
game ever saw. In Philippe and Lever
two of the best pitchers in the league,
and in Camnitz and Scanlon two prom
Using youngsters. Behind the bat he is
well fortified, while his outfield and
guardians of the infield are the best
/ that the game has seen in many long
| day. The whole bunch is there too,
with quickly turned points of advan-
| tage, daring and heady work af1eld and
/ on the bases. Wait until they take
| their eastern trip and get away from
the betting ring in the Smoky City
| that is continually knocking, knocking,
knocking. Then see what they will do!
The Reds have been seen too much
| to tell about them, except to say that
| members of the team, and Joe Kelley
himself as their leader, are better APP
| preciated abroad than in the city they
represent.
Aside from the great twirling staff
of which Manager Nichols himself is
/ the acknowledged star, there are not
so many sensational ball players in
! that Cardinal outfit. They haven't a
surplus of quick thinkers on that in
field, and the outheId looks weak in
comparison with the rest of the big
leaguerS.
Brooklyn, here of late, has disap-
pointed everyone, and none more keen
ly than Manager Hanlon himself. The
pitching corps is not there. Jones is
the only man of recognized merit
among the slab workers. The catching
department is not particularly strong
for Bill Bergen, too weak for the Reds
is it's star. The infield is light-toC
light for big league fnfield, and there
is but one good ball player in the out
| field=Jfnnmv SheckaFd
Boston and Philadelphia will fight i
out for last place, of that there can bt
but little doubt. The chances rather
favor Buckenberger's crew for "th'
hole" despite the bad start made by
Duffy's men. Little Hughie" has thu
better in and outfeld, with the excep
ton that there is Tenney to be reck
, oned with as against the passe Jacl
Doyle. Neither pitching staff look
particularly strong. Buckenberger pro
badly has the better of the argumen
on that score.
But when you get right down to it
this is going to be one of the pretties
races the league has seen in many
long year. Certain it is that no team
will make a run away race of it a.
Pittsburg has been wont to do. Tha
worlds championship series taught th'
balance of the teams in the NatiOna
league that the Pirates were not i'm
pregnable, and they have not been SLOW
|. to take advantage of that this year