Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-04


Although the season of 1906 was the best
the game ever knew, there is no doubt at
all that next season will be better still
Every club is making efforts to improve in
every respect and the pace will be, there
fore, hotter than ever.
Detroit intends to make a strong bid for
a leading place and in Hugh Jennings will
have a first-class manager, who ought to
give very satisfactory account of his
stewardship. He is active and energetic,
very popular with the players and the men
will do good work under him or he will
know the reason why.
Napoleon Lajoie will do his prettiest to
give the laugh to those who think he was
not cut out for a pennant winner Cleve-
land will have a very strong team beyond
a doubt and 1t will take some good ball
tossing to head this team off. Cleveland is
to be stronger in two most essential points
in the pitching and catching departments.
There Is doubt at all that Berger. the
pitcher secured from Columbus. and Lieb-
hardt, the crack pitcher of the Memphis
team. will help the club whole lot. Then
Catcher Howard Wakefield, who has been
recalled from Washinton. will help the club
behind the bat. While Cleveland has been
able to present strong front in seasons
gone by. there is little doubt the club will
open next season stronger than ever be-
fore.
ST. Louis is the club that Comiskey thinks
is to cause a whole lot Of trouble. 1t will
be very strong indeed in all points and will
be strong all-round aggregation. Few
clubs in the country are better balanced
and capable Of putting up better battle.
No club looks any better for the 1907
struggle than the New York Highlanders.
All this club has lacked to make a pennant
winner for several seasons past has been
pitchers. and the club has gone in whole
sale since the close of last season to rem
edy the deficiency in this particular, and
there can be no doubt at all that it will
open very strongly in this respect in another
campaign. Griffith will have decided adj
junct to his pitching force in Pitcher Louis
Brockett with the Buffalos the past
son.
The White Sox therefore bid fair to have
as difficult a task to land another pennant
in 1907 they did last season.
According to TIE present outlook the
only change in the mana cement of a Ma
lional League club next season will be in
Philadelphia where William ]. Murray su-
persedes Hugh Duffy.
The illness of MatEewson. the injuries to
Donlin and the inability of Ames to play
his usual game prevented the New York
team from making the contest with Chicago
they would surely have made had the club
not been crippled. The showing to finish
second was certainly a good one under the
circumstances, and the outlook is that,
strong as are the Chicagos, they will have
their hands full to keep ahead of the New
York team next season.
X x
1t is scarcely conceivable that President
Barney Dreyfuss would allow Fred Clarke
to go under any conditions and that relia-
bic manager and player will doubtless be
at the head of the club again next season,
as usual. Clarke will quit the game when
he quits Dreyfuss, and he is scarcely ready
to do that yet, even if he has a lucrative
farm In Kansas. The Pittsburg club has
been badly cut up the past two seasons and
Still the club has been we'll up in the race
and under any circumstances is sure to land
in a commanding position.
A club that must be watched very closely
next season is the Brooklyn club. Encour-
aged by the showing that was made last
Jason. Patsy Donovan will surely make
good showing and will present front SUI
perior to that of last season. He will have
a pitching corps that will compare well
with most of them. fine trio of pitching
talent was secured In Rucker of Augusta,
Whiting of Lawrence and Henley of Roch-
ester. The latter was the player released