Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-15
CURRENT BASE BALL COMMENT,
BY JACOR @. MORSE.

BY JACOB @. MORSE
''Give Collins q first class catcher" said
q well-known player the other day, land
his team will be as good as ever. It II
not weakness in pitchers that ails the team.
It is the weakness behind the bat. With q
first class man. one who will have the con-
f1dence of the pitchers. the team will be az
strong as ever"
According to that had 1t not been for
the misfortunes of the Boston American
club to be without the services Of Criger
there would have been no occasion for the
release of Setback for the transfer OF
Freeman from his place in right field to O
place the bench.
1t has been shown that Collins is utterly
unable to cope with an emergency such
as the club has had to contend with this
year He has utterly failed to make good.
Other managers succeed In securing men 10
plug up holes In the team. but not Collins.
Boston has been Signally UNSUCCESSFUL IN
It's endeavors to secure first class talent
behind the bat. Graham Is one OF the high
est salarted catchers m the country. me
Boston club never paid a new man as high
a salary he was paid when ne nfst
Joined the club. The club had Schreck. who
Is surely as good some Of the rights
that have been seen here, but II TOOK
Connie Mack to handle Schreck and he has
made good for that manager. Boston also
had a mighty good man In the veteran Jack
Warner. who got tired Of playing here and
went back to the New York Nationals.
Perhaps he would not have made very
good man for the club in it's present pre-
dicament. He has proven very good
man for Detroit.
In addition to the weakness behind the
bat and the fact that the pitching staff
has been seldom at its full strength comes
the injuries to players in other positions
the absence of Grimshaw at f1rst for many
weeks. the lamsness of ''Hobe' Ferris for
a long period. the absence OF Manager Col
Inns on third for a protracted time. any one
Of these causes was sufficient to put tho
club more or less to the bad
A young left-hander named Kroh has
been secured for the Bostons from the New
York State League, but he will not Join
the American club until the season Of that
organization closes In September. There is
no telling how he will do In the big league.
-
One Of the most remarkable things Of
this season is the falling OF Of young ICY"
Young of the Boston Nationals. Command
was his forte last season. and 1t was eK-
ceedingly rare for him to give single
base on balls This year 1t Is entirely diff
ferent. and In the last game in New York
he went way up in the air with the game
we'll in hand. to 0.
-
There Is no Disgusting the fact that trou-
BILE with the management is the trouble
with more than one team. The weaker
the team the more ability needed to get all
there Is In 1t. 1t is odd, indeed, that in
st. Louis there has been SO much difficulty
to get winning teams. The Robisons havo
provided small fortunes since they were In
base ball to secure winners. yet have found
it the most difficult matter to bring this
about. 1t was thought that McCloskey
would be the man to accomplish the results
this year. but 1t has been found that there
were schisms in the team. and until these
are weeded out 1t Is difficult indeed to ac-
complish much in a ball club. Manager
Duffy has come in for lots OF newspaper
criticism because his team took a bad
slump, and doubtless the little manager
was doing his prettiest to make a winner
out of his team. One cannot have a winner
for the asking and the best of teams have
their ups and downs.
1t Is said that the Chicago White Sox
have more or less internal trouble. Nc
Fariand has been on the outs with Man
ager Jones for some time. Pitcher Smith
has been on Ill terms with the head Of his
team. and there Is anything but good blood
between Jones and Gus Dundon. The lat
ter was left at home on this trip. Yet the
club has done very good work. indeed.
So with Manager Jake Stahl Of the Wash
ington bunch. Despite the fact II has been
SHOWN as plainly as pOSSlOlo tndl II Is d
most difficult thing for a man to play ball
and manage too, Stahl has kept in the
game. 1t Is odd that he has not seen that
he cannot ride these two horses. Many
things have broken badly for Stahl this
season, and again and again he should have
been hustling after recruits instead of re-
manning In the game Collins case Is the
same. Instead of going after talent he has
stuck to the bench when the club could
have got along just well without him as
With him Managerial responsibility seems
to have affected Stahrs play and nothing
else. He was once considered a remarka-
bly, good sticker. but he has been unable
to do himself justice, owing to managerial
responsibilities.
President Pulliam of the National League
started a good thing when he criticised the
appearance of some of the ball players on
on the ball field. There is nothing that
looks worse than a dirty uniform. One
would think the owners of the club, the
manager or the captain would insist on the
attractive appearance of the players of a
club on the ball field, but as a general rule
the men can wear what they choose, and
often the captain Is the dirtiest looking
member OF the team.
Another innovation that has often been
preached, but has neven been taken up. is
the numbering of the ball players. This
would enable anyone to pick out any ball
player on the field. Often changes are
made In the makeup of team. 1t is the
exception rather than the rule when one
can hear the announcements of the umpire
either before or during a game. and any
thing that will help the patron ought to be
welcomed. II the players We're numbered
on the field and on the score card a great
convenience would be afforded those who
patronze the sport. Often the game be-
gins with a change In position of which
the public knows nothing at all. The UNI
pire announces simply the batteries and
therefore almost everybody Is kept in en-
tire Ignorance II any other player besides
the one whose name appears on the score
cards fills Il position. 1t would not be a
bad idea 10 post the batteries. and this Is