The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-07-18
IS HALF OVER.
Race IN the American League
Indeed a Pretty One.
The Close Of Past Week Showed
seventy-flve Games Played.
FOUR TEAMS PUNCHED.
Would Seem That Cleveland
Would Beat the Top.
Another Surprise Is That New
York Leads the List.

New York. July 1S.-One-hah OF the
battles have been fought that We're
slated for. decision by the Chicago
American leaguers, that club having
Stayed its seventy-seventh game last
Saturday Seventy-seven more games
remain to be played before the curtain
fails CctoberT. Comiskeys men have
actually played in rs contests, but one
was a thinning tie with Cleveland May
In the frst half Of the distance the
white Stockings have made q grand
fight considering the bad start the cruz
Eot For a time it locked as lnouen -
south siders were doomed 10 loWty
berth in the second division, put allsL
4be arst eastern trip they braced up ana
have fought admirably ever since, Unit
TO-DAY the Chicago club is one OF tne
actual contestants for the Aeadefship
Of the league. IL.
) American Lacquer" was asked or FRANK
Z s. Navin. |secretary-t treasurer OF the De
troit club. who Is visiting here IN New
York at present.
s',rhe season is Just half gone. yet no
club has anything like lead suffieient
/ TO entitle it to odds over TWO or three
others in the league, replied NaN4h-
( 's1Fhere are two surprises to me IN our
race this season. one is that Cleveland
IS not we'll on in the lead and the other
IS that New York has kept up where
it IS. I.ajoie has all the inherent ball
blazing strength in his club that any
one could ask, plenty of good hitting, a
! good string Of pitchers, fast helders
I and clever base runners, and yet thaI
team Is only third Why, there are
/ seven men with Cleveland hitting over
I SODA joie. Clark Benis, Hosfnan,
Turner. Bay and Flick.
GIVE Chicago. Detroit or the Atm
Ieffcs one or two Of those hard, clean
up-hitters that Lajoie has and see now
J easily either Of these clubs would walk
( of with the flag So far as Griffith S
; club Is concerned I am surprised II is
IN so well. because it has not a single
hiRh-class pitcher to keep 1T going. Inc
team hits well enough, being second IN
club batting. but at that there are only
three regulars above the sou marx
Chase, Keller and Williams.
Look over the twirling staff Griffith
has to depend on. ChesbrO has fallen.
He is no longer the terror he once was
and he is knocked out almost as often
as he can stay through nine innings.
Orth pitches we'll against some, but Is
easy for others; what I would call a
fairly good box artist. Hogg cant be
depended on. for he blows up too cas-
Ily and too regularly. ClarksOn cannot
be figured on at all. Newman is er-
rattle. Hahn has gone home That stan
does not look very promising to me
and I expect to see the Highlanders be-
gin to slide slowly but surely down the
scale from now on.
.C4riflth himself is one of the best
pitchers on this team, but the burden
of handling a winning club in such &
fight Is too much for a man If ne has
TO pitch too and Grifnth Is wise to my
mind In keeping out of the playing enc
and devoting his time and attention tc
getting everything possible out Of his
men,