The Washington herald., 1907-09-29

charley horse
Two days after Tinker first was avail
able Frank Schultz, one OF the team g
leading batters, was taken sick and had
TO undergo an operation which kept him
ont OF harness from the middle Of May
until the lst Of July, a period Of over
six weeks. at time when the Cubs were
having some OF their toughest battles OF
the year TO establish their lead Manager
Chance himself. while not absent from
the lineup for any such extended period
as thCse two stars, has been compelled TO
lay of for n week or ten days several
times during the year because OF an all
ment which no doctor has been able TO
explain 20 the Cub leader satisfactorily
as yet. Slagle has been out of the gar
den-guarding business repeatedly.
Killing, the Cabs premier backstop, also
has been disabled. once az time when
Moran. his alternate. was at home bury
ing his mother. leaving the burden OF
catching upon the shoulders Of Hardy
and Oils. two youngsters scarcely ac-
Quainted with their teammates.
Not one OF the regulars has been able
10 play in every game Evers and Stein
feldt have come nearest 70 g. and Sheck-
service. IL three Ct them have played
when they would have been or the bench
or in bed II other men were not more
seriously hurt
Pitching STAFF Affected.
Nor has Manager Chance had the use
OF his great pitching staff for anything
like the entire season. Reulbach pitched
in only four games previous TO June 10.
and three Of those were parts OF games.
That was a long stretch OF eight weeks
without him Then he was absent from
the team several weeks In August on ac-
count Of his wife's sickness. Lundgren
pitched IN only two games during the
hottest weather. Fraser was hurt and
out Of commission for nearly two months
in mtdseasou. Taylor averaged to pitch
in only two games a month during April.
May. June. and July. and pitched only
four games in August Brown had
pitched in only six games since August
p This leaves only overall OF the staff
who has been at work regularly all sea-
son.
AT one time, while on the road, Man
=
in Chicago. Both regular catcbeTs were
absent Howard was laid UP with a sore
hand. Slagle was IN bad shape, but had
10 play So did Evers, despite a lame
heel, which caused him 70 limp painfully.
The team was on the ragged edge for
nine men to put In the field Yet because
the Cubs went right along winning their
crippled condition attracted no attention
whatever.
They kept up their winning gait under
those heavy handicaps for the simple
reason the supreme strength OF the Cubs
does not lie In their regulars, but in their
substitutes. Instead Of being a team OF
nine or a dozen highly skilled experts,
as champion teams usually are consti-
tuted, the Cubs combine in their make
up nearly twenty great players.
Just Ike a bridge. OF any other struc-
ture. a baseball team is no stronger than
its weakest spot. With the average team
the crippling Of a regular brings into play
a weaker substitute. thereby weakening
the entire team a baseball team can
be no stronger than its substitutes, unless
IL IS phenomenally fortunate 20 need no
substitutes.
Substitutes Prove Valuable.
With the great team Manager Chance
has built Up on the West Side the injury
or absence Of one, two, or even more OF
his stars did not cripple the team seri-
ously. There were men almost equally
skilled and quite as well schooled in the
Cub system Of play as the regulars. ready
and eager 90 jump into their places.
Without dimming IN the least the lau-
rels which belong to these Cub regulars.
IL Is true Holman alone has been a tower
OF strength 20 the team this year. He
has been the key that has fitted into any
door and locked Il tightly against the
enemy. lie has kept the club from hav-
ing many q weak spot 20 weaken the
whole. Hoffman started the season at
short and held Il down brilliantly until
May H. when Tinker was ready 10 play.
Four days later he was located IN right
held 10 replace Schultz, who had TO join
the hospital corps.
For the better part Of six weeks HOf-
man played right field. but during that
time he was constantly switched from
that position 70 some infeld job 20 I'll a
vacancy During one week in May he
played first base, third base, and right
week he was called 20 shortst0p again
on account OF Tinker's injury. And so Il
went all season.
Manager Chance started out with
Sweeney and Randall TO help Holman in
the utility department, But early he dis
covered neither of them was Of Cub cal
iber. When one Of them had 70 be used
Il weakened that position, hence the
whole team. So the manager handed the
Boston club both Sweeney sand Randall
in exchange for Del Howard. a utility
man, but n better one than either Of them.
Consequently Chance again strengthened
the Cubs by that move. II was the old
proposition. Howard was better than
either Of the men exchanged for him,
hence better than both. since his pres
ence in game did not weaken the team.
Easier Than in 1905.
Although the two times champions have
not touched this year their own worlds
record for games won, they have cap
tured their 1907 pennant with greater ease
than they did their 1896 flag. While
Chances warriors maintained their whirl-
wind pace Of last season throughout the
greater part of this years race, their
the New York Giants. were
unable to hold even the gait which landed
them a bad second last fall.
For over six weeks Of this season Nc
Graw's men made a fight for the pennant
and hung on to the high flying Cubs
with great tenacity. then the race became
too warm for them and, as endurance
began TO tell, they fell back until they
the place" honOrs to Pitts
burg To this lack Of pressure from be-
hind since midseason is due the fact
the Cubs have not won as many games
as they did last year. There was a wide
margin Of twenty games between Chicago
and New York at the finish of last years
pennant battle. but the race was closer
than this years until nearer its close,
when the Giants slumned fast Of the fin