The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-07-03
WHERE THEY PLAY TOMORROW.


Something is wrong and there is
a leak somewhere. This department
is not in favor of criticising for the
sake of starting something but it
wishes to offer q little criticism lii a
friendly spirit. There is no use of try
ing to explain conditions. The fact
is that the White Sox are not playing
ball as they are capable of doing.
There is something wrong some place
and the sooner this part of the team,
whatever it is, is remedied the sooner
the team Will be playing ball. The
longer matters are allowed to drag
as they are now doing the worse the
anagement will suffer, and the less
will the public patronize the game.
Just what the trouble is is hard to tell
exactly. The fielding of the White
Soz classes as high, if not higher, than
that of any other team in the associa-
ton. Erwin and Tonneman are both
good catchers and are on a par with
any pair in the league. Abbott is
playing a great game at first. The
work of Raglan and Olson around the
keystone station would be hard to
equal even in much faster company
while Runkle is always playing
steady third and in always in the
game. In the outheld the weakest
fielding is being done, Davis is the
only man who is ranking very high
in the outfeld at the present time.
Lawler is not exactly sure on all fly
balls but in the main plays a fair
game in the field. Hurlburt in CEN
ter field is not playing as he used to
when he first broke into this COM
pany nor even as good as he did last
season.
In the outfield the batting of the
team is Woefully weak although the
addition of Dalrymple will materially
strengthen this department.. LAWYER
is batting about $50 which for an
outfelder is a poor showing. The out
feIders are supposed to do the bulk
of the hitting. Hurlburt hits only
spasmodically while Davis is the
only one who hits regularly. A little
more hitting in the outfleld would not
hurt. Davis, the ouly good fielder in
the outfield is out of the game
through some trouble with the man
agement. On the inf1eld all the play
ers are hitting as well as the average
infield and some are even clouttng
fhe Spalding with great regularity.
In the pitching department Topeka
is we'll fixed. Jones is undoubtedly
as good a pitcher as there is in the
Western Association. Halla always
pitches a good game but is a little bit
off at present. Bunton can be depend
ed upon to do good work at any time
when the team plays a little bit be-
hind him. Wright is thought well of
by the players who have seen him
work and ought to give a good &C
count of himself. So it seems that
nothing more could be desired. Some
people seem to think that the team
work is lacking, but Topeka has de-
veloped a better degree of team work
than any other team in the circuit.
The Champs are past masters at the
nit and run and squeeze plays. In
fact they work this play too much
and all a pitcher on the opposing
team has to do is to waste a ball and
the squeeze is frustrated. A little bit
sass of the squeeze play and more of
GOOD swinging at the ball is what is
needed in this line.
1t will only take a glance from
non-partisan casual observer to see
that the team is lacking in one thing
and that is harmony. There seems to
be strife among the players. Some of
them who are ordinarily good play
ers seem to be losing heart and do not
care whether they play ball or not.
Whether this is caused by bad water
or an enmity of the management is not
clear However. many of the MEM
bers of the team are very open in
their criticism of the method in which
the team is run There is scarcely
man on the team who has not at some
time or another in the past six weeks
aroused the enmity of the manage