Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-07-20
)MURNANE'S LIVE
BASEBALL GOSSIP
Chicago White Sox Look Like
Winners to Ex-
perts.
FOUR OUT OF THE RUNNING.
Greatest Drawback TO Sport Is Poor
Condition of Fields, Especially
In Major Leagues.

Tim Murnane, the bostoh oaseoe'' -
pers writes as foiows'
TWO baseball season is half over To the
,saaers this means the hardest work YET
to cone. while to the teams long Since
ro,,nted out of the race 1t means gem
sraI hustle fer the players to hold tneir
~. and the managers to scour the coun-
inv for promising youngsters 10 s'ie"ssh
en- IN TOR next season, go, -
In The American league four CUBS are
already out Of the running The Cpicssp
White Sex are still the prime tavoii ra,
baseball public rather ike the lieVe.anp
bnvs. Tine sox are game to the shoe-
st,3rrs have gone the full distance ana
feel confident Of repeating, ana .ns ms
,or, Of major league ball mas SHOWN tnat
rreat clubs usually repeat at least once.
No team these days can win enAni p
pionship in the big Leagues unless s'sss
man Is In dead earnest TO Keep VI unc
Nest possible shape and hustle for every
ring IN sight from the call OF the game
20 re last man out The Sox Will take
more chances to win a game than viii the
Cleveland boys. and this pereen,ass WI,
,.vs the Comiskey band a slight adVan-
fnge. Still the Cleveland team mas tne
goods so that there Will ne no ruhNwas
rsoe In the American league this season
The Detroit, club has been hahai,n ~, ~, ~
admirable style this season by Hugn
Jennings. The members of that team are
SustlIng as never before, and break
down by the leaders on the home stretcn
might ind the tigers In the proper r ~
mnr 10 set a killing pace, for Mr.. Jen-
nines has been over the route no Tess
man five times during his connection
with the game, and has the nerve 70
tackle any proposition IN oasooali wnere
Inc prIze is worth the effort.
Ihe Athletics are not out OF the hunt as
tha fnest string OF pitchers IN the pus,-
ness draw salary from this CLUB ana VIII
| ali going at their best ! look for ,his .vsi.'
M come down the home stretch AZ
kmurh better clip than they went over me IN,
nrst half The other four teams Will
k,een on experimenting with the hope OF
gathering in winning combination 10
some back with next season. 80,
In the National league II looks IKE =
uure win for the Chicago club. This team
,es managed to hold a fine LEAD Win
many of their best players out q tne
stronger game In the last half 81 the
sason as the regular players VIII re-
main al their post. It's another case OF
epeating. - ac,, ror
tst as soon as 1t was fully reatzed
hal the once invincibie Mathewson vac
radically all in. The New York club mas
cpenueu mostly Oh ve.eidil p.ase.s 20
ma nard work, aud nnoins these men
m the decline are ALREADY IN the same
with several other ciubs VINO mus !
eyeiUp talent, as tne uas mas apou.
assoc wnen clubs can dispose ot tNeii
Iouis club OF the National league has
one for the last Two years. Tna.hs 10 a Z
gorous protest from ~ DohoVah' tug
ruokiyn ciuD was saved from lts sue s,
les tnls year, Wnen lie lolceu PRESIDENT
bbetts 10 hang On 10 Two OF ms uest
en-. aust az soon us The Bfook,yn ciuu
gan to WIN the attendance IN that ci,s
came the tax OF the basepaii woIiu,
owing that II pays TO treat the punile
well as POSSIBLE, though suffering
mporary iinanoiai loss al the tinb.
clubs must now build UP fsom the uot-
IN, which win increase me price 81 lhe
st OF the minor league talent, fof lhe
IN has come when the major leagues
list nav the price for ball players nt FOR
trial in the big ring. And why not!
nj Il the minors VINO pioauee tiie raw
AteIial and mold II into winning propo-
ions? Before the minor leagues COIN
fnced to fiourish the big Leagues were
reed TO be cortented with the same iine
players. often to the disgust OF tne
Irons OF the sport Now all is inherent
Ie old players must attend strictly "
slness or move on. There Is no more
spatlon in baseball. The chances Tor
gamblers to give the reckless players
Fix has diminished and gradually me
ne has been surrounded with condi-
hs that make 1t immune from those
would knife the sport to better thelr
b ends.
he greatest drawback to the sport ~
present time Is the poor conditions
the playing fields, specially in the
jor leagues, You can hardly look Tor
feet playing fields In the minor
kues. but In the large cities where
pick OF the profession Is called on
his best work. the inields. at least,
eild be as perfect aa possible TO make
IN, There are several iphelds In the
leagues where players are handicap
fully Is per cent on account OF the
ghness OF the playing surface. Take
cricket fields OF England, where
class baseball player would handle
sharp grounders almost to a certain
IN a dead run on either side. with no
OF ball hitting some uneven sub
zee, endangeriug a players person.
ere Is no good reason why our In
s cannot he made the equal OF the
ing fields OF England. i notice the
Ege playing fields are In every way
lrlor TO tho professional fields, and
no other yeason than that the men
control the grounds either have no
what II means 10 n player or the
Eh Of putting out little money Ii