The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-09-15
Finish 1902.
M. Finish 1901.
American Leaque Race.

Philadelphia still holds the lead in the American league by a narrow margin over Detroit. Chicago is coming fast and will yet be contender for the penant, but Cleveland has not shown much if any improvement during the past week.
 The average writer still favors Detroit to win the pennant and some papers have lately published statements said to have been made by Hugh Jennings him self and claiming the pennant for De- trolt as a certainty. While this may be a correct statement it does not sound like Jennings, who has never before this season made such a claim.
 Jennings Is like Connie Mack in discuss ing pennant possibilities. and neither will make a radical assertion of superiority. Jennings certainly has occasion to talk a little about the pennant as hts team has made a fine race. while Connie Mack also has reason to gaze upon the pennant without using a telescope, but he will not boast of what he may do.
 Since the Athletics took the lead about ten days ago they have made no advance, for whenever they won Detroit won, and when Detroit lost the Athletics also lost, the standing remains practically the same today that it was in the middle Of last week.
 The White Sox have gained few points on the leaders in the week and have left Cleveland in the rear. but the season is still long enough for radical changes to occur among the four pennant possbili ties yet with the standard of playing now established little change from the present relative positions is expected.
 Horace Fogel, the baseball expert of Philadelphia. thus dopes out the race:
 The Athletics haven't got the pennant won yet, but barring illness and injuries which would break up their team they will win it all right. As a matter of fact. but for injuries to Oldring and Collins in the past three weeks, the Athletics would have the flag pretty nearly cinched now Oldring's being out with an injured toe cost the Athletics at least two games in the west which Lord lost by poor base running and probably three or four, as Reuben's batting was greatly missed. This past week the Athletics lost one game and missed chance to win an other that resulted in a draw because Jimmy Collins was sitting on the bench nursing a spraned tendon In his leg. Nichols. unaccustomed to third base, made d blunder in each game that proved fatal to his teams chances.
 The Athletics had little slump after their three days rest following their re- turn from the west, which seemed to do the.r batting eyes no good but they are going finely again now-faster than ever
  and the fielding is first class Then team work and base running are also improv- ing all the time. Bender hasn't let up in his great work and Waddell. who has been behaving nicely the past few weeks
 is pitching the game of his life just now Dygert is almost unhittable and growing better all the time.
 Plank and Coombs, alone of Mack's reg ulGrs, are out of form. Coombs needs a little more work to give him back his control after which he will be better than ever. Plank has been a bit stale. | He was worked little too hard. Train CT Lawler Is nursing Eddie carefully just now and promises to have him in his ! best form again inside of two weeks Meantime he will not be worked hard. B. T. Wright of Detroit does not seem | sure of the pennant for the Tigers. but | gives the dope as follows
 While Detroit is struggling with the | strong western teams the Athletics are | fattening off New York Boston and | Washington, but very soon the situation will be reversed; the western clubs will take turns at marrying the Athletics and | then going to the other eastern cities for | easy marks. The Athletics, at this writ l ing are leading the Detroits by seven | points because of this temporary schedule | advantage, but dope shows no reason why they should retain the lead. The Iii l gers have made more hits and more runs