The Washington times., 1907-04-11
Landing in Fifth Place
Would Be a Big
Help.
Clark Griffith Boosts
New York Pitching
Staff.
By THOMAS S. RICE.

SlideI
This is the advice of the Washing
ton baseball fans TO the Washing
ton baseball team in the American
League race, which opens ut Ameri-
can League Park this afternoon at
O'Clock in a game with New York.
Nobody expects the team to win
pennant this season, and only few are
sanguine enough TO hope IL VIII land in
the first division. A rOosting place
around fifth would be a nice warm spot
in the chilly October days. II Joe
CanulIon. tho new manager, can put
the team there nc viii also win warm
SPOT for himself in the hearts Of the
Capital rooters.
Joe is not a magician. He doesn't
pretend to be able TO take double eagles
out OF the back of your neck. or to be
able 10 tell what the fat gentleman on
the end of the aisle has written on the
back of an envelope and concealed in
his inside pocket. He is there for the
facts and figures. and doesn't hope TO
60 behind the returns.
Led by a Fighter.
Cantiuon Is a master of baseball-and
he Is a fighter. knowledge and GER
tain amount Of spirit a manager may
frnpart to his henehmen. the delivering
of the goods depends entirely upon the
men themselves. Hence the fans should
not expect too much of the material on
hand.
This is not saying that Cantilion has
not at HIS command pretty good ball
team. There are some fairly reliable
batters, and there is also more or less
distance slugging II Anderson, Hickman
Kitson, Hughes, and one or two others
live up TO their regulations.
Bat Better Than Soz.
The team batting average last season
was .23s, which was eight points better
than the Chicago White Sox, who won
the championship Of the world. Last
season with no pretense at team work
and every man striving only to pro-
teet his own average. Washington won
in every three games it PLAYED. Ever
stop to think of it that way2 This
wear. with a possible Improvement in
batting and a very decided advance
In an the other departments Of base
ball. why should not the club win
MANY Of the games which were lost
last year because there was an utter
lack Of system in the attack
That is the cheerful view OF tie stu
alton and the enc which should eneour-
age the fans TO give the team al the
help and eneourag cement II can get. II
Il lost on Monday and Tuesday Of last
season and won on Wednesday, with
all that Cantillon has already drilled
into his hired men and what they viii
get as the season grows older, there is
every reason TO believe that occasionally
our brave boys viii spring and cSp one
OF those Monday or Tuesday contests.
Brains May Save I'm.
In these days Of high-elass pitchers
one run made through display OF
brainworS is enough on about two days
in the week TO win a game and as the
returned tourists have been displaying
symptoms of rare intelligence on the
bases and in the field. let Us hope the
throbs from their grey matter VIII beat
The other fellows to IT,
Cantiiloa is confident that his vet
Grams viii recover their batting eyes
under the stimulus OF being up against
the real thing After ALL you can't
score runs unless you get to first, and
II those lamps are no brighter IN the
major league games than they were IN
the exhibitions against the minors, there
VIII be sad drop IN the neighhorhOod
OF Florida avenue and Seventh street
There is comfort in the fact that the
batting showed q tendency to become
more classy toward the end of the ex-
hibiuon series. so Cantillon's confidence
may be justified.