The evening star and Newark advertiser., 1907-07-15
MAJORS
ON HOME
STRETCH
Big League Clubs Have
Passed Turning Buoy, With
Champions Leading.

The teams in the major leagues have
passed the turning buoy In the Champion
ship struggle for 1907 The homestretch
has been reached and the teams which
carried off the leading honors last season
are again roosting at the top Of the coll
umn.
In the American League the Chicago
White Sox will have a battle to the finish
TO stave off Cleveland. Detroit and the
Athletics This time last year the New
York Americans were in the thick Of the
fray, but this season they have been sup
planted by the Detrolts. Jennings's team
has certainly been the surprise OF the
American League race.
In the National League the Chicago Cubs
are doing better to date than they did last
season. There has been no indication SO
far that the Cubs Will not spring re-
peater and again land the remnant Their
percentage now is better than 1t was in
the middle of July last season, and 1t was
in the closing weeks of the race that they
made their biggest harvest.
As compared with this time year ago
New York is doing almost exactly the
same, Pittsburg has fallen behind quite
considerably the PhiIlies are better off in
games won and lost by good margin,
Brooklyn has improved slightly and Boston
has made the most notable gain of ALL
Cincinnati and st. Louis are Denipo their
mark of one year ago.
The Eastern clubs are the ones that
have apparently been strengthened the
most. The Phillies are getting better all
the time, and that Brooklyn is terror
to all Is shown by their work since they
returned from the East. Since that time
Brooklyn has won four out of five with
the Phillies, three out of five from New
York and has broken even In four games
aafth suffh PiffQhnTH iD0n-
ovan's team will evidently bear watching.
Roger Bresnahan, who has recovered
from the injury he received when ne was
hit in the head by a ball pitched by Andy
Coakley at Cincinnati several weeks ago,
has given the fans something new to talk
about. When the season began Bresnanan
| went behind the bat wearing long shin
| guards similar to those worn by wicket
keeper in a game Of cricket.
One little rumor caused a decided sensa-
ticn III Philadelphia last Week Some,oa5s !
started a story that Jack Coomps had
discovered that his arm was broken IN
such a way THAI he could never again
The rumor few around town and Connie
Mack was kept busy beth in Chicago ana
| st. Louis denying the story fortunate
strained llgament is bad enough. It is
doubtful il Manager Mack will take a
| chance on pitching Coombs again this
year. Such an injury to pitcher requires
a long time to get right again, and the
hbest thing of all for II Is complete resi-.
The Coombs rumor was propaply lne ne s- IL
suit of Dan McGann, of the New i4rk
/ Giants learning early in the week that
| his arm, which was hit by ball pitcneQ
| by Coakley in the same game In winch
Bresnahan was hurt had been bfokeua
McGann worried along for three weeks
with the sore arm. and then nad the
| x-ray put on it. 1t was then discovered
| that there was longitudinal break IN the
| forearm, something rather rare, and that
| Dan will be out Of the game for weeks.
| Coakley certainly created havoc in that
| one game.
which Bernhard, of Cleveland, had while
with the Philles. One afternoon several
years ago. shortly after becoming mem.
| Der of the Philles, Bernhard's arm went
wrong. For six innings he had terrinc
when went in to pitch in the seventh
innning," said Bernhard. In narrating the
1 incident to a writer several days later, 4
| found that | could scarcely get the ball
up to the plate. All my speed had left me
| and | felt a numbness in the arm, In
some way | manged to work through Inc
| last three innings, but kept the fact tnat
something was wrong to myself
Bernhard feared that If the Philadelphia
| Clubs management got wise to his having
a sore arm he would be released az once;
so he remained awake that night ana
thought out a plan. Inc ne1r Haor1ars pars
| Bernhard appeared at Pnlladelphia Farh
the same as usual for practise
He wasn't expected to do any. pitching
as he had worked the afternoon before SO
| after one of them Bernahrd feli, ana
| when he got up he limped over TO the
clubhouse and complained OF sore leg.
For nearly a month after that Bli
! limped around without the officials OF the
club getting wise to the fact that 1t was
his arm, and not his leg. that was
| troubling him. He didn't have any mas
| saying done to the sore arm, nor did he
! try any of the various remedies which are
! offered to players in such case. Bill
| simply gave his arm complete rest, and
/ ~ n
! Indeed, 1t came around so much right
| that n couple of years later, a1ter leaving
the Philies, he made the best record OF aii ~
| the twirlers In the American League and
was practically unbeatable.
The rest cure will also be tried in
| coombss case. 1t Is doubtful II Colonel
| Rogers who was the "big stick OF the
| Philles in those days. yet knows how
| Bernhard got away with his little play
back in the ninetles. -,,
There is good deal of luck in haseoall
deals, and, after ALL they greatly resemble
horse trades. Usually each party 10 the
/ deal has little joker up his sleeve Chhr-
/ lev Murphy of the Chicago Nationals, re-
! ferred to couple that he has made since
becoming the head of the Cubs during sat
urdays game.
ALL said Murphy, "and l centainly got
the better of the bargain. Counting the
| wind-up of last year and the start OF this
| season. Overall pitched In twenty games
without a defeat He won nineteen and
| tied one. Wicker hasn't done any too gooa
| for Cincinnati
"But Garry Hermann, of Cincinnati got
| even with me all right continued Murphy
! Gle traded me Pitcher Jack Harper for
| Inhelder Lobert. Little l.obert is now
star with the Reds and Harper, oh, where
! is Harper? Jack worked for me for a long
! time, but | finally sold him to Western
club for $500 He never did report to the
! other club, so I didn't get a cent for him.
/ Lobert. / guess, couldn be bought from
| Cincinnati for $1,000
"But. after ALL Harper wasn't SO bad
He had lovely table manners, always
dressed well and never appeared in society
unless his nails were manieured