The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-29
Chicago and Pittsburg Do Not Play,
But New York Gains Three
Points - Mathewson is
Now Main Reliance.
National LEAGUE Standing.
Games oday.

St Louis in Pittsburg.
Philadelphia in New York 1.-TWO games).
Chicago in Cincinnati.
Brooklyn in Boston.
New York. September 2S.-(Special)-
BY virtue of their glorious work during the
past month the country at large, barring
possibly a few overcheerful citizens Of
Cook county. Illinois, the native lair of
the Chicago Cubs, acknowledges that tho
National league pennant Of 1908 will floN
over the Polo grounds and that McGraw'
Magnficents Will get their second chance
to figure in worlds championship Sc
ries. What club the New York Ma
tionals will face, if they really win the
pennant is a puzzle as deep as the rid
die, How old is ANN
Whether the Giants have to tackle the
Demon Detroters, who can hit; the Sassy
Sox, who can both field and bunt; the
Noble Maps, who are Mephistopheleans
at the art of dual teNescoping and for
playing a cut-and-dried article of the Ma
tional pastime or the st. Louis Browns,
who have an assemblage of veteran tai
ent calculated TO stand the gaff, there IS
be able to beat their Johnsonian rivals
for the honors of the universe, though
this is the year. according to past per
formances, when the American leaguers
should come out on top.
New York never lost series in which
it was engaged for the title of worlds
champion and the country's fans, noting
how McGraw this year mas been able to
cop the gonfalon of the Pulliamites with
two pitchers, are willing to concede that
he has better than fair chance to sub
due the American league flagwinners,
whoever they may be- At this writing the
Johnson pennant is just as much in
doubt as when the season started, though
the Highlanders, Athletics, Bostons and
Washingtons have been obliterated from
the question.
II it's the Tigers, McGraw's band is
counted on to run riot on the paths when
ever Charey Schmidt does the receiving,
and to more than ramble around if either
Ira Thomas or Freddy Payne should be
delegated TO the backstop Job. Mathew
son ought to be able to place stop-order
on the hitting of Tyrus COBB & Co, even
if Wiltse has been so much overworked
this year as to be of little value from
now on. The Giants also are likely to up
set that weak left-hand side of the De-
troit infield, and to bang any pitchers on
the Navin-Y awkey payroll barring pos
sibly Wild Bill Donovan and "Kickapoo'
Summers. Once on a time it looked as
is Edgar Willett would be of much aid
to Hughey Jennings team in worlds
series but the tall lad from Oklahoma IS
on the decline from the same cause that
affected the work of Wiltse-too much
labor.
1t has been the history of worlds
series that a team without a reliable
backstop never could win against
club with a star wind-paddist. That
was the case of the St Louis Browns
against the Detorits in 1897 and of the
Won der Abe combination of the fol-
lowing year against the Giants. One
season Charley Bennett held the fast
flying Missourians to their bags and
nipped their attempts to steal; the next
Buck Ewing REPEATED the stunt. St.
Louis both seasons was represented by
a star hitting aggregation, and both
times was humbled in easy fashion.
The Maps, with Addie Joss and Rob
Ri odes going right might cause the
Giants a lot of trouble, the more so If
Napoleon Lajoie should take it into
his head to hit as he hit when he
was more talked of than Hans Wagner.
Cleveland's backstops aren't anything
to brag about and they play the old
army game too much to cause the
Giants any nightmares at this stage of
the season. Still, the Maps can hit and
hi mo-
better showing against New York than
Detroit.
St Louis, since it's slump against
Cleveland and Detorit, does not look to
have a chance to emerge from the tight
johnson race with the pennant. The
Browns have players who have been In
worlds championship series, but 1T is
not likely that either Jack Powell or
Bill Dineen will have a chance to oper-
ate against the Giants.
Remains therefore, only the White
Sox to be reckoned with. That's the
team which probably would most wor-
thily represent the American league
against the Giants Billy Sullivan is
one of the brainiest backstops in the
business, and the Giants would have to
exercise all their cleverness to get the
best of Ed Walsh, who is the Mathew
son of the American league. The Sox
are better fielders than the Giants, but
they come nigh to being the weakest
stickers in the business, and that's
what is going to tell against them in
the American league race, leaving 1t to
either Detroit or Cleveland to grab the
honors and stack up against the New
Yorks. If either Detroit or Cleveland
faces the New Workers, the chances of
victory will be much in favor of the
Giants; If the White Sox represent the
American league, it should be case of