Evening journal., 1908-09-14
BILLlES WON
THE FLAG FAIRLY
Good Players and Not Dough
BAGS Make Them Three
Time Winners
CHAMPIONSLOSTMANYS STARS

triumph than either tnal pfeoeu'" a.
In previous years rivals have never
bean lacking to strive TO take the glory
ont OF the Wrliamsport teams triumphs
The fmpression has been iudustriously
spread that Il was williamsport money
alone that made championships possible.
directors usre pictured as giving their
managers free rein to 90 and get anybody
no matter what the cost Penuants iol'
lowed. said the beaten teams, because
the surplus Of wealth represented by the
directorate Of the local club made It pos
esble to get men that the other seven
clubs could not afford
Money Alone Won't Get Players.
This was the charge.
To practical baseball men there was al
vnvr something more or less absurd In
n for II IS a known fact that some OF
the most expensive clubs in baseball his
torv have made the direst fascos.
Put this season not even tire doughhag
argument can be used in the endeavor 70
explain a third championship.
wuiiamsport had the experience Of the
ether clubs in being compelled to con-
form to the new rules relating TO a limita-
last winter and which President Carpenter
has riFidiy enforced. At no time this sea-
son has the salary limit been exceeded.
Champions Lost Many Stars.
Manager Wolverton lost bunch or
stars. eithe~ because other teams bought
them sY because the limiting Of the
nsnthly salary list 20 200 and $500 made
these men too expensive for him.
Both his oatohers. Blair and Berry,
went Every regular pitcher got away
VIc1ers. saiiee. whaien and Manning
Only Porter, who had pitched couple
OF games in the closing days Of 1907, re-
NAMED. and Il was found necessary to
send him away for a little more expert
enoe.
Three cut of four members Of the in
field, whitney. Charles and Gleason, we're
among the missing. and only In the out
field which he managed TO retain intact,
was the leader able 10 show any resemb-
lance to the famous lineup OF 1907 stars,
which the writer has already named in
his opinion az the best team the Tri-Stais
League ever saw
This was the situation at the outset
Catchers. pitchers and inhelders all gone.
Wolverton had to hnd a new team.
Probably no team in the league lost as
many good men as williamsport and no
club started the season with more un-
certain prospects.
But the owners Of the club had conf
dence I'm Wolverton. and herein is a par
tial explanation Of the success of the
Williamsport team. year IN and year out.
In other towns the directors interfere
with the manager. but in wnliamspori
his power is absolute II he falls down,
they get a new manager instead OF hunt.
ing new players but while a man in au.
thority merits the confidence of his su
periors his authority over the team &
never questioned
Manager Wolverton's first coup was
when he bought Foster, shean and Flatei
from Manager Mack.
Senators Wanted Foster
Harrisburg had confidently expected "a
retain the frst-named for another year
and his passing 70 the rival club was a
serious blow with Foster shean formed
the basis OF an inieid. for. with Wolver
ton at third. only a first baseman was re.
uuired. This hole was plugged wher
Cockhl was purchased from Detroit Will
Transport now had an inheld and an out.
Held.
Flater and Porter were the nucleus Of a
pitching stan. and when to these wa,
added warhop. formerly OF Detroit. tn
Bnies' lineup began to be a quite re,
spectacle one.
catchers gave trouble. and, though stan
berry. a youngster retained from 1907
made good. It was not until I.owcry. o
State College. was landed that he had
nt running mate.
But even with his line-up the fans o
other cities were far from being con.
WINGED.
This IS the year one OF us viii wallol
the Billies. sure" was the sentiment al
over the circuit
only a short period OF the season wa
necessary to show that the inheld an,
outneld were an right O'Hara. Cree an,
Hennessey are am superb nelders. fas
men on the bases and good hltters Cree
indeed. being a phenom with the stick
O'Hara is great man to get on TN
bases, and Hennessey. for a left-hande
hitter, bangs pitchers in a manner trul!
remarkable.
The inheld. too. works fawlessly fror
the go-off. Three Of the four men In IN
inner works are sluggers. and little Eddi
Foster. though handicapped as TO siz'
gets an astonishing swing on the bal
and makes many long drives out 10 Il
woods in left center
Thought Pitchers Weak.
All this had 10 be admitted but for
hopes Of rivals that Wnliamsnort wou
fall down soon centered in the belief tn
the battery material was weak For
time it was So
Flater tore a iigament I'm his side az
could hardly throw a ball warhop "
IN abed for weeks and the manager H.
to put in a bunch Of experiments and ha
beens. Jack Townsend. formerly Of Was
ington. the Phfies and Detroit did 90
service for a time Ia the middle Of 4
season. while Flatcr and Warhop We
rounding too.
But when that pair got right the eli
showed its quality The BAN they pitch
was phenomenal. Both are horses +
work ready to go IN any time. Warh
pitched twenty-seven and won tweni
which makes him virtually the lead
pitcher Of the league. and Flater VIC
twenty-three out OF thirty-seven. landi
way up among the leaders
The race presented many interestir
features AT various times six OF n
eight clubs in the league showed in fiji
place. Harrisburg and Lancaster play
up TO their form Of last year Reading a.
JOhnstown were the arreaahfa .,,,-,,,f.