Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-17
NATIONALS START IMPORTANT SERIES IN CHICAGO TODAY
WEATHER CLOUDY AND HUGHES SLATED TO PITCH

notwithstanding the many reports cur
rent when the Nationals left for the west
as 10 the bad condition of the pitching
staff the local fans need not be sur
prsed to hear of big reversal in form
as soon as the team begins play today in
Chicago. No matter what happens TO
ball player. as a rule, they dislike to give
out the actual facts and generally fall
behind the stereotyped expression ''sore
arm" Pitcher Smith has complained of
n sore arm for the past five years. and
recently remarked that he never went into
the box that his finger didn't worry him.
Ever since the team returned home from
the recent western trip Smith has been
under the weather with malaria. and TINS
was the principal reason he not
worked oftener by Manager Cantillon-
The same applies to Eli Gates and Bert
Kelley While they lot it BE- known that
they had sore arms. both were suffering
with either indigestion OF malaria. hughes
has been perfectly well all summer and
his arm is strictly all right. but Manager
Cantillon had decided that the veteran
had worked hard enough and was entitled
TO a rest johnson also Is all right. as is
Josse Tannehill.
Once the local outfit gets into the west
ern climate. where a majority have been
living all their lives. it is expected that
their usual good health will return and
some dandy pitching stunts pulled OF.
Manager Cantillon may have been play
ing foxy game with the western man
ayers in getting reports sent out from
this city that his pitching stan was In
bad shape so as to throw them off their
guard. but the day before the Nationals
left for the west Joe said that every mans
arm was all right. but that other Ills
were knocking out the staff. watch the
twirlers perform in ST. Louis. Detroit ana
Cleveland for a verification of this dope.
IT don't believe Hal Chase will ever
play another game of ball for New York
He's a trong-headed young fellow. is
disguised with both Magnate Farrell and
Manager Elberfeld and is lost to the
Yankees for all time
So stated Manager McAleer of the
Browns Monday morning in ST. Louis, In
discussing ChaSe'S deSertion.
Farrell and Elberfeld openly charged
Chase with not playing his best for them
j heard il gossiped about over a month
that Hal was going to duck out.
He waited for his lat pay check ard
then started for California His loss
will be heavy one to the New York
team. Farrell doesn't own many top
liners and Chase is one of the brightest
stars in the base ball Ornament. A deal
of some kind may go through that will
put Chase with some other team. But l
confident that he is through with
New York.
The report from Boston 70 the effect
that Joe Kelley. who has been managing
the National League club in that city. has
been selected to manage the New York
Americans next season is worth cOnsid-
crng. Magnate Farrell may have his
eyes set on Stallings to be his leader next
year. but President Ban Johnson has adj
vised against it OH account OF Stallings
record in Detroit and the New York own
er will not go contrary to the big chiefs
wishes unless driven to it by dire neces-
sity. When President Taylor of the Bos-
ton Americans was last here he gave it
out that Magnate Farrell had told him
that he had decided on Stalings for next
year. This may have been the proper
dope at that time, but changes in base
ball are cropping up every minute. 1t
looks like a certainty that Stallings' selec
ton would mean a break between Farrell
and Johnson. and they were in close re-
lations not more than three weeks ago.
Manager Jennings classes the great
Mike Kelly the best ever, but Hugh
thinks that in the base running way Ty
Cobb should be of equal value to his
team with the man whose name and fame
will never die while base ball lives
Cobb is faster than Kelly was" says
Jennings, land he has great slide. Why
shouldn't he attain as great results?
Kelly wasn't the fastest man who ever
lived But he knew how to get start,
when to go and how to slide into bag.
His arm from finger tips to elbows was
the only thing baseman had to touch
when he was making slide on a close
play.
THE slide is the big thing. and Ty
is as good at 1t as they make them. He
goes In either way. and a baseman is
handicapped If he doesn't know whether
one is coming in front of him or behind
him.
"He has to keep the bag covered and
be prepared to swing to either side
When a base runner always comes
straight into a bag it's cinch for the
baseman. He can't get away if the ball
is there. He can't hurt you. either, if
You have any suspicion that he may try
spread out and ride into the bag. putting
the ball on him. If he comes with the
spikes up, jump with him. Nobody can
hurt you If You have any idea that he will
try"
If Kelly was the greatest base runner of
a decade ago, where did Harry Stovey
come in? Say what you may, Stovey was
the greatest of them all as base run
ner. And then there was Jud Burchell.
Kelly also didn't have anything on Jim
my Fogarty, Billy Hamilton or Jack
Doyle as base runners. Anyhow. what
does Jennings know about Kelly? Was
he out of his knickerbockers when Kelly
was in his prime, and living up in the
coal regions did he ever Mike play?
AS Burchell is dead twenty-four years,
Fogarty dead sixteen years and Stovey
in his prime In the middle eighties,
it's pretty good wager that Jennings
also never saw any one of these three
stars play.
Cleveland Still Winning.