The Washington times., 1908-08-12
Percentages Sho4U Washington
Has Not Done Badly Il fer All
Still Has Chance to Finish in 4O0-Thanks Due John
son fof Double Umpire System-Gans Not
in Fight Pictures Here
By THOMAS S. RICE.

The man who tries to follow the
Washington Dal teams in and out per-
formances, much less predict what It
VIII do in the future, will soon have
mind as badly twisted as those OF
the people who think IL wrong 20 tell
fairy stories 10 children.
Here We go now and take two out OF
four games from Detroit, a team which
has had Cantillons men so far faded
that they could not be seen with
telescope, all of which comes almost
right on top OF taking two out Of four
from Chicago, another stumbling block,
while sandWichec IN between the Chi
cagO and Detroit experiences came the
horrible exhibitions the Nationals fur
nished when they lost three out OF four
TO Cleveland, team which mas been
sinfully easy for them in this city. Be
sides ali this. Washington start ID the
present Western trip by winning one
game out OF four IN st. Louis, and that
ia sixteen innings, although just short
time before the Browns had dropped
three out OF five in the Capital and
would have lost four had IL not been for
weird Juggling Of baseball luck.
The 400 Not So Bad.
So far, then, Washington won six
games and lost te' on this Western
trip, Tor d perceni age Of .575 on the
road. Let US remark right here that
this Is not bad going nor viii IL be the
worst eyer heard OF If Detroit takes the
game today and forces Washington 70
come home with a road average OF 1858.
which II would have with six wins and
eleven losses.
AS We have stated before. the Wash
IngtJn ball team viii be doing pretty
well 10 nnish me season with d per-
CeuJase OF 100 Ia -ue Won and lost
reCkOulugs Don forget that. The SO
would be seventy-nVe points better
/ than the team MADE last year and four
/ points more imam the percentage win
which Boston finished the 1901 season IL
| seventh place.
Boston, which IS also playing an al
most entirely new team this year viii
finish with much better average than
/ II had IN 1901, and there may De COM
plants that as between the Washing
! ton team Of Two years building ana
I the Boston team OF one year S develop
meuJ, Washington should have JnaJ al
Z which graCes the Boston CLUB this
morning. Perhaps 10 should, but the
| childish folly OK relying upon dope or
what d team should and should not do
was never better illustrated than when
/ Washington took the second game from
4 Detrott yesterday and split even with
/ the Sex
Improvement Equals Boston's.
| Washington, coming from the rear,
/ has been unfortunately placed. AS was
pointed out IN the spring, both Boston
and ST. Louis. which might have been
| expected TO show only a reasonable
/ amount OF improvement, have. IN fact,
! become surprisingly strong. Boston Is
| today, with al, exactly seVenty-uVe
/ points better on than Il was when It's
4 hual hand went out IN October Wash
| ington today, with its $50 Is exactly
/ siXty-ave points better on than it was
4 at the conclusion Of the 1876 schedule
/ Thus. there is only about a game ana a
/ half between HoStOn and Washington in
/ the matter Of lettering Themselves.
/ 81. Louis, which was expected 10 be
/ a lOfterer in sHe second division, stung
4 with a lot Of cast-Ons traded from
/ New York, has bulged out, ana Is now
/ a serious pennant contender This had
/ the effect OF lifting supposedly weak
| team beyond Washington's reach, and
| sion TO worry and haggle the clubs
/ there, the Athletics, by no means q
! poor ball club. but one which has been
/ brought 10 its present lowly estate not
/ so much because Of its own weakness,
/ but because Of the unexpected brace by
/ St. Louis.
Hope for Home Series.
Thus, the plckings Of the second divi-
sion have been harder for Washington
than We had any right 10 anticipate,
but when you look al IL IN the light OF
the results accomplished. Can-ilIon's
men have not done so badly, even IL
/ they have not done as well as the fans