Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-17
when White Baked.


In the second game that the New YORK
club played here with the Nationals
Burns. who was pitching for the local
bows. made a balk when he threw the
ball to Freeman at first base. and which
resulted in big Jerry putting the pan on
the New York runner when he was n'e
feet away from the bag.
A howl went up from the spectators
present when Tommy Connolly. the uHl.
nire called the Yankee player sa1e d.
first corner and 1t wasn't until the rams
read the papers the next day that lney
found out why Connolly gave the decision
as he did 4,
TIE night following that days game
crowd az the New York players were
seated In an uptown hotel discussing the
question as to whether Burns In realltS
did make a balk when Wild Conroy, the
third sacker of the Yankees, butteo INTO
the conversation with the foilo"ins.
.Sneaking of balks. l think that When
T nlayed on the Pittsburg club the queer
est stunt ever pulled off In base ball along
baking lines came about one DAY wren
we were having a fierce contest WIN e.e
Chicago team. This game we lost on az,
count of balk, yet the paik vas aro-
in our favor / am certain 1hat no plo-
fessional base BALI team before or since
eyer lost game as we did that Day on
account of having balk called IN our Ia
vor. ., ;,;,n
Nth tho scorc one ahead of US, and with
Two OF orr men on the bases and Jimmy
Sehrine at the bat. White was pltch-
ing for Chicago and tombstone was lne
umpire. Kitty Bransheld was on Hrsl
base and Tommy Leach was on s@eo..u.
and they were figuring on getting away
with a double steal. To keep Bransheiu
nearer the sack White made balk
hut never paused in his swing. John
stone saw the balk and before Whlte
had finished his swing tombstone hdu
raised his hand In fecoshi.ioa u 'ie
balk.
ca,ljnp the balk White had finished
his swing. and as the ball came shooting
In Jimmy Sebring met ii squarely on the
nose for what would have been clear
i,on,s WIN When Jimmy landed the two
felIou.s on the bases tore around Tor
home. hut when tombstone got chance
to make himself heard he sent the run
ners back to their bases and scoring PACK
to the bat, claiming as ne uiu SD .ilat r.ns
cau Of balk had precedence over Sc
Wen after much chewing OF the rag,
tho fellows all did as tombstone ordered.
and the result was that Scoring was
passed, while the next two men were easy
outs and Chicago took tHs sdhe'
Connie Mack's Estimate OF Nationals
After the Washington team had taken
that Saturday game away from Tue A'h-
,atics with ease. and while Burns was
moving down Comics SVEN na'siien
wi.bour any trouble at all, the elongated
NJ Mack sat In the grandstand talking
to an old acquaintance. As Connie looked
o,, On tho retreating forms of his play
ers as they were hustling 10 their po-
al
mournfully said:
"Of all the teams that are no" pay
ing in either of the big leagues there Is
not a one that possesses the cie'eihess "
hand out surprise packages, in quantities
and at most anv old time like the Ma
tionals And what makes this mater
more mysterious is the fact that every
WASHINGTON club in my knowledge pos
sessed this same amazing power.
ANY manager VIII ten you ma .ne
Washington club Is an unknown GUAM
tity and that YOU cannot guess Il at any
stage of the game. 1t was SO When
played with it, Whether there IS some
thing in the atmosphere down mere .iia a.
causes the Washington ball players TO
fool the best clubs IN the business can
not tell That reminds me or story
that Comiskey told me one day last sum-
mer In regard to the Nationals
ut was when Pat Donovan was man
aging the Washington club back in 1904,
and as you know at that time Pat had
tail end outfit for fair. When IT came
on to Chicago. Donovans team was III
the worst nossible shape, owing to some
of the best players being on the hospital
list, and Pat was pretty well down IN the
mouth in consequence.
'Comiskey's club that time was mace
up of championship material, ann ne eA-
pected to fatten up the perc antage by
trimming the crippled Washington team.
The Saturday that the Nationals were TO