New-York tribune., 1908-08-31
COMMENT on SPORTS
cYlNTS GAME STRUGGLE.
Hare 7hirfy-ar Contests Yet TO
Plag ssafh Only I'weire abroad.

Hare TMrfy-ar Contests Yet to
Plag. srifh Only 7'sreire abroad.
Both she big ba-eba:; ieasues ere nov In the
throes of two desperate battles fer the pennants
sp ths civ chief interest naturally centres in the
N.tiepsl League race, fe- the Giants are setting
the pace while the Yankees arc sc far back IN the
r,r In their league that they have been astanceo
hong since. The National League in al. its Ions
history fails record three-corirered fsht 10
,o,,a, the one now going Though The season
has OILY ,irfle more than menth 70 go ~ rs I'M
rassihie 10 tell whether the 1sos Dennant VIII ny ~
NcS york yItfsburg Chicago. In fh~ A"e'ire"
League che problem js almost equally c""pii
...ad though Detroit has a slightly tighter grip
on the tor suns of the pennant ladder the 'aeess
hese met strong opposition the last week. on"
they ore already beginning to feel the hafo s'faih
they have been working under for weeks. 81
Louis has eheern signs Of faiterins by the way
side A, this writing ii seems possible Tor tne
<-hiceeo White Fox to forge to the 'front.' fof thes
are coming fest, and the team as a whole is IN
better censiton than at any ctfer time 'h's eesso'
rhe Giants have su-t completed what viii prob
ably prove he the most important week TOY
ttern Of the season They have made grsnh
record though the result of the Chicago series was
acsnething Of q blow. They played two sHmee ~its
Pittsnury on Monday and won both This nouoie
vtcterr placed them top Of the tcklish eeanaht
ladder for she first time the season Then they
h>st the Pirates Tuesday and again on Wednes-
dar This series showed beyond a doubt that John
Mc0rs~ has q better TEEN than Fred clarhe'
Thursday found them in Chicago battling with tne
Cubs. Everything against them and ihes
losi Friday was day Of rest Before the largest
crowd that game in the Windy cry
Nattewson and Brown, the premier pitchers OF the
aand fought out a desperate duel on SATURDAY,
unl oBoe again the Giants left the field In defeat
Natty had bed inning; all the rest OF the
game he oufpite he'd the Western tvirier- IL was
MAR 10 1oee but things did break TlEht
Tor the New Workers There was another great
nstsie yesterday and the Cubs WOE. making il three
straight.
This morning finds the Giants still in front by
marrow margin. 1t is hoped they viii stay there TO
the end The Western trip is over. and soon they
viii he a, home for the grand finale Thirts-si.
games yet TO he played, and only twelve OF
.he1n are foreign soil The odds are now in
,avor Of the Giants Chicago and Pittsburg have
hard roads before them. with the going far from
easy New York and Philadelphia have ten games
play and seven CT them are in the Quaker cits
Seven out OF ten for the Giants would probably
give the pennant, and IL they don't get II, IT
viii not be because they haven't made one OF the
pluckiest fights in the history OF the game
Just another word about that Pittshurg series
Every the New York team played dazzling
bsl hut il fell the lot OF the youngest to dis
tingush himself most Larry Doyle was the hero
the series. without doubt He and his hat
did make il four straight than any othes
Factors In the four games he was at bst eighteen
times and be got nine hits, which means his bat
ting average 500 He made five runs four
put-outs, twenty-five assists and single error
McGraw has Just TO feel proud OF his young
second haseman who bids fair to become the
greatest player OF this position In the country
AS the Yankees have a doubie-header with Phiia-
delpha on the hilltop this afternoon. they Will
have played six games in the last three days, ex-
cepting Sunday The result Of this series with
Philadelphia will have bearing OF the pennant
in the American League Despite the lament
sble weakness OF the Yankees. good crowds go TO
American League Park every day. 1t is reported
that there viii he big shake-up in the Highland
team before next season 1t must be true, for
the work Of some OF the men on Saturday was dis
gustins. A game loser is always respected. but a
quitter is beyond contempt Hemphill- Laporte.
dcIlveen Ball, Blair Chesbro and Manning worked
hard Saturday, but some OF the others played
as 81 they wanted Chicago to win Probably g
change OF scene VIII do them good and il will
iasnly help the New York American team
Racegoers will watch with keen interest the
progress OF the autumn meeting OF the Coney Isl
and Jockey Club this week at Sheepshead Bay I'M
der the prohibition of even oral betting, which has
obtained since the passage OF the AgnewHart law.
The fnsistence os the officials Of the Coney Island
Jockey Club that there shall be no betting Of any
kind under the penalty OF closing the gates and
running the stakes of in private, is likely 10 cut
the dal average attendance in half more. and
q is hard TO what the end will be The
size OF the crowd Saturday WAS extremely graft
syirg 90 lovers OF the sport but under the cond-
sions il was not fair test The Futuri1y is only
run once a year and il was the glamour attaching
to tits race the perfect fall day. the popularity Of
she attractive course and curiosity 10 just
what the memory brokers would do under the
rev regulations which accounted for the big at
senGance With absolutely betting of organ
syed kina and the inability get quotation.
THE association must depend upon those who love
The sport for the sports sake those who have
some interest in the horses The owners of the
fhls week and The high class horses which will
race. the Coney Islsnd Jockey Club may not fare
so badls. hut the viii come to-day.
James r. Keenes Maskette. which the
futurity Oh Saturday is quite likely 70 develop
into the greatest ever bred or raced in this
country Many good critics do not hesitate TO pro-
Dounce her better iilly than Beldame and quite
ihe equal Of If not better than Harry Payne Whit
ney's great ArtfuI. which the Fu-
turity of 1854 the Brighton Handicap of 1905 and
unbeaten except by stable companion while
being prepared for the Futnrity Maskette is royal
ay bred and has al the qualifications OF great
horse far she has been able TO show There
distance but this is settled as il is
likely 10 be in the Flatbush Stakes on Saturday
she can be accepted one CT the best horses Of
the decade. for she defeated great horses on Sat
rfdsy AT only slight pull ia the weights The
Faatbush. which lis at furlongs is quite
likely 10 develop into duel between Maskefte and
sir Martin. and is sure TO be COED drawing card.
Among others eligible Fayef.e. Fitz Herbert
Helmet. Perseus, Strike out, Practical and High