The morning journal-courier., 1908-05-08

Along With the other leagues the American yesterday had a period of quictneSs and the ball toSsers of each club passed tho day over cards and about the piano. The race In this league is a dandy and chief comment is centered about Jennings former champions.
 With the Detroit Tigers, champions of l9O7 in last place in the 1908 race, the metropolis of Michigan Is a gloomy spot these days. Few expected that the team would start off with any great rush at the start, as Kllllan and Dono- van, its star pitchers, are usually of little value to the club till the season Is well under wiy. On the other hand, however nobody had the least idea that after the first three weeks tho IT, gers would have so slgnally failed in their efforts as to put themselves at tho bottom of tho race to wln but none of tho grand stand managers sugges- tions have looked good to Manager Jennings, who has kept begging away with the same team with which he started the season. confident that soon or or later fortune must change and the team strike its clip. They have yet to win serles either at home and abroad and the Cleveland club. which i has met them in six contests up to date l has won five of them, the only excep- ton being q game pitched by Sum I mers, the Indianapolis recruit of l knucklc-ball fame. to whose rescue in i the final inning came sam Crawford, the mighty slugger. with a home run l that broke the tie. Summers Is. fin l fact, the teams best winning twlrlcr ] up to date Mullin and Kilian having each pitched one gohl game while the | Indianapolis lad has beaten both Chi cngo and Cleveland though losing to I St. Louis by virtue of one bad inning. Tho team Is slow. though Coughlin, at third, fig not yet in condition, ap- parently, and the catchcrs have been going badly with the exception of a few occasions when Schmidt has pro- duced some extremely brilliant work The team as a whole ie apparently in far from ifs last seasons stride and Is likely to continue so until a streak of warm weather puts in It's appearance, l the present article having been about tho worst in the history of the league. ] One game of the Chicago series here was called off on account of cold and the first one was played with the ther- Imometer round i2 degrees which tenn pcrature was supplemented by an ex- ceedingly cold, raw wind and com Iplete lack of sunshine.
 On paper the club, with the increased pitching strength of Summers and Malloy, looks stronger than in former seasons when sized up on paper That if will eventually start winning with a rush Is the belief of every loyal fan, and this description fits the over whclmlng majority of the devoteee of tho game in this city, Malloy lost two games in his only appearances in the box, but pitched well on both oc- casions and put the ball over the plate whenever the veteran fans began to fear an ascension. At Cleveland he allowed ten hits, but was beaten by q marrow margin, llc ncldod his posi- tion in excellent style, especially on force plays at second and third, which have always appeared to bc tho weak points of the young pitchers whom De- troit has tried out in recent years.
 That another pitcher will be needed by tho club this year, in addition tc Summers, seems certain, as Siovcr has been knocked out of the box in two ap. pearances this season and on the other was soundly rapped by the Sox. Pres ent appearances indicate that the reg uIar pitching staff will consist of Don ovan Klllian, Summers, Mulln and Malloy with Siever possibly in reserve for use against Washington. Boston and Chicago, in case he recovers some of hs efficiency of former seasons This leaves out Eddie Wilett ant George Suggs, both of whom have per. formed fairly well on the slab afto, others had been knocked off t. Bumpu, Jones Is also on the staff of the clul and forms somewhat of a problem fo, Manager Jennings as he is good pltcher--too good to allow to depart beyond recall while the now rule O
 the national commission prevents the player from being farmed, as he wa! last year at Johnstowu.
 The patronage of the club continued excellent until the opening of the Chi
 cago series, when the cold furnished
 the fans an excellent excuse for ab
 sence The attractive nature of tn,
 new park has had no small influence toward this result, beyond question but with the fans the attendance ha,