Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09

rines may appear very strong on paper.
but should several Of the other five pen
nant winners trot out pitchers with
strange curves or puzzling spit balls"
they might be able to make it very in
! teresting all around
AS to the unwieldiness Of eight clubs.
the situation can be overcome through
the course Of elimination. if there is no
better plan proposed. Double headers
could be played at American League
Park. the defeated clubs dropping out Of
the running, and in this way the cham
pion club Of the District for the season Of
1903 could at least be settled in week s
time. At any rate the series should be
played and every one of the eight PEN
nant winners given a chance to show
what 1t can do. The youngsters are
Just as anxious to have whack for the
District honors as their elder brothers,
and what may be lacking in years and
size may be overcome In cleverness and
energy. Just let every pennant winner
do the square thing In refraining from
running in "sleepers," using the same
lineup that prevailed July l. and post
season series would be worth going miles
to see.
Stop the Betting.
When President Johnson Of the Ameri-
can League recently decided to issue a
bulletin forbidding betting or the grounds
of the clubs in his organization, he had
evidently been tipped off, to the great
increase in this evil. Here in Washington
very little betting is done at the park
but nevertheless there is certainly some"
betting. When the Detroit club was last
here there were two or three men travel
ing with the team. and at the hotels
where sporting men consregate at night
they were offering wagers of 800 to $50
that the champions would beat the Ma
tionals. Several wagers of this size were
pulled on and the visitors won. TheSe
same men were prominent in New York
and Boston and one paper In the latter
city was not bit backward in charging
that the money wagered was being put
up by the Detroit players. This assertion
is all rot. of course. but it clearly shows
the wild charges that will continue to bob
up II the betting is not stopped. Last
Sunday the New York Journal published
the following article, which shows that
there is something doing in the betting
line around New York town:
Ban B. johnson might we'll turn his
attention in the anti-gambling crusade to
New York. Since the lid was clamped
tan racing, number Of new faces I'M
familiar to the 'dyed-in-the-woor fans
have made their appearance. These re-
cruit enthusiasts are noticeable for the
from the game. though it doesn't take a
Sherlock Holmes to find them taking a
fly at fortune IL the right odds are forth
coming.
There is more gambling on base ball
about the local parks now than at any
time In the history Of the game. 1t
hasn't become an open proposition as yet.
but It is drifting that way. Men Of for
tune are speedily increasing in numbers
each day. and with their advent the per-
sonal wagering Is on the increase.
New York bettors are not educated to
the game as yet. Over in Chicago, ST.
Louis and Cincinnati the gambling ele-
ment has been well schooled. Especially
in the frst two mentioned cities Is this
true. Base ball has been the medium of
betting since racing was killed. But 1t
will not take New Workers. long to get
wise Il the thing ia>permitted"