The Detroit times., 1909-05-28
BY PAUL n. RRuSkE.

Inc above letter, with an enclosure
stating that the veteran members Of
the Detroit club we're conspirinG
against the younger men; that sys
tematic effort was in progress to
keep O'Leary on the team and force
Rossman OF; that Matty Mcintyre aid
others were working against Speer In
favor OF Killian, and that the whole
team was SPLIT up into factions 10
self-explanatory.
The supposedly authoritative nature
of the paper in which the clipping APP
peared and the fact that the writer
Is doubtless one OF the many -thous-
ands OF Tiger supporters, situated at
such distance that personal investl-
cation is impossible. are the condi-
tons that are doubtless to blame fo-
the real anxiety which the report has
awakened in the breast Of Mr.. Willis.
Dissension7 Yes. Indeed!
Dissension on the Tiger club? Yes,
indeed, there is-whenever the team
isn't winning its games.
But factions and conspiracies to
force anybody on or keep anybody of
the lineup, regardless OF its effects ON
the teams winning abilities? Not on
your life,
That is the only way in which the
situation can be summarized, and sum.
married truthfully.
II is the same sort OF dissension
which has chaperoned the Tigers ON
two pennant campaigns and which still
finds them at the top OF the heap, in
spite of weeklong slump, terminal
ed only by the opportune arrival OF
the league tail-enders at whom all the
other clubs had gotten at least one
crack before the Tigers had a chance.
Niles may be a long distance from
Detroit, yet II does have daily op
portunity To scan the American league
standings. So long as the team Is up
there in the van, rumors OF dissension
wherever published, should be regard
ed with slight culver OF the left
eyelid.
All After That Bonus.
The times In baseball are past IN
which a team with chance for tho
pennant is not tickled beyond measure
at any symptom OF increased strength
instances where the reverse Is true
are solely derived from ancient his
tory. and find their scenes laid In
those times when there was no worlds
championship series. containing from
! 81 900 TO $4,000 for every member OF
the competing clubs.
] The better the chance OF the club
! for a championship, the better its own
individual members are pleased. In
stances in which close friendship has
been thrown to the winds on the az
rival OF additional strength abound IN
baseball. The Detroit club has fur
nished at least two OF them.
+ only wish that Mr.. Willis might
have the privilege OF visiting the
Tiger clubhouse some afternoon when
game has gone the wrong way OF
the ledger. He would conclude imme
diately that all hts worst fears were
founded on fact and that the situation
had been told only In part. Recrimina
tons are passing about like snowballs
on a warm February afternoon, Ave
minutes after SRhool has been dis
missed. Nice little epithets such as
bone head" "busher'' and worse are
being banded about. The game In
variably has a goat and on his de
voted head are unloosed all the Walls
OF wrath that have been corked UP
while the team has been in the field.
Credit When It's Due.
Conversely. when the team has won
there is none too gleeful over the re-
suit TO forget to give credit where il
is due.
You pitched a nice game. Kid,
Swell drive, old boy, you guessed him
right that time" are In evidence every
where, from the disrobing athletes.
In short. where there's dissensior
it's the sort that arises from defeat
and this alone. Once In while some