Evening star., 1909-05-30
COLLEGE BASE BALL
CHAMPIONSHIP CLOSE
Pennsy and Harvard Tied and
Mondays Games Will Set
tie the Point.
By Edward r. Bushnell.

BY Edward r. Bushnell.
If nothing else succeeds in bringing
Harvard and Pennsylvania into athletic
harmony, perhaps the fact that they had
to divide the foot ball championship
year ago last fall and are now likely to
divide base ball honors. may bring about
healing OF the breach that has existed
since the spring of 1906 Last fall both
teams went through the foot ball season
with records which were almost identl-
cal. The critics who had seen the two
teams In action were divided In their
opinion as to which university had the
better eleven. but the majority were
content to split the honors:
Since the Pennsylvania base ball team
has vanquished Dartmouth. Yale, Colum-
bia and Princeton in turn the Quakers
are attracting national attention. If they
defeat Cornell Memorial day they will
have achieved the height of their ambi-
ton. Harvard has already defeated
Princeton twice, so that the Tigers are
entirely eliminated from consideration for
the base ball championship. 1t is now
question what Harvard will do to Yale.
Those who have seen the two teams IN
action are inclined to the belief that Har-
ward is superior. Consequently II Har-
ward meets with no reverses in the mean
time and then wins from the Ellis the
Crimson will be on even terms with Penn-
sylvania. This will merely make all the
keener the regret that the two teams do
not meet Should Yale defeat Harvard,
then the Pennsylvania men would have
solid arguments for claiming the base ball
championship.
Schultz a Star.
The work of the Pennsylvania team
shows what a college nine can accom-
pIish if fortified with at least one high
class pitcher and a few good 'hitters.
In Schultz, the former Mercersburg boy,
Pennsylvania probably has the best
pitcher in the college world and one of
the best of the last few years. 1t has
been his mastery work that has con-
tributed most to Pennsylvania victories.
He has good catcher In Cozzens. the
foot ball player. Most Of the hitting
has been contributed by the outfeld.
which, from fielding standpoint. is one
of the best in the college ranks. The in
field however, is only mediocre.
Much Of Pennsylvanias success is also
credited to the return to professional
coaching. Roy Thomas. the former Phil
adelpha and Pttsburg outfielder. also
graduate of Pennsylvania, has been
coaching the team since March. He is
directly responsible for fast outfield
and the improved batting. At the be-
ginning of the season Pennsylvania
team was almost depleted through the
wholesale disqualification by the faculty
was further disorganized by an unseemly
squabble over the captaincy, which lasted
until midseason. All of these things,
though, have been forgotten since the
teams good work and in spite OF losing
two Saturdays through rain the attend
ance has been such as to insure finan-
cial profit to the base ball season. the
second time on record that this has oc-
Cured
Upsets in the Rowing World.
Upsets in the college rowing world con-
tinue to be the order of the day. In
fact. hardly any Of the big college eights
is now rated as 1t was six weeks or more
ago. First came the surprise when
Columbia was decisively beaten by Har-
ward On top Of this came Pennsylvania's
almost equally decisive triumph over
Yale. Next the Columbia eight was
beaten by Annapolis. Since then SYRIA
cuse has trounced the Middies. All these
results have merely increased the con-
fusion of the critics in trying to decide
which is the strongest college crew. or,
in fact, to make any comparative estimate
at all. Monday Cornell and Harvard
meet in two-mle race on Lake Cayuga.
and the result of this will furnish more
information than any other dual race
of the year
A week ago the majority of the critics
would have picked the Harvard eight
to triumph, but since the decisive defeat
of Harvard's Junior eight by Cornell's
second combination they are willing to
await the issue. Reports from Ithaca
all spring have been to the effect that
Cornell rowing was i'll disorganized
state. 1t was largely on this account
that most people expected Harvard to
defeat Cornell last week in the Junior
collegiate race. But Cornell showed
1aay 4.I inrtt t1n I1n,- ord
Junior eight that was supposed to be al
most as strong as the varsity. If this
comparison holds true of the two varsity
eights Harvards prestige will receive a
serious blow.
Oxford Dodges Crew Race.
After conducting negotiations for sew
eraI months Harvard's rowing authori-
ties have received final word from Eng
land that the Oxford collegians will not
row them this summer. The excuse
given by the Englishmen is intensely
amusing to one not acquainted with the
English character After Oxford had
beaten Cambridge the issue was put
squarely up to the Oxoniana They
were told that in the event of a Harvard
victory over Yale the American crew
would make the trip to England at its
own expense. Harvard wanted the race
shortly after the English Henley regatta.
| which is held the first week in July. and
in which Oxford is to row. In reply six
members of the Oxford eight agreed to
keep in training for the Americans. There
were two members, however. who had
planned vacation that the race would
upset. Consequently they refused to
change their plans even TO please an
honorable American opponent which
agreed to go to England at its own ex-
pense.
Not to be daunted, Harvard agreed to
| let the Britons fill the two remaining
| seats with any oarsmer they could get.
graduate or undergraduate. A more lib
eral offer than this could hardly be con-
| ceived. yet the Britons were so unrespon-
sive to the Americans sacrifices and
| sportSmanship that they still declined TO
arrange the race.
TO a good many persons there was
nothing unexpected in Oxford's disinclina
ton to row the Americans. But to the
| outsider it would appear that the Har-
ward authorities might have foreseen the
treatment they received This is the sec
ond year In succession that Harvard has
been SO rebuffed by the English 0arsmen.
Last summer the Crimson wanted to meet
Cambridge in the Henley regatta. but
! the English colegians arbitrarily refused
| to meet the Americans and for no ap-
parent reason. To most Americans the
trucking spirit which some of our ath-
1etic authorities show toward England
| is extremely distasteful and the more SO
| with the English treatment of this coun-
try at the Olympic games still fresh IN
mind. If some of the American athletic
| institutions would show a more inde-
! pendent spirit and not be so anxious to