Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-05
FEVER HITS
QUAKER CITY FANS
Rooters Stirred Up Over
Splendid Showing Made by
Mack's Athletics.
From the Philadelphia Ledger.

From tho Philadelphia Ledger.
Philadelphia fandom is pennant mad
That delicious state of mind which none
of us have had the pleasure of expert
encins in its most virulent state since
the fall of 1907 has once more grabbed
our nervous systems. The fight which
Connie Mack's kids are making for
first honors in the American League has
been the one topic of conversation among
base ball lovers since the season started,
while their present squirt to catch up to
the leading Detroit Tigers has reused
this old town to fever pitch.
Eighteen points today separate the two
teams. thanks to the Red Sox, who yes
terday split even with the tribe of Jen-
nings, while local fandom swore long
and loudly when they found the weather
man had played them false and with
one fell swoop had kept the White Ele-
plants from again trampling all over
the Chicago SoX. For from the present
clip the locals are going a double win
yesterday looked like absolutely. sure
shooting. Still, the Athletics meet Chi
cago in a two-ringer today. while Boston
takes a parting crack at the Tigers. If
the Red SoX win that game and the
Mackmen take both of theirs just four
points will separate the Tigers and Ath-
morrow afternoon, and the leading posi-
tioa in the American League hinges on
the result.
Tigers Goat Captured.
From present indications somebody has
corralled Detroit's goat and has a most
mighty grip on it at that. The Tigers
are not exactly in a slump, for they
are hitting as lively as of yore, but
hrao haI
when team once gets the l1oodoo bee
i'll its bonnet there is no telling to what
extent they are going to hit the chutes
On yesterdays double bill Detroit won
the first by the healthy score of 10 to ),
while Jennings batsmen clouted safely
exactly eight zen times. In the second
game Wild Bill Donovan held Boston to
three hits, but the Sox won out to l,
notwithstanding they had four errors
chalked up against them, while Detroit
had none and had seven hits to boot.
The Tigers defeats all seem to have
been Of this variety, and Jennings will
have to yell and shout more than ever
before to keep up the spirit among his
players. Never. probably. could the Mack
men have found a more opportune time
to grapple with Detroit than just now.
For playing with a dash and never give
up-spirit, our youngsters have the chance
of their lives to push over the cham
pions waSon-and push 1t hard.
IL
trip, in which they copied fifteen games
out of the twenty-seven played, the Ath-
letics have played eleven games and won
ten. Five double were played
Two with Washington before they. re-
turned to Shibe Park, two with Cleve-
land. one of which was clean sweep
for the Mackmen, while the other was
divided. and one with Chicago. in which
the locals cleaned up.
During their western trip they came
vii hin noinf nf h1,t AZ baf
they tumbled, and tumbled hard. Once
on the road 10 recovery, they have come
with a rush, and with almost a clean
home score i'll their favor are ready to
cross bats with the jaded Tigers.
Touted as sure second division aggre-
cation at the start of the season, they
are today the most conspicuous team in
either league. The master brain of Con
ME Mack has torn countless dope sheets
to tatters. has given Philadelphia a team
fighting daily for the American League
pennant and unearthed the real two SEN
sations of the 1900 base ball season, Eddie
Collins and Harry Erause. Connie has
once more caught the crowd and they
are following him To the finish.
Big Crowds at Shibe Park.
And speaking of crowds maybe a win
ming team is not good paying PROPOSE
ton. Four times the Athletics have
played here since their return from the
west and on those four occasions the total
attendance has been G2, 469. Pretty good
drawing crowd those youngsters. Eth?
All of which reminds me of what Uncle
Ben Shibe said to crowd of newspaper
men in Connie Macks Office last winter,
while the iron workers were still riveting
the cantilever of Shibe Park into posi-
ton. 1t isn't the park" said Uncle Ben,
but the team. Give me a winning team
on a back lot and Ill outdraw the fel-
lows with the finest park in the world"
That's the true doctrine of base ball
and the psychology of gate receipts. But
underneath ii turks another meaning and
accounts for the remarkable crowd Shibe
Park is drawing at present. \ few
thousand fans will go to see any good
team play ball even if they are way out
of the race. These base ball lovers go
to see the fine points or the game. But
when team is fighting for the pennant,
when every hit, every error, every piece
OF bad judgment means the loss of the
mines prestige, that's what draws the
crowd.
1t is the magnitude of the whole thing.
The knowledge of the big stakes which
rest on the result that attracts every
sport-loving American to the games, even
though he knows nothing about the tine