The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-05-26
HAVE DONE we'll.
No Reason to Complain of To-
peka Teams Showing.
Only One That Has Done Well
On the Road.
BATTING AVERAGES.
FenlOn Has Apparently Distanc-
ed All the Others.
All the Rest lowering Around
the 200 Mark.

Inc best feature OF the Western
League pennant race thus far, judging
from a Topeka standpoint, has been the
showing which the Topeka team has
made on the road, Topeka undoubtedly
has the best road team In the league
as the records will show.
Thus far during the trip the Topeka
team has won an even half of the
games, counting the transferred one of
Sunday. This is a greater percentage
of games than any other team has won
on the road this season. The four teams
that were on the road during the first
part of the season returned home sec
ond division teams. Des Moines, which
as now in the front row of the Western
League teams made the best showing
of the eastern and northern teams, re-
turning home with five out of II games
won. Sioux City, which is now tied
with Topeka won but three out of the
first eleven. Omaha won four out of
II and Lincoln but three out of eleven.
With the exception of Lincoln all these
four teams are forging to the front
while battling on the home grounds.
Since taking the road Topeka has
made a grand showing. Denver started
out good but slumped when hitting
Omaha and is now in the second divis-
as was expected. Wichita has taken
an awful slump and unless the rain
has changed her luck she is bound to
be near the tail of the procession be-
fore she returns home in June.
The real reason of the good showing
of the Topeka team is not hard to
see. It is from the fact that the team
has been playing real baseball. The
team is not hitting wonder. There is
not man on the team however but
counted have been delivered in the
pinches. The team Is not fielding ex-
ceptionally well either. But the team
has been fielding brilliantly in the
pinches and when hits are needed the
batter at the plate is generally tie
man to deliver. The playing of the To-
peka team was fittingly illustrated last
Sunday. The team made three errors
and the hitting was not as evident as
that of the Nebraskans. But the team
punched hits. Not discouraged with
the opponents leading by margin of
three runs. the team went in in the
fifth inning and batted out a victory.
This same feat was duplicated a num-
Der of times on the last trip. There is
something about the players, they
never give up. Real baseball playing
and fighting spirit is what has made
the Topeka team the best road team or
the circuit. 19Tn' f'F2F
With Cooley at the head, the Colo
though Colorado is generally known
throughout the Western league as
Toboggan Land. Cooley has that
happy faculty of making all his players
work. and this will show the noun
taineers that the Topeka boys can
play as good a ball a thousand miles |
above the sea as they can on the wind |
swept plains of Kansas, Nebraska and |
Iowa
The Topeka team isn't strong in bat |
ting. This is shown by the following |
averages which are compiled from the |
official scores: Sir Richard Cooley |
himself is batting under .200--think of |
that. There is only one 300 hitter on |
the team at the present time-Fenlon. |
But there is bunch of hitters, whose |
averages do not look very rosy at pres |
ent who will come strong before the |
season Is much further advanced and |
who will rank among the most con- |
sistent sluggers in the Western league. |
For instance, there is Geier, Andrews, |
Kah1, and Downey, to say nothing of
Kerns and McManus, and little Lijah. |
1t takes the old heads some time to get
into batting trim, but when they do
look out.
What the players are doing to the OPP |
posing pitchers is shown. by the follow |