The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-02-19
WINTER BALL GOSSIP
Fans BusiIy Engaged Doping Out
Positions of League Teams.
EARLY SPRING TRAINING.

Managers Not All Agreed rs to Bene-
fits to Be Derived From Anti Season
Trips to Condition Mcn-The Finan-
eiaI Side.
This is the busy season in the Cigar
Store league, and the argumentative
baseball fans that comprise its extend
ed circuit at their nightly meetings
are doping out the positions of the
1909 clubs in the major leagues and
settling the pennants in both organiZa-
tons
These comfortable enthusiasts, who,
to judge from their conversation, know
more about running a baseball team
ing but past performances to rely upon
in making up their lists OF clubs. and
yet nothing is more unreliable. 1t has
been the history Of more than one
championship season that a club which
started out with the. brightest pros
poets for a good position in the race
has yet proved a grievous disappoint-
ment.
How often has it been figured out on
paper before the season opened that
such and such club on the batting
and fielding averages of the previous
year and the strength displayed by its
pitchers was almost a sure one-two-
three proposition, and yet before the
season was half over was hopelssly
struggling in the second division?
Take last years New York Ameri-
cans as an example. The Highlanders
started the season In a manner that
gave every one the impression that the
American league pennant was going to
be a runaway race, yet toward the last
Of May the team began to drop. and it
never stopped until it hit last place,
where it remained for the rest Of the
season.
There is no doping out sure pen
nant winner any more in either organ
ization, and, while it will be pointed
out that Detroit and Chicago ran true
to form in 1905, both clubs had the
closest kind Of race, and the Cubs only
won the flag on q technically, while
the Tigers were forced to the limit to
win by a narrow margin.
A club like Chicago in the National
league may and did last year have a
clear lead for the pennant in mid
season and be going at fast gait, and
fans can see nothing but the flag for
the Cubs, yet some such sensational
squirt as the Phillies made toward the
close of the season may shatter all cal
'culationS.
1t is matter of history that Cova-
leskie in three games beat the Giants
out of the National league flag. Incl
dents such as these, with the many
minor ones of sore arms, players hav-
ing an off year, accidents, and so on,
show what a hazardous thing 1t be-
comes when trying to foretell the
standing Of baseball teams at the close
of a season.
To what extent does the early spring
training have on the fortunes Of a
baseball team? All the major league
clubs now take these ante-season trips
to condition their men, work out new
plays, signals, ETC., but it is a singular
thing that no two managers seem to
agree as to the exact degree of latitude
team can secure the most beneficial
ACcuAtS. OAC VIA 81 JoSS oVCA lAS
border line Of the south, another as far
as the geographical limits Of the Unit
ed States will permit, while still an
other will hike to the warm climate Of
southern California, not to mention
those who favor the medicinal springs
of Indiana, Arkansas and Texas.
Measured by results. it Is not always
the team which goes farthest that
fares the best. Both Chicago teams
and both were successful, though De-
troit and the Phillies almost paralleled
their results without going 1.-THE Of
the distance travelled by the Cubs and
White Sox. There were the New
York Americans, for instance. who did
their preliminary work in far Texas,
and yet not only finished last. but were
never in the race after a little over a
month.
Managers argue pro and con about
the baleful effects Of suddenly jumping
from the salubrious climate OF the far
south to the uncertain temperature Of
the north in early April. Some claim
that the change stiffens the muscles
and practically undoes any beneficial
work that may be accomplished by the
stay south, while others believe they
Offset a calamity by working north in
easy stages, thus getting the players
gradually acclimated to the changing
weather conditions. These latter have
the added advantage also of playing
minor league teams on the way, which
is not only diversion for the men. but
gives them better real practice than
when the squad is divided into two
teams. as the members Of both mines
are familiar with each others signals.
There is still another thing to be TAX
en- into considera ton besides the bene-
fits accruing to the players. and that is
the financial returns. Playing teams in
southern cities and charging nominal
admission fee. more than one manager
has been almost enabled to meet train
ing expenses. Take the Athletics. Last
year Manager Mack took his squad to
New Orleans during the Mardi Gras
season and played with the Southern
league team Of that city all during the
festivities, when the Crescent City was
crowded with visitors. The attendance
NV 10 hy1t