Evening star., 1909-05-23
Departmental League Comment.

5
| Bruner of Commerce and Labor is one of
the seasons surprises. He has been en-
ployed at the Commerce and Labor De-
partment for couple of years and was
undiscovered until this season His playing
at shortstop has aroused comment from
| everybody. and he is recognized as one
of the best infield men in the league. His
batting is also good. and il is hoped that
| he Will maintain this stride.
There is a man on the Navy team who
/ is overWorked. / could write this note
without making any mention of the name
and there would be many fans who could
guess whom | am referring to. Anyway. lie
is Graef, who plays first base In Thurs
days game against Interior he is credited
with thirteen putouts, and it is a sure
thing if he had not worked hard and gone
/ through many cOntortions about ten err
rors would have been chalked up against
/ his teammates. He is also dangerous
1 man with the willow. AS Sutton, the In
1 terror catcher, would say II don't know
where to ask for them when he is at the
plate. They all look good to him.
! Teddy Mccarthy. third baseman for
/ Treasury, is considered by many TO be
the most consistent batter in the league.
| His record for the past season, il remem-
| Dered correctly, was away above the
| three-hundred mark. and. Judging from
the way he is clouting them out this sea-
son. he will again finish above the three
| century mark Teddy has "a bum whip
4 and Is having grave difficulty in tossing
them from third to first / don't think he
wants this fact known. for the simple
reason that there are many place hit
ters on the different teams. But never thee
mind, Teddy; If you remember, Charlie
4 Smith experienced some trouble with his
arm the past season. but is announced
all right again. and there is still a chance
/ for you. Teddy says he has the Charley
horse. but he can extend himself enough
| to get them over to the first bag in time
to catch the f1eetest.
! Maybe Interior hasn't strengthened
some in the past couple of weeks. When
| the season opened and they were out for
the first game the fans, of course, looked
! them over. The look didn't look very
encouraging, especially for the team s fol-
lowers, for practically the same old team,
put In an appearance. But snce that
first game new players have been added,
until now the outfit looks as good as the
| best in the league. The names of the
new players were given out in previous
game wrtte-up.
The Navy team has not won a game this
season. Too bad. Too bad! Well some-
body ought TO offer suggestion for a
| remedy In the playing of the team. If it
is left to us to suggest we will say that
each man report on the White Lot ellipse
each afternoon for two seasons and each
afternoon have him throw loo balls from
his position on the infield to the first sack
| and then after that is done throw the
same number to each of the other bags.
ErrorS OF the wild heave variety have cost
the team practically all of the games this
season, and no improvement is noticeable
| as the season advances. All of the men
seem able to connect with the sphere, and
some OF them are ong-distance swatters,
but this fact alone does not win games.
LOOK back a season and compare the
Agriculture team at that time with the
team this season. You won't find many
| tobasco has been sprinkled. The team
! last season played like a lot of school
boys. There simply wasn't anything to
! It, Games were lost and the players
seemed asleep all season. This season
there is a different story to tell. With
practically the same lineup the team IL
carrying everything its way The play.
ers have awakened and seemed deter-
mined that the final standing Of the team
this season will not be a repetition OF
| what happened to 1t last year.
The games are attracting large crowds
down to the White Lot ellipse. where the
battles are fought. Nine games are
scheduled for each week, and they don t
cost a cent to see them. Is there any
| wonder that large crowds turn out ?
| Many prominent government officials
| have been down to see their favorites
play, among them being the secretaries
of the different departments, and last, but
not least, President Taft The latter
often stops for a while when out for a
horseback ride through the park.
Smoke" Balzer, who pitched good ball
| for Georgetown University varsity this
season, has joined the Commerce and
| Labor fold. The big fellow is the speed
| lest twirler in the league, it is thought,
and the Laborite catchers have until the
past week experienced difficulty in hold
ing him. The last game played by the
Laborites there was boy behind the
/ gun who didn't seem 10 mind his great
all to the good He is big, strapping
| fellow, and judging from the way he
throws to the bags he has some of that
Hercules stuff himself He says that
| he has been catching Smoke" since bare
| foot days.
| Byrne Hayden, catching for Interior, is
having his troubles early this season. A
catcher, when he goes into a game. ex-
poets little cuts and bruises on the hands,
| but they all hate to even think of what
| Hayden got. The first and only game in
4 which he participated he broke his finger,
which fact is keeping a good man on the
bench.
| The game between Treasury and the
Commissioners for Monday is the only
one scheduled for this week, but as
rain has caused several postponements, it
is likely that these games will be run in