The Oskaloosa herald., 1909-04-15
PLAY BALL NOTE
SOUNDED TODAY
---------------
National League Season Is Formally
Opened.
CAN CHICAGO CUBS WIN AGAIN
This Is the Paramount Issue in Fan
don,--Pittsburg Is "comer"
and Looks Good To Its
Backers.

New York, April 14.-lCan the Chi
cago Cubs come on" again?
This is the paramount question in
the National League. whose thirty
ninth season opens this afternoon. 1t
is paramount for the reason that il
the Cubs do win ii will be their fourth
successive pennant and the equaling
of record that has stood since 1875,
when the old Boston club. under Harry
Wright, won its fourth straight cham
pionship.
Five times since then team has
managed to crowd three pennants in
a row. Should Frank Chance break
the seeming limit and break the tape
ahead of the others this year, he will
be given credit for achieving the
greatest feat ever accomplished in
base ball, for the national game now.
compared with the time when Boston
made it's record. is different propo-
|sition and one that demands far more
cunning and executive ability.
SulidSO udu ouCu d ltI1iuC
to nose out the New York Giants last
year, being saved through the now
historical blunder of Substitute First
Baseman Fred MerllIe, who failed to
win game against the Cubs by for
getting TO touch second base after a
hit had scored what should have been,
the winning run. that thousands OF
fans are brave eEnugh to hope that
this year Chances great machine will
slip cog and come cropper
As a standpatter, Manager Captain
Chance is the equal OF Speaker Can
non and If he had his way the Cubs
would start the race with the same
liine-up as that which brought final vic
TORY to them last year. Two faces,
however will be Inissing and they are
two Of the brightest @phizes', in the
base bah Louvre. Johnny Evers and
Johnny King. Eyers has been given
permission to continue with his Troy
shoe store until June 1, and King has
passed up reported salary of $4,000
to attend to his Kansas City poolroom.
With these two Johnnies not ION
the spot" the Cubs viii be handicap
tped but the Chicago bunch are fight
ers, as a quarter of million New
York fans know to their sorrow, and
no one around these parts is as yet
wearing crepe for the Cubs,
Unless representations receive a
black eye, the same four teams that
have lately got into the habit of oc-
cupying the upper berth in the Ma
tional League win again hold this di-
vision. The only team that the dope
sters concede to have chance to
crowd out either Chicago, New York.
Pittsburg or Philadelphia, is Cincin-
matt. Early season reports show that
Manager Clark Griffith, the new Red
Leg pilot, has got together lively
bunch of youngsters and at the same
time has enough seasoned material
on hand to lend ballast TO his craft.
II it were not for the fact that blow
ing up" is a favorite failing of the
Reds, the team would be taken much
Imore seriously.
Naturally John McGraw and his
Giants occupy a prominent place in
the base ball horizon. Near winners
last year and hopes fed on the most
roseate reports this year, Gotham fans
are going to have their very souls
scared If the team doesn't repeat the
GLORIOUS triumph of 1905. McGraw is
a manager who likes to raise" his
own players and he has taken on a
lot of new fellows this year that are
touted to be "a karat. He'll have need
Iof them. too, for like Chicago, he will
be without the services OF two of his
former stars, big Roger Bresnahan
and the irrepressible Mike Donlin
The managerial bee got "Bres" and
he Is now the boss of the lucklesS
Icrew of the Mound City, under one d
whose mounds the city's base bal
hopes are annually buried. The stage
ensnared Donlin and time alone vii
!, tell which made the wiser jump.
i McGraw may have found some won
d ders in his new consignment, but thu
} Iscrappiness OF Bresnahan and Doniir
and the maulfng that the latter wa
wont to give the ball are likely to b,
sadly missed at the Polo Grounds thi
J. lyear. Schlei, the first string catcher
Ills good man and o'Hara. Devore
!. Herzog and Murray insure good out
field, but local fans would feel bette
: If they could again have the opportur
3 ity OF coyly shouting oh you Mikei
o The New York manager has alread
lsent out advance notices that smoke
GLASSES will have to be used this yea
In watching the work OF his $1f,O0
i wonder. Pitcher ~Rube" Marquarl
!. He, with tho eccentric Mr.. 'Bug" Ra,
! mond, Admiral" schlei and ontflelde
) Murray, will make the habitues Of til
Polo Grounds forget that Donlin an