Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-25
BY J. ED GRILLO.

Though victorious over the Browns yes
terday the Nationals were forced to share
sixth place with the White Sox because
of the dual defeat of the Athletics at the
hands of Duffy's men. 1t is rather queer
to win and yet lose position in the
race, but there is some satisfaction in
the fact that it would have been much
worse had the Nationals succumbed to
the Browns. Incidentally, it might be
noted that there is not a possible chance
for McAleers team to finish lower than
seventh this year. The Browns are In
the cellar to stay regardless of what the
result of the remaining games may be.
But all hope of finishing even good
as fifth is by no means shattered. There
is still a chance for Washington to be at
the head of the second division, though it
must be conceded that it is but slim
one The average follower of the team
is convinced that the team is going to
have hard shedding keeping out of seventh
place. Considering the brilliant showing
the team made at one stage Of the race
when it worked Itself up into fifth place
recent results are rather discouraglng. 1t
seemed certain for while that McAleer
would finish the season with his team In
fifth place, but that is decidedly doubtful
now.
Seventh was the best the Nationals did
under Cantillon's regime, which lasted
three years, though the first year he was
here should not be counted against him,
because the team which was turned over
to him was really a disgrace to major
league base ball.
But thirteen games remain on the Ma
tionals' schedule this season. Eight of
these, two more in ST. Louis, three in
Chicago and three in New York, will be
away from home, while three with Bos-
ton and two with the Athletics remain to
be played here. To better their standing
in the race the Nationals will have to
win q majority of the games that remain
to be played, and unless there is ma
terial improvement in the work of the
team this is not apt to occur.
Even if the team fails to finish higher
than seventh place Jim McAleer will be
given credit for having made good as a
manager, for the team has won many
more games than it did last season, and
that after all is all that counts in base
ball. McAleer has won more games
this year than did his predecessor last
because the team was stronger with Ell
berfeld at third, and the pitchers show
ing much better form in spots. There
was nothing mystifying about the sys-
tenn he employed. nor did he inject any
extraordinary amount of Intelligence In
the playing of the locals. But there is
one thing for which McAleer deserves
the greatest credit, and that is that he
convinced the local owners that if there
was to be an improved condition here the
team would have to be built up with
youngsters, and not with castoffs from
cher major league teams.
Under his management more young
blood has been added to the local team
in single year than has been known
to don uniforms in several years, and
in taking this stand McAleer is undoubt-
eddy on the right track to get winner.
If he gets a team which has sufficient
strength to be higher in the race McAleer
will probably prove every bit as COM
petent as any other manager in the
league.
Excepting Walter Johnson, Manager
McAleer has not had more useful
pitcher this year than Doc Reisling. Vet
eran though he is. not one of McAleer s
players has been more willing to do his
share to help the team than Reising.
He has finished numerous games for
the other pitchers and has pitched lot
for himself, and. on the whole. his per-
Torrance has been most splendid.
In all Reisling has proven himself q
most valuable man. He may not be
capable Of leading pitching staff OF
first division team but he can do
much to help it, and there is no doub
that he is sure of having berth with
the Nationals again next season.
bullQlnS up HTSl-cidSS team takes
time. 1t has been done in two anC
three years, but that all depends or
the strength of the nucleus a manager
has on hand when he starts his recon
struction. The less there is to star
with the longer 1t takes. Good bal
teams do not last long, though some
stay in the limelight longer than 9th.
ers providing young material is added
from time to time And, what is more
ball teams do come back
There is perhaps not another in
stance where team has held together
longer as a first-class team than the
Chicago Cubs. Aside from the chang
ing of the pitching staff the team
which will win the pennant in the Ma
tional League this year is practically
the same which went down before the
White Sox in 1906, and twice after. tina,
trounced the Detroit Tigers That year
the oldest players on the team were
Chance, Steinfeldt. Sheckard and Tinker
They were in their prime then and
the victory over the White Sox prov
ed one of the biggest surprises of mod
ern base ball But since then the
Cubs have not been idle. They have
won two worlds championships anc
were barely nosed out Of the pennan