Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-30
SPORTING COMMENT.
BY J. ED GRILLO.

On the form Detroit has shown this
I spring it begins to look very much as il
/ Jennings team was out to win its fourth
consecutive pennant. 1t may be that the
| Tigers far OutcIass the other west
! ern clubs that there is no chance to get
good line on their real strength, and
| that there may be a slump when they
come east, but then it must not be for
gotten that Jennings team has alwars
| Jared well in the east, and there are
reasons for believing that the Tigers are
stronger this year than last because they
have picked up some valuable pitching
material this spring.
If there a weak spot in the Tiger
| lineup last year it was in the pitching
staff for there were times when the
work of the slabmen was not up to the
! championship caliber. But with the
| youngsters who are making good to help
out Jennings looks better fortified than
ever before, and it is hard to figure how
any team can beat him to the wire I'M
| less he should encounter a series of acct
dents which would rob him of his most
valuable players.
But if the team can be kept intact most
of the time there does not seem to be
any great danger of either Philadelphia
or Boston beating Detroit out, and it is
of course conceded that these are the
only two teams in the league which
stand chance to make it troublesome
| for the champions.
Though the season is a little over two
weeks old. ii is already apparent that the
National League Will not have as close a
race as its rival. Several of the teams of
the old league are, even at this early
period of the race, out OF the running,
while the conditions in the American
League are such that any team in the
! race stands chance to move to the
! frnn wit
Not in several years has the National
League had interesting race after the
season has been a month old. There are
too many teams outclassed. and this con-
dition has usually given the pennant-win-
ming team a runaway. Notwithstanding
the fact that this condition is the cause
of a great financial loss to every club in
the league, there has not been the slight
est indication that the stronger clubs
want to help the weaker ones. In fact,
what trades and deals have been made
have been for the benefit of the teams
which are already strong. The Chicago
Brooklyn deal which gave the Cubs Pitch
sr Mcintyre is an indication of this. Nc
irtyre was undoubtedly one of the best
pitchers in the league. 1t was just such
A man as weak team like Brooklyn
could depend upon to make a good show
ing yet he was traded for a bunch of un-
tried minor leaguers. And yet the weak
teams complain that they are not helped
when they absolutely seem to refuse to
neip themselves.
Sized up on paper Cleveland seems TO
have a ball team which should be con-
tender in the race, and yet the Maps aft
er a good start. are making a miserable
showing. There must be something ma
terially wrong with that aggregation this
year. as there has been in the past. While
La ioie was its manager he was blamed
for the poor showing of the team the
contention being that while "A great ball
player he was not leader. Mcclure,
however. has failed to do any better than
did his predecessor. Just why it is that
a team which has a crack pitching staff,
a great infield and to say the least, an
outfield of the average strength, cannot
win games is a puzzle, but it cannot be
blamed Oh the system the management
employees. There must be some other
reason which may crop out one of these
days.
Public confidence in the integrity of all
bouts between fighters of note pulled off
in Philadelphia is being badly shaken.
because of the unsatisfactory ending of
most OF them. After every bout of inn
portance the opinion is expressed that
the fighters did not put forth their best
efforts 1t was so with the Johnson
O. Bren fight and il IS so now with the
Ketchell-Langford affair. 1t is openly as
serted by men familiar with the game
that Lansford did not let himself out
this is true lie undoubtedly held back
under an agreement with Ketchell
1t VIII be we'll Tor the promoters of the
game in the Quaker City to prevent repi-
titions of frame-ups. for nothing kills the
game so permanently as to have the pub
lie hoodwinked.
Fake fights put the game out of bust
ness I'm New York and Chicago and many
other cities, and it will eventually work
against the sport in Philadelphia.
Joe Cantilon's Minneapolis team made
up almos; entirely Of american League
discards, is making a splendid showing in
the American Association race. Ciymer,
Pickering. Williams, Ferris, Tom Hughes
and many other former big leaguers seem
20 have taken a second hold on life and
are playing high class article of ball.
Tom Hughes pitching has been Of the
sensational order. and it would not be at
all surprising to find some major league
club bringing Long Tom back into fast
company. for there is no question that IL
his habits can be regulated he is one of
the best pitchers in the country.