Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-29
SPORTING COMMENT.
BY J. ED GRILLO.

D - ELL 0NAAAS'.
The average manager of a ball team
shuns a player with a bad reputation
about as eagerly as timid individual
does a runaway horse. 1t Is figured that
the duties of the man in charge of
ball team bring upon him enough mental
strain and anguish when he has under
him only men of ideal dispositions, and to
harbor men who are apt to be more trou-
BILE off the field than on it would be con-
sidered a herculean effort to break into
some sanitarium.
But as In everything else. there are
exceptions to this rule, and there is one
manager who goes out of his way to get
players whom other managers have been
unable to handle. He Is Joe Cantillon.
Every since he has had charge of teams
he has always had the latch string out
for players who had the reputation OF
being bad actors" He seemed to go
out Of his way to get players who. to
say the least, had been accused of Icing
difficult to handle He had quite bunch
Of them when he was here, yet seemed
to be able to do more with them tran
had his predecessors. His latest move
is to sign Rube Waddell Even when
Rube was at his best the man who had
signed him figured that he was borrow
ing lot of trouble. but Cantillon un-
doubtedly will consider it a pleasure to
have Waddell under his wing.
On his showing with the Newark club
last season 1t looked very much as If
Rube was all in SO far as pitching is con-
cerned, but Cantillon seems willing to
take chance, and it would. not be at
all surprising If he got good work out of
the eccentric twirler.
That there is an entire absence of class
in all the weights in pugilism at the
present time is generally conceded. There
do not appear to be any high-class fight
ers these days in any of the classes.
though. of course. there are many more
boxers now than there were ten or. fif-
teen years ago. The heavyweight class has
nothing in it but johnson. and his Prov
ess is still doubted. Attell seems to stand
out. among the featherweights, but he is
no longer youngster. and should be
reaching the down grade ere long VOL
CAST asA the lightweight champion does
not represent much He has been de-
feated time and again in limited round
contests by second raters, and he would
probably go down before Moran If they
do better than fight draws with Abe At
tell, featherweight The middleweight
class seems to be stronger than any of
the others even with Stanley Ketchel out
Of the running. Tor Billy Papke and Hugo
Kelley are classy men. and Sam Lang
ford thinks he could also appear in this
class.
The trouble with the pugilistic game
seems to lie in the fact that too much
attention has been given the commercial
end of the sport.
A year ago but few believed that the
Athletics would win the American League
pennant. and even when this had been
accomplished and 1t came down to the
worlds series there was general doubt as
to whether Mack's team classed with the
Cubs.
But there has been a wonderful change
nf r,kfv ,s,
Now 1t is generally conceded that the
Athletics have the pennant cinched for
the next two years at least. Columns
have been written of how the men Of
Connie Mack's team outclass their rivals
In the American League to such an ex-
tent that, so far as the pennant is con-
cerned. there is really no need of play
Ing. out the next schedule.
This change Of opinion Is the result of
the brilliant manner in which the Ath-
letics performed, both in the regular cam
paign and in the worlds series. But it's
not cinch that they will repeat in 1911
Twice before the Athletics have won the
pennant. but they did not come back in
the following year. In 1902 they romped
home. but were beaten in 1903 and 1904
They came back again in 1906 but were
out of 1t for the next four years. OF
course. 1t was not the same team which
won last year, for there is no denying
that Mack had the strongest aggregation
Of his career in the last campaign, but
nevertheless If the Athletics repeat it will
be the first time in their history
Ray, the st. Louis Browns pitcher, who
by reason of his three victories over the
Detroit team jumped into prominence last
summer, may go back to the minors,
but he will have the satisfaction of hav-
ing beaten team out of the 'pennant
during his short stay In the American
League.
1t was the unexplainable victories of
Ray over the Tigers which caused that
teams undoing.
1t was in mid season that Jennings
team. by great squirt at home. had gain
the lead. and with the schedule giving it
eight consecutive games with the Browns
1t looked very much as If by the time
these games were over Detroit would vir-
tually have the flag cipched: To have
number of games In row with tail-end
team which was badly demoralized and
did not seem to care whether it won or
lost looked like stroke Of good fortune.
But. alas. it proved the undoing Of the
games and Ray won three of them. He
did not beat any other team, but
he put 1t on tie Tigers.
Overconfidence in these games caused
went into these contests sure of victory
and they did not put forth their best
efforts until it was too late. And when
they finally realized that they would have
to hustle the element or luck broke
against them. That series put the Tigers
out of 1t and Ray was the individual who
was most responsible.
According to statements made in the
east, President Ebbets of the Brooklyn
club. isn't going to concern himself with
candidates for the National League presi-
dency. 1t has beenS stated that Ebbets,
with Murphy, would make a fight on Tom
Lynch, but the Brooklyn presidents
words in New York last night would indi-
cate otherwise. Ebbets, during the course
Of his talk. said:
II, am thinking more about what posi-
ton the Superbas will occupy in 1911 than
I am about who will be president Of the
National League during that season. The
object Of my journey to Chicago recently
was not, as some Of the Windy city
scribes thought and as appeared to be the
impression of the base ball writer's In the
east. to talk to James A. Hart. former.
president Of the Chicago National League
club, about running for the presidency
Of our league against Thomas ]. Lynch
next month.
"I hoped to see Hart when was In Chi
cago, because he and are old friends. but
had I met him I would not have asked
him to become q candidate for the presi-
dency Of the National League, nor would