Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-13
ATHLETICS SEEM TO HAVE
FIRST CALL FOR PENNANT
Connie Mack's Team Is Setting Remarkably
Fast Pace-May Make Runaway Race
This Year-Tigers Not Doing Well.
now have nine,'' remarked Manager Duffy

: now have nine" remarked Manager Duffy
today.
to have to work pitchers out OF their
turn in a series of doubleheaders, ana
once your pitchers get out of form 1T Is
all over. Base ball as it is today makes
the pitcher the most important man on
the diamond. Give me a good pitching
staff and only a mediocre team and Will
be able to make a good showing while
crack lot Of pitchers and team which
win the pennant. A team whose pitchers
are going poorly hasn't a chance. and al
ways looks 500 per cent weaker than 1t
really is
Chief Bender's feat of letting the Maps
down without a hit shows cOnclusively
that the Indian is in the very best form
this spring. Bender is one Of those
his arm to win games. He has q splen-
did base ball head and resorts to STRAIT
egg as much as any pitcher in the game.
One of his tricks is to hit batsmen VINO
look dangerous. He drives them away
from the plate and. having made them
timid. resorts to his wonderful control to
fool them. But Bender, like most pitch
ers. likes to be with winner, and it is
when his team is out in front that he Will
do his best work.
No better illustration of how a pitcher
can improve in very short space OF
now with Cincinnati and formerly with
Detroit. While Tiger, Suggs was any
thing but a success and his habits were
not such as to make him desirable man,
from all accounts, SO Jennings cut him
loose He went to the minors. where
Griffith picked him up, and he has won
every game he has pitched this spring.
and is in fact the only pitcher that has
pitched in good form for the Cincinnati
aggregation.
BY Monday the major league teams
mus. cut down their playing strength to
not make any material difference to any
Of the clubs, for most Of them are below
the limit at the present time and those
that are not have made their arrange
ments to farm out such players as they
consider may improve, SO that the teams
! which need help are not going to get
much unless they take chance Of taking
some of the youngsters which are being
turned back by refusing to waive on
them.
! McAleer expects pronounced improve
! ment in the work Of his pitchers from
this out. He believes that with the
weather Of the summer variety his pitch
ers will show better form. They certainly
could not go worse. One thing that the
miserable work Of the pitchers has proven
| is that it seems to make little difference
where a team trains. On the theory that
be acclimated to local conditions when
the season opened, no southern trip was
taken, yet the Nationals start this spring
has been one Of the poorest in its history.
and yet the team had good weather at
Norfolk.
Cincinnati and Pittsburg both trained at
| Hot Springs, yet none of Cincinnati's
pitchers has been showing good form,
excepting Suggs. while most Of the
Pirates twirlers are on edge. So there
does not appear to be much in this fig
uring on certain spots to train. 1t seems
possible for ball players to get themselves
ready almost anywhere where they have
sunshine and can get in certain amount
| of work.