Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-10
SPORTING COMMENT.
BY J. ED GRILLO.

In commenting on Hugh Jennings pre-
dicticn anent Walter Johnson Collier $
Weekly has the following to say:
/. Shared by many professionals is the
opinion of Hugh Jennings, expressed in
the September Metropolitan Magazine:
When he secures a little more experience
1 here predict that Johnson will go down
in history as the greatest pitcher base
ball has produced A large order. that.
but there are plenty of experts who snare
this keen enthusiasm for the Idaho youth
The pitchers who have made the greatest
names such as Mathewson and Brown In
the present or Radbourne and Clarkson
in the past, have usually been members
of strong teams often of pennant win
ners. Johnson belongs to one OF the
weakest mines in the country, and, OF
course, this makes 1t more difficult for
him to be appreciated by the public.
There are few people i'm Washington dur
ing the base ball months, and, as Jen-
nings says. you cannot have good base
ball without enthusiastic public interest :
The charge that the games here are
poorly attended and that there is no real
enthusiasm must necessarily be made by
some one absolutely unfamiliar with local
conditions
No other city in the American League
can boast of better attendance than
the local club has had this season.
to draw from are considered. There
have been innumerable occasions this
year when the local park has been IN
adequate to accommodate the CROWDS,
and so far as interest and enthusiasm
are concerned Washington supports it's
team most Loyalty. even in this respect.
Walter Johnson has no complaint
coming in this respect. He Is cheered
by patrons of the game here whenever
he appears on the field, in fact. ball
plavers receive more announcement in
Washington than in most cities.
No ball player has ever been given
a better chance 10 establish himself as
worthy of holding a regular position on
"A major league team than Wade KILL
fer and yet il seems that he has Deen
found wanting. In the face OF his rail-
ure to hit he has been kept in the game
day after day i'm the hope that he would
improve in this respect. but the unoff1-
cial averages which give him a per-
centage of ISL give silent evidence
that killifer is still too weak with the
bat to be of any material assistance.
In his effort to develop Kilifer McAleer
has undoubtedly sacrificed several Dali
games. There are other players on the
bench who could have filled the position
more satisfactorily. but McAleer wanted
to give the yOungster fair cnance,
which he has certainly done.
There was period when Killifer showed
"a flash and il seemed doubtful then IL
Cunningham the much touted. could take
his place. That doubt however, has since
been dispelled. for Ii is realized that Cum
ningham will not have to be WONDERFUL
player TO take killifers place at second.
Harry krause, who last year was one
OF the pitching sensations of the Amerf-
can League. is very apt TO cut a figure III
the worlds series, for IL appears that
krause is now being primed TO be able to
face the Cubs. He has been of little help
gives evidence of having regained his old
form, in which event he is apt to prove a
stumbling block for the Cubs. Like Babe
Adams. in the last worlds series, Krause,
who has been given little attention, may
be the real star.
Members of the Chicago Cubs are show
ing their greediness by insisting on the
promoters of the proposed ali-star tour
carrying out their contract with them IN
the face of the ruling by the national
commission that these games should not
be played.
No team is more indebted to the system
by which base ball Is made possible than
the Chicago players, for the reason that
they have shared in three worlds series
ard are about to get a part OF another.
Yet these same players would ruin the
structure by violating rules which make
II possible for them to become independ-
emily wealthy playing ball.
The selfishness Of the stand these play
that organized base ball must be care
fully safeguarded to prevent the players
from running IL.