Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-14
NATIONALS WORK
AROUSES INTEREST
Continued from First Page.)

field during the closing games in the
new material OF course. if the fight for
fifth place. is still on then, nothing will
be done to weaken the team, for Nc
Aleer is more anxious than any one else
to finish at the head OF the second
division.
Ball players who have cost fabulous
prices to get them from the minor leagues
have never set any Of the major leagues
on fire. while on the other hand some
of the games greatest stars are players
who came unheralded from the small
leagues and cost the major league club
to get them little or nothing.
Take Ty Cobb, for instance. He was
pickup. costing the Detroit club a mere
500. He was not touted as marvel
and, in fact. no one heard Of him until
he attracted attention to himself by rea-
son of his work.
cost the Washington club was the ex
pense Of sending Cliff Blankenship to
Wetser, Idaho. to bring him here.
There has been a lot of rot printed
about how Blankenship discovered John
son. when the truth OF the matter is
Blankenship merely did messenger boy
services when he brought Johnson here.
A friend of Cantillon had written him
about johnson and Blankenship was told
to induce him to come here. as he was
enshfp did not even see johnson pitch at
Weiser.
But to get back to the original subject
Biackbhrne was the one player touted
last year. and when the Chicago club
paid an enormous price for his release
Blackburne jumped into fame. He has
not made good, however.
Marquard was another of the same
type, and this year Connie Mack insists
that he paid $4,000 for Lefty Russell.
Russell looks like a good pitcher in the
Eastern League, but that is not assurance
that he will make good In this company.
1t is impossible to judge ball PLAYERS
value by the price his release brings
from some major league club.
In its selection Of the two strongest
teams that could be gathered from the
two major leagues. Golfers Weekly
picks Walter Johnson on one and
Christy Mathewson on the other.
son out of consideration when an all
star ball team is picked. He is UNI
doubleday the most sensational performer
in the game today, for the reason that
he can record three strike-outs in row
in pinch without resorting to the use
of anything but his fast ball. The aver
age pitchers fast ball would be slaugh-
tered If he did not mix it up with curve
and change of pace. 1t is because the
batter can't tell what is coming next
With Johnson it is different. The bats
man can be told that three fast balls
are to be pitched over the plate to him,
and then it is an even chance almost
that he will strike out.
The ball club which has for nucleus
a strong pitching staff stands a much
better chance Of turning its team from
a loser into winner than one which is
well balanced in every department, but
lacks twirling strength.
Pitching alone won't win pennants, but
when you have twirlers who can hold
the opposition down, all that Is neces-
sary is to get an aggregation winch
will score an average number or runs
per game to make it winner.
Connie Mack's team in 1908 was a
failure, and yet Mack had virtually the
same pitchers then that he has now.
But he was weak In other departments,
and just as soon as he got these strength
ened his team began to win.
But the credit for the Athletics show
ing this year is due largely to the excel
lent work of the twir1ers. There has
been consistency about the pitching
on that team that was sure to land 1t
high in the race IL the team could score
an average number of runs. 1t is this
same pitching staff which gives the Ath-
letics grand chance in the worlds senes,
regardless of whether it Is the CUBS or
the Pirates who win the worlds series.
ASIDE Tic sdlIiSS tAot Law
Adams pitched in the world series there
was no high-class twirling last 1ait
though in one game George Muliln
showed up well. Mack's twirlers are
sure to give better account of them
selves, for present indications are that
they will not be under a strain down to
the very finish.
Unless the Athletics take a decided
slump they should win the American
League spennant hands down. This Will
give Mack a chance to rest up his best
pitchers, so that they will be in their
very best form when they tackle the Ma
tional League champions.
Had it not been for the uneXplalnable
slump the Pittsburg team took early IN
the season it would now be so far In
front of it's own nearest rival that the
race would virtually be over. 1t TOOK
that team just about half a season to get
going, and, while it has come with
rush, it has a hard task before it to beat,
out the Cubs. At this stage of the race
a fifty-point lead is hard to overcome
when it is held by team as classy as the
Cubs, and yet that can be accomplished.
The Cubs have not encountered any
serious slumps as yet, and it seems to be
necessary for every team to have an on
period at some stage of the game. II
NAV be that the Cubs will have theirs
late, when 1t will be impossible to recu-
perate, in which event the Pirates are
very apt to pass to the front, and once
there it will be no easy matter to dis
lodge them.