Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-20
FRIENDS OF THE CUBS STILL
INSIST THEY WILL COME BACK
Encouragement May Bolster Up Chances
Men and Give a Surprise to Wise
acres-Champions Slipping Back.

, thing materially wrong with the other
contending teams when the Cubs won
The sending back of Promoter F'1etch-
ers checks by Cobb. Muilin and Lajoie is
sure to prove hard blow to the scheme
to have an all-star series after the present
games are over. The players realize that
it will not help base ball to get tangled
/ up with any sort of an enterprise that is
not under the control of organized base
ball. and their action in returning the
checks is decidedly commendable.
John /. Taylor. owner of the Boston
club insists that he will not retain Pitch
er Joe Wood on his team next season and
that he Will accept any sort of trade
that is reasonable for the young phe-
nom. 1t was whispered about that there
might be a chance for Washington TO
secure a trade of Groom for Wood. but
when Manager Pat Donovan was asked
regarding the possibility of such an eX-
change he said:
No, we don't want Groom. He is a
good pitcher. but he is not as good as
Wood, and we want as good man for
Wood as he is or We won't make any
trade.
The chances are that when the next
worlds series is played the playing field
will be clear of spectators. 1t is most
likely that such rule will be passed by
the commission before the next world S
series. There has been considerable dis
satisfaction expressed with the games
that have been played because of the
presence of the crowd on the field, which
makes ii necessary to have ground rules
and limits all hits into the crowd to two
bases.
There have been few balls into the
crowd at Philadelphia that would not
have been clean hits on an open field,
but there is doubt that good outfield-
ing is impossible under the conditions.
because the players are fearful of the
crowds and do not cover as much ground
as they would if the field We're clear.
1t is the intention to limit the crowds to
the stands and to keep the outfield clear
of spectators.
Connie Mack is not apt to. pitch Bender
in the game today. He figures him his
star trump, and if he should be beaten
today he would hardly be able to come
back in the series. Hence it is not un-
likely that he will work either Plank or
Morgan, with the chances favOring the
latter because of Plank's tendency to
grow nervous under a strain. Bender
will be kept for the Friday game. Unless
Plank or Morgan wins the game they are
expected to pitch, Coombs will come back
Saturday. He is sure to pitch much bet
ter ball than he did, for his performance
Tuesday was far from being up to his
usual standard.
Barring Bender's game Washington
fans have looked at better pitching all
summer than that dished up in this
series. None of the twirlers shown has
anything on Walter Johnson. and it
would be a pleasure to see him work
in one of these games with a smart, fast
team behind him. He showed his prOwess
when he pitched for the All-Stars, in
which series he scored two victories over
the Athletics, and that without being
hit in the least.
So far the Athletics have shown them
selves convincingly superior to the Cubs
in quite all of the elements that go to
win ball games. and if they keep up their
present clip they will get the Cubs with
out any stigma of fuke attached
The victory of the White Sox over the
Cubs in 1896 has become classic as a
joke. So much has been written about
il that persons who have come into the
game in recent years cannot believe until
they see the records with their own eyes
that it ever happened. If the Cubs are to
lose to the Athletics this time they can
not go along being considered "cOnstruc-
lively" champions of the world.