The Washington herald., 1911-06-25
By WILLIAM PEET.


The Nationals have Just finished an
other disastrous week. dropping every
game played to New York and the Phil
adeIphia Athletics.
Disastrous weeks are very much the
fashion these days, and the long-looked-
for change for the better is still appar-
emily long ways of.
Grantland Rice. the baseball expert
of the New York Mail, seems to hit the
nail on the head in the following edi-
toriaf:
It's a queer proposition that the
Nations Capital and one Of the best
baseball cities between Frisco and Ber-
sheba must stand doomed every year
as a second division proposition, dis
mantled and outclassed before MAJ
blossoms start to fade and fall.
And yet, with changing owners and
changing managers, the thrush Of new
talent in shifting tides, the luckless Ma
tionals crack and break, fight for a week
or two perhaps, and then rush madly
to a hand-and-hand encounter with the
Browns for last place on the job.
In Owner Noyes they have liberal
angel" who is apparently willing to
take a chance.
In Jimmy McAIeer they have a we'll
balanced, veteran manager, who knows
the game.
They have one OF the great outfielders
of the game in Clyde Milan: one of the
greatest Of all pitchers in Walter john
son, and two of the best American
League catchers in Street and Ainsmith.
But the answer never changes.
Shifts to VIM
When the old order had failed new tao
tics were tried. In place of a veteran
manager Jake Stahl was put in charge
to insert the needed pepper and Ambition
that youth is supposed to bring.
Even the old cog. of Senators was
wiped away to remove every vestige of
former days
stahl failed, and Joe Cantillon, scrap
py, rugged leader of men. with fine judS-
ment for talent, was given his chance.
But without avail.
Then came McAleer, and James has
dropped back with the rest. Not only
must Washington fanatics miss a pen
nant-contending team-or with at least a
chance for part of the year-but within
six weeks Of the seasons start only a
brief glance at the standing Of the Cluhs
is necessary to show that seventh pla1e
is the only spot left for the weary Ma
tionals to sit down and rest.
Same Old story.
Year by year it's the same old story.
Owners, managers, and players come and
go-fanatics grow up and die, to give
way to new fanatics. but amid the shift
ing changes wrought by time Washing
toms place in the standing of the cluos
is eternally the same, to all intents and
purposes.
Why is II so?
Well, IL we had the answer we could
probably draw down about ten thousand
per as president or manager Of the
Washington club.
All that expert testimony can show,
despite Ter Streets, Milans. Ainsmiths,
Johnsons, &C, is that Washington can't
win.
Cincinnati and Cleveland, two other
haunted centers OF the game. are almost
as bad. but unlike Washington about
once out of every ten years they figure
somewhere in the hunt and are followed
into town by headlines announcing
Hard Series Ahead for the -"
Even Brooklyn mas won her pennants
and the Boston Nationals may still cling
to the moth-eaten glory of a day that
was-but Washington is the mule" of
the league, to whom there is neither
hope of posterity nor pride in ancestry"
Like the immortal Burns, somewhat,
the Capital City might arise and chant:
Ach-thou are blest compared with me
The present only toucheth thee,
But backward now cast my ee
On prospects drear-
And forward though / cannot see,
guess and fear.
Unlike the bonny Scot, however, the
Capital City doesn't have to look for
ward with a guess. There's no guess
about it. In looking forward it can see
its own finish forty leagues away.
Before the Nationals take to the road
again they will play three games here
against the Philadelphia Athletics next
Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Aft
er which they visit all their rivals and
do not put in an appearance at home
until July "a.
President Tim Murnane. of the New
England League. the most highly moral
man in baseball. got a wallop yester-
day that was unexpected. On pro-
test he had thrown out game between
Lynn and Lowell In Lowell on Decora-
ton Day morning. Last night the
league directors had a meeting and re-
versed Timothy, giving the game to
Lynn.
The Detroit Times of Friday has
the following TO say of Pitcher Ed
Laftte. Everything considered. Ed
Laftte must now be considered the
leading find of the big batch OF classy
new pitchers unearthed by the Tiger
this spring.
Ed hastreally pitched but one bad
game OF ball since he joined-the team,
and in this one his mites still believe
that the foe had the signs In advance
and knew Just what Ed was to pitch.
Yesterday the Georgian gave a fine
exhibition of great work In the pinches.
He had good speed, a beautiful curve.
and trotteG out a spit ball for third
strikes. that had the Maps lashed to
the mast. But for his control, he would
probably have held the foe to one or
two runs. As 1t was. Umpire Dineen
was really more to blame than Laf'tte
for the fact that the Detroit hurler
was SO often compelled to lay the ball
byer to the Napoleonic batsmen.
There is no intention here to rub Il
into the Rentleman1y uup in any spfte-