Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-11
BY ]. ED GRILLO.

After Johnson's lucky victory over the
Athletics Saturday attention was called
in these columns to the fact that the
Nationals star pitcher was far from be-
ing in his usual good form. This was
proven by his performance in Chicago
yesterday. when he was forced to go to
the bench before the first inning was
completed.
Johnson is far from being a we'll man.
He has been under a physicians care for
the past three weeks. and while his all
ment is not serious enough to keep him
out of the game, a rest would be advis-
able were it not for the fact that Nc
Aleer's pitching staff is in such poor con-
dition just now that he Is virtually
forced to use johnson. 1t will be weeks
before johnson regains his old form. Just
now he lacks that speed which made him
the hardest pitcher in the league to hit.
and until he RECEIVERS that he will vfr-
tually be useless. for without his great
speed Johnson becomes a very ordinary
pitcher.
johnson has been anxious to go home
for a week or two, but this privilege has
been refused him by McAleer. who, be-
cause of the weakness Of his pitchers,
cannot see his way clear to part with
whom he expects to come around
most every day.
1t is the old hard-luck story over again.
When the Nationals pitchers were going
good enough to win their games the hit
ting was lamentably weak. Now that the
pitchers are all out of form the hitting
has greatly improved, but the runs re-
sulting from this are being wasted be-
cause the opposing teams are finding the
Nationals pitchers the easiest kind. Any
thing like good pitching would have won
yesterdays game in canter. Six runs
ly make in a ball game, yet they were
wasted yesterday.
1t is not often that a player changes
his style of batting and but seldom that
it helps him any If he does. There are
exceptions to this rule, however, and
Jack Lelivelt appears to be one Of them
Jack changed his style at the plate, and
the result has been most encouraging
Believing that there was good reason for
Sam Crawford's wonderful prowess at
the bat, Jack copied his style. standing
with his feet apart and doing all his
swinging with his arms. This. he claims.
makes it possible for him to follow the
ball perfectly. and his hitting shows that
he ReS neen ans we Not AGAINST Hny e
handlers. whom he formerly could not
touch. but he is a most dangerous man
against right handlers, and with any
thing like a good break should lead his
team with the stick this year, for he is
beyond doubt the most natural batter on
the team.
There is no longer any doubt about the
ball now in use by the major leagues
having been changed so as to make 1t
that have been made this spring are not
an accident. There is a reason for this,
and it is unquestionably the ball.
The clamor for more hitting has I'M
brought this about. but the
suggestion that 1t is only the American
League ball which has had rubber added
Is not borne out by conditions in the old
league. where home runs are even more
frequent than in the American League
The balls used by the two leagues are
Identical so far as the material used in
making them Is concerned, they are made
by the same firm. the only distinction
being that one has q blue seam while the
other has a red. If the balls have been
made livelier, and they undoubtedly have.
both are the same, and this accounts for
he remarkable gain in batting which the
,wO big leagues have made this spring,
That the time is not far Off when the
will be installed in every
race track and the bOokmaker entirely
eliminated Is assured. In the first place
there is not the prejudice against this
machine that there Is against the book
makers. because the machine absolutely
eliminates all collision and plugging. But
what Is more important the race tracks
get better profits out of the pari-mutuels
han they did under the old system OF
the bookmakeys 500 per day
'or the privilege OF doing business. This
vas illustrated at Lexington last Satur-
lay.
None of the meetings there ever drew
more than five or six bookmakers. but
the machines installed there handled
enough money Saturday to make $1,000
FOR the track which would be the eQuiva-
lent of having thirty books in line. At
Pimlico, where but a few machines have
been installed to give them trial. 1t Ia
found that they pay the track better
han do the bookmakers, and the chances
are that when the next meeting is held
at Pimlico that mutuels will have taken
the place Of the old system OF betting.
But few of the star pitchers OF the
major leagues are showing the form
which made them famous In years gone
h. Nathewson started poorly, but seems