The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-09-23
Cubs Say They
 Lost Pennant By
 Accidents To Men
Many of Chances Players Have Been Kept Out of Game
 by Accidents

If New York wins the National League pennant the Coogan Bluffers
 will have won the flag principally through the efforts of the entire ma chine. At the same time it must be taken into consideration that Chicago,
 the Giants most determined opponent, has been greatly handicapped by the
 number of setbackS the team has re-
 ceived during the present campaign.
 According to Chicago baseball fans,
 who have watched every move of the Windy City organization, injuries to
 Chicago players have done as much
 to rob the Cubs of a bright chance
 for the pennant this season as any
 thing.
 With the exception of Philadelphia,
 no team in the National league can
 report so many injuries as last year s
 champions. Since the start of the sea-
 son ill-luck has followed the team.
 The latest setback visited the Cubs
 during the last Brooklyn series. It
 was the crippling of Pitcher Cheney.
 The twirler broke a finger trying tQ
 stop batted ball. and since he is
 boxman of more than ordinary ability the loss is an important one. Chance
 intended to use him in the Giant se-
 ries; but it is likely that the youngster
 will be out of the game for the rest of the season
 The pitchers, however, have escaped
 injury more than the other players.
 The only ones who have complained
 are Brown and Reulback. Big Eds
 in-and-out form he attributes to an
 injury which he received some months
 ago. He injured his pelvic bone, and,
 although this has not prevented him
 from taking his regular turn on the
 mound Reulbach says that the injur-
 ed bone has interfered with his real pitching abilities. A few weeks ago Brown wrenched a cartilage in his knee. But despite that fact Brown would not take a rest; the Cubs need ed him too much. To keep himself in the game Brown tried a new way of hurling so as to relieve the pres sure from his knee. The change ne- cessitated more exertion from the arm. He is now nursing a sore arm as a result and this may interfere with his pitching the Giant series.
 The greatest blow to the Chicago team was felt when Manager Chance was forced to quit the game and man. age the team from the bench. The
 loss of Johnny Evers for nearly the whole. season also was a serious set
 back. This crippled the Cubs infield
 and for a long time the Chicago team hmped along until capable substitutes were found to take ithe two stars places. Before the season was six days old Hoffman was forced out of the game when he hurt his knee slid ! ing to a base. The accident put him
 on the bench and Chance was forced to use Kaiser, a youngster, and a weak hitter, in the outfield. For a while Kaiser played a remarkable game, but eventually sumped From time to time Zimmerman has been forced out fIv.r,x ~1, Iii, sr,sr rx1s< is one of the big stickers on Chicago s team, and when he is out his ab- sence is felt greatly.
 About the 1uckiest man on the team has been Joe Tinker, although Joe had not gone through the season without an accident, but for the amount of work he has done this year he has, been extremely fortunate. Jimmie Archer appears to have had | more misfortune than any other mem Der of the team. He has been hurt 8 number of times. On May 30 he was
 struck on the back of the neck by l a bat and this gave him an enforced
 rest. The blow affected muscle and l for a while Archer was unable to control his head. It bobbed up and | down. No sooner had he recovered | from this when he got another injury
 This kept him from behind the plate until July 4. After catching forty.
 eight games in a row Archer spli1
 a finger on Sept. 4. The next time 1 he went behind the bat was ten days later. Since then he has hurt him.
 self several times. and has been forced l to layoff for a day or two at time Kitty Bransfield, who has been witt
 the Cubs only few weeks, at present | is out with wrenched tendon in tht l leg. Chance needs Bransfield on frs to give Safer a rest. Both Shean ana l Graham also have not escaped ths jinx. When Archer was hurt recent ly Chance relied on Graham to talk. | iJmmy's place. During practice a fOu | tip put one of the former Bostonian'. | fingers out of commission So Chanc, had to use Needham. On the las | trip east Sheehan was spiked in tn, hand and had to remain idle for near l ly a week.
 Chicago fans claim all these incl dents have held the Cubs back. Hat Chicago had it's full regular team il
 the field this year Cub rooters declar, that the Windy City team would b. leading the league to-day instead o | the Giants.
 l NA TTnNA TEA HYTE