Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-06-15
BY J. ED GRILLO.

What looked like a runaway race for
Detroit few weeks ago has now mar
rowed itself down to a nip-and-tuck strug-
gle between the Tigers and Athletics.
with the latter team still the public fla
vorite. Macks team is going better than
are his rivals, and the chances are that
it won't be long before the champions will
again be leading the race. But three
games now separate the two teams. The
Tigers will no doubt return from the east
still in first place. but the margin will be
small, and when they tackle the western
teams they may not find them as easy
as they did early in the spring. when
they gained their long lead at their ex-
pense.
Jennings trouble now is what II has
always been since the season opened
He lacks the pitchers to keep his team in
front, and it is in pitchers that Mack
team is strongest. None of the other
team appear to have chance to beat out
either of the leaders, though there is a
chance for the Chicago White Sox to fin
ish much higher than was expected This
team, when 1t becomes intact again, has
the benefit of high-grade pitching. and is
sure to play steady, winning ball from
this out. On the other hand, if the Tigers
are passed in the race their slump is very
apt to have a discouraging effect on the
team and it may drop lower in the race
than its strength warrants.
Barring the work of the three pitchers
on the Athletics, Coombs. RANK ana
Bender, there is no staff of twirlers In
either major league doing consistent
work this season. Now and then some
pitcher appears to be in his best form
only to fall down lamentably the next
1T -
walls no one seems to understand 1t
may be the ball IL may be lack or
condition, but there is no excuse for
the latter. for the reason that the course
of training taken by the players this
spring did not differ from former years.
yet the fact remains that the pitching is
not what it used to be. Some pitchers
contend that the bali now in use is
heavier than the old ball and that this
places handicap the pitching, but
that is hardly the case, for all the balls
used are weighed before they leave the
factory and there cannot be more than
a quarter of an ounce difference in their
weight.
Jimmy Callahans record probably has
no duplicate in base ball history. Cal
was hardly a youngster when he quit
Comiskey some five or six years ago,
and yet. after long a lay-off he is
back batting nearly 400 and is ninth
Callahan appear to be a flash in the
pan. He improves, in fact, as the season
progresses. When Callahan went into
training with the Sox this spring, the
move was suspected OF Being merely pre-
liminary to slipping Callahan into Duff
fy's shoes But this was a mistaken
idea Callahan went out and made good
on his own hook and is today one of the
most valua BILE outfielders i'm the American
League
Old Man Time is after Jack Johnson
and the sooner he starts out TO make hay
the better he will be off. Johnson has
long since passed the bro:ler stage. Time
hangs heavy over the head of johnson,
and the longer he stays out of the game
the less will be his chances for remain
ing at the top of the heap.
Johnson Is older, so II Is claimed, than
he is willing to admit. He is said to be
over thirty-fi and that is an age when
the down-hill time comes for fighter.
Jack had better get busy. The lot that
he can meet now looks easy and the
money can be used. Let him wait anoth
err year and one of these supposed third
raters is apt to come along and put him
away.
John I. Taylor's request for waivers on
players Wagner, Collins, Engel and CT
cote must have convinced hi mthat 9TH
er clubs think better of his players than
he does himself. Jim McAleer was not
the only one to slip into Boston to con-