The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-10-31
Waterloo, the Pennant Winner
low BoyIe's Team Won Three Staights from Burling
ton and COPIED the Iowa League Bunting IN 1907.

League bunting IN wv.
decide the pennant winner. Each had
but one club to meet after that time
and a clean sweep of the crucial SER
les meant practical cinch on the
championship.
Both were in magnificent form
and going at top speed with the
players keyed up to the highest point
In anticipation of the struggle On
the day of the initial game when
Egan took his club to Waterloo, ac-
companied by hundreds of Burlington
fans, the percentage column showed
Burlington's standing at 61S with
Waterloo at SIT, one point removed.
1t was evident that Egan would
rely on Slapnicka, now with the Cubs,
'Hetty" Green and Mcmillan for the
slab work, while it was equally GER
tain that Boyle would pin his hopes to
Hollenbeck, Casper and Harmon, his
! trio of first string pitchers.
! Egan and Rose and Bruggeman for
backstops; Babe Towne, now manager
/, of the Sioux City club, and in the
year previous to that member of
!, the worlds champion White Sox, at
first base; Donovan at second base;
4 Spencer, secured from Cedar Rapids,
J at third; Berg at shortstop; Daley,
!, sold to Cincinnati the same year, in
!, left field; House, the Indian, in CEN
{ ter, and Kennedy in right.
Boyle had Lizzette and Searles as
: catchers; George Clark, now a West
Ell league umpire, at first base; Lee
Magee, at the present time utility
infielder for the st. Louis Cardinals,
!, at second; George Pennington at
: third; Joe Wilkes at shortstop; Cruik-
, shank, now with Seattle, in right
, field; Curtis in center, and Shour in
! left.
Rooters Show Excitement.
Excitement In Waterloo was at the
boiling point as the hour for the game
approached. Stores were closed and
business suspended generally during
the time OF the game Citizens equip
ped themselves with every noise max
ing device extant and made their
way to the grounds to root for the
home team. The town was baseball
mad and no one seemed to care. Burl
ington also was well represented in
the crowded stands.
Ira Harmon, then at the zenith Of
, his career as a pitcher and whose
, , wonderful work was in large measure
responsible for the high standing Of
the club, was Boyle's choice for the
slab in the initial game and pittet
: against him was Slapnicka, Egan's
:, choice.
The Burlington players were retired
: in order in the first inning and Water
!, loo, in its half, fell upon Slapnicka''
: slants and hammered them to every
corner of the field, scoring four runs
before he was relieved by Mcmillan
In all Waterloo garnered II hits ant
II runs.
Harmon, in the meantime, was per
L forming in marvellous style Save TO
four passes issued his work was per
l. feet until the ninth, not single hi
e having been made until Babe Towne
II with two out in that session, poled GU
T. a double that accomplished nothin,
G save the marring of near no hi
g. to a score.
1t Waterloo Assumes Lead.
The positions of the two clubs nov
were reversed, Waterloo assuming tn,
y lead which 1t never again relinquishet
io during the season. Interest in TIL
&c series now reached the acute poin
!" throughout the circuit and in othe
~ cities where games were schedule,
u the teams merely went through tn
motions of playing while they watche
r the progress of the struggle for tn
u leadership.
= Excitement in Waterloo had reache
a frenzied condition. Men who ha
= never before given baseball more tina
:. passing attention, aroused by th
:. making devices and enlisted as roo
: CTS for the home team.
Egan, Foxy Ned" as he is know
u in his own circuit, had figured thu
Boyle would use Harmon, his sta
hurler, in the first game, and rattle
= than pit his own best bet" Greer
u against him in what seemed a forlor
IL hope, he chose lesser light and trus
T ed to luck to win preferring to save hi
u trump card for another time.
e 1t seemed like good generalship a
no team in the league had been abb
u to hit Harmon with any degree of COZ
sistency. With one game gone agains
n him, however, and Waterloo in tn
7 lead the next game would PRACTICAL
% decide the championship If he los
II there was little hope, but IL the gam
n was won the two clubs were on eve
footing again.
Green, Egan's Choice.
"Hetty" Green was the nature
n. choice. and there never was game
ls pitcher in shoe leather. He had pitcl
Id ed sensational ball throughout tn
ar year and Harmon was the only on