Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-23
BY J. ED GRILLO.

Our ball team has about reached the
pitifu stage. OF the fifteen games which
the Nationals have played in the west ON
the present trip twelve have been de-
feats and three victories. When the
team broke even in Chicago a fter winning
one of the seven games it played In De
troit and Cleveland 1t was but natural
to suppose that it would make up some
lost ground when il tackled the tail-end
team in St Louis. Instead. however, IL
has lost three straight to the Browns
and it is by no means certain that they
won't duplicate their experience of their
first trip west, when it lost every one
Of four games to ST. Louis.
Washington has had a lot of poor ball
teams. but ii is decidedly question: bic If
there has ever been one which has proven
as great a disappointment the present
one. After making what was termed a
fairly good showing during the season Of
1910, there seemed to be reason for at
least hoping that the present campaign
would find the team doing as we'll If not
a Whole lot better. But IT'S showing
has been miserable, to say the least Not
only has there been and is there today a
lack of playing strength, but 1t is ques-
tionaole if the club is getting what 1t
should from the team it has. There
probably induced by the fact that many
of the players have worn the local uni
form too long. This thing of playing on
a losing team for a couple of seasons
is the greatest kind OF handicap to
ball player. Lstlessness takes the
place Of discoura cement and it fmaily
gets down to a situation where the play
CT does everything TO protect himself and
cares little what the outcome of the con-
ties: may be.
On its showing in the present campaign
to date St Louis is conceded to have
the worst ball team in the league. and
yet of the ten games which St Louis
has played against the Nationals it has
won seven. This showing might be used
as al argument to substantiate the claim
that ST Louis outclasseS Washington.
1t must be evident to every one by this
time that the team as now made UP cam
not possibly finish higher than 1t Is today
if it does not eventually fall to the bot
tom of the race. If Washington Is to oc-
cupy a higher berth in the American
League in the future 1t is high time that
efforts be made in that direction. The re-
construction of the Nationals should be
going on now. but it is not. With more
than half of the present season over 1t
seems TO have been plainly demonstrated
that the present team is outclassed.
Judicial application of strategy may be
then with the present aggregation, but
with it's lack Of strength very apparent 1t
would seem that more strenuous efforts
to strengthen it should be made immedi-
ately.
In base ball way Washington has never
cut a serious figure since this city has
been represented in the American League,
but the fact that the local club can now
boast of having modern base ball plant.
something that has been lacking here for
years. at least shows progress in
one respect. The new ball park
which is now under construction
while it will not be entirely
completed when the Nationals return
here Tuesday will undoubtedly be one of
the finest plants of the kind that the
game can point to. The work that has
been done since the team last appeared
here is nothing short OF remarkable. Even
now without the finishing touches being
nut on the plant it will compare favor
ably with any ball park in the country.
There are several much larger, but none
prettier, and when the concrete wall is
placed around the Enclosure il Is safe to
say that the Washington ball park will be
one OF the imposing structures in the
country.
Local patrons of the game viii be sur
prised with the changes that have taken
place on the local grounds since the team
left here a little over three weeks ago.
The diamond has been shifted. while the
stands have all been covered and the
double decker in the grandstand will be
ready for occupancy. Next Tuesday VIII
be the first time In the history Of base