Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-13
Special Dispatch to The Star.

night. He was confined to his bed and
under the care of q doctor at the Great
Northern Hotel, with a fever that was up
as high as 1O5 degrees at one time. James
McAleer is worried over the outcome OF
the big slabmans illness. which may re-
suit in Johnson's absence from the game
for a week or more. The malaria That
got into his system in the south. coupled
with bad cold, has forced the Idaho won
der to his bed. With Hughes out OF COM
mission and Walker also suffering with a
sore arm. the Washington team is in a
very bad way. The injury that Ainsmith
suffered in the first game here left Nc
Aleer with only one catcher. and henry
had a very narrow escape from serious
injury yesterday, when he was hit by a
foul tip and laid out for several minutes
on the ground.
If Henry had been put out of commits
sion McAleer would have been forced to
skirmish around and pick up a local man
or to send for Street to join thte team
here instead of in Cleveland next week.
however, Henry escaped
with only slight hurt.
McAleer is keeping a sharp lookout for
new pitchers The dilapidated condition
of his staff makes it necessary for him to
get some help from some source or other
soon, or suffer many more defeats on the
present trip. None Of the other clubs In
the league seems anxious to get rid OF
any pitchers. so Manager James Is look
ing over the minor league field.
X * x
The final clash between the Sox and
Nationals will take place today at the
South Side Park, and the Nationals will
leave for st. Louis to take up the battle
with 1.-THE Browns. while the Athletics
come here to engage the White Sox. The
coming of the worlds champions tomor-
row will bring out another record-break-
ing crowd If the weather keeps
clear. The advance sale for the opening
clash with the champions is now much
when the crowd was the largest ever In
the park.
The fact that 1t was ladies' day at
Comiskey Park yesterday was blamed
by the White Sox for their defeat. For
some reason or another the locals have
been hoodoOed when ladies were admit
ted free to the games in the past. and 1t
seems that the hoodoo is working again
this year
The big stand was half filled with
women yesterday and all OF them left
ing their favorites received and each one
was blaming herself for being the hoodoo.
LANCE will likely be the man that will
have the chance to do the pitching for
the Sox in the game today. and Bill Otey
may be sent in to oppose him. There Is
a chance that Walker may be able to
work. but his arm was pretty sore yester-
day when he tried it out and he did not
look as if he would be ready for battle
today. ..--~z..---
Andy Mcconnell turned his ankle when
s- i1xnA Art4 Az "A
after Elberfeld's fly in the eighth and for
a while 1t looked as If he would be out of
the game for some time.
He thought that the ankle was much
worse than 1t was and some OF his team
mates started to carry him back to the
bench, but he wanted to try out the
foot and was let down on the ground
and found that it was not as bad as he
first thought, so he limped back with the
aid of Trainer Buckner to the bench.
i X X
The Waseda University team of japan
watched the contest at the big park and
enjoyed the game very much. The yell
low perils were escorted through the pal
ace after the game by President ONeil
of the Western League. They spent quite
a while in the sumptuous ONCE Of Presi-
dent Comiskey and looked over all the
adorFed the walls. They showed that
they were wise to all the famous players
of the past.
President Comiskey was absent in New
York, or he would undoubtedly have had
a long visit with the little fellows and
game in big league style.
The use Of the cork-centered ball by
big leagues this year has changed the
game of base ball more than anything
that has come up since the adoption Of
the foul strike rule several years ago.
Because of the lively ball the batting has
increased in every game through the sea-
son, and the long hits that are being
made daily are giving the game so much
more life that the fans are enjoying the
contests more than they have ever en-
5oyed them since the sport became ma
uonal pastime. The team that has poor
pitchers now suffers more than it ever
has, for the batters are able to drive the
ball SO much faster that the infielders
are unable to cover as much territory as
they used to. Instead of trying to find
some way to increase batting, now the
question is how to reduce some Of the
hitting. Last winter some of the base
ball men were agitating the problem OF
getting more hits. but they did not realize
that with the adoption last summer OF the
new ball the game had been livened
up a hundred per cent. The ball last year
was not as perfect as it is this year. and
many Of the spheres had to be thrown
out after being hit once or twice, because
they got lopsided. There has been no
of defective balls. for the manufacturers
have solved the problem Of making the
ball perfect, but much fvelier.
The manufacturers have changed the
game where the rule makers were power
less to do so. The two big leagues are
working under an agreement that no
ho do in tka r,y1A Oft he
game IL the joint rules committee does
not agree OH the change
Scores of suggestions have been made in
the last two years to the rule makers.
but no new rules have been adopted be-
cause one league or the other was OPP
posed to each suggestion. BY simply
making a slight change In the material
used in the manufacture of the balls the
manufacturers have done what 1t was
impossible to do by way Of rules
The present series between the White
Sox and the Senators is a good example
of the way the lively ball has changed
the game.
Terrific hitting has been the case in
each of the three games played. More
home runs have been madealready in the
series here than were made all of last
season at Comiskey Park.
Every day two or three triples and sew
eral two-baggers are made by player:
who seldom got anything better than q
single last summer. Good pitchers viii
be scarce after this. according to the
statements Of the past, for a ball that /,
hit no harder now than it used to be viii
travel nearly twice as far and go for q
hit nearly twice as often.
The game will be much more uncertain
also, because any batter is likely to slam
out a long hit that will score a run OF
two at any time. while before that sam,
player was lucky to get a single.
Fast outffelders will be at a premium