Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-04-16
PUBLIC TOO QUICK TO JUDGE
Fans Do Not Fix Responsibility
Where it Belongs.
NORMAN ELBERFEID EXPLAINS
Tells How Btg Games Have Been
Lost, Not by One Man Alone,
bot by General Condi-

WARRINGTON, April 15.-"In figuring
the responsibility for a base ball defeat,
or the credit for a victory" said Norman
Elberfeld in the reminiscent moment the
general public too often overiooks the
play, or the incident, through which sue
cess or failure came. and credits or blames
some player who really should never have
had a chance to decide the result. They
don't 60 back far enough TO note how the
play should have been switched.
II was in one of the two most famous
finishes the American league has had,
playing short stop for the Highlanders in
1904. when we lost the pennant to Boston
on the closing day of the season. through
being beaten in the first number OF
double header. That game has gone into
base ball history as the one in which wild
pitch lost pennant. AS a matter Of fact.
Chesbro did toss the chances for the flag
when splitter got away from him, went
by Jack Klelnow to the stand and let Lou
Criger score from second base with the
winning run.
But we lost that Pennant three ways,
and two Of these had nothing to do with
this particular game. 1t never should have
been necessary for US TO take either game
Of this double-header to become champions.
The flag should have been won long before
LnAt. IL might nave Deen nhO hsuON bcSh
for Washington. That team, away down at
the bottom of the column. started us down
hill just when we were being hailed as the
coming champions. 1t was the old story
of a team that didn't count at all killing
the chances Of better club
History Repeats.
THE same thing happened to us again
In the fall of 1906, when after we had
given the White Sox an awful beating on
their own lot. going into the lead with
only eight more games to play, Detroit,
which finished seventh that year, took
three straight from US. and won the flag
for Fielder Jones. Last year, you will re-
call, Detroit in turn had the same sort Of
luck, when St. Louis handed It a beating
In an eight game series, through which
Jennings expected to go into the lead.
I'VE looked like all the money when we
left home 10 make the last western trip in
1904 but we had to stop In Washington for
four games. We won the first. We were
SO sure OF the rest OF them that we al
most thought Washington ought to forfeit.
SO we wouldn't have to spend three days
on work that was being thrown away but
the Nationals brought us out Of our dream.
They played observation-disclosures for
the next three days and won every game.
That was what killed our chances. 1t
started US on the toboggan. When we got
west we played some bad ball and lost
games we should have won. To make It
worse, the western managers seemed to
have II in for Griffith. We found their
best teams waiting for US, but II Boston
was following US In, some OF their stars
were taken sick the night we left; IL we
followed Boston in these stars came out
of the hospital the day we arrived.
To Place the blame.
THAT was where you must place the
blame for loss of that pennant-to our
over-oonfidence in Washington and the bad
base ball some of our men played there
and in the west OF course. we stan had
q chance on closing day. when we were
called ON to win both games from Boston.
/ never will forget that game. played
short and Conroy third. There isn't man
who was In New York uniform that day
who is now on the club and only we two
Nanonals, Pat Dougherty and Jack
KIeinow, Of Griffiths men of that day are
still in major league ball
ut came up to the ninth with the score
a tie. Both teams we're on edge, the i'm
portance OF the games and the size of the
crowd making some of the men on both
sides little nervous. BIZ Dineen, the
Boston pitcher went wild In one inning.
and walked Keller and myself, after
Kleinow, Chesbro and Dougherty had
singled and had filled the bases. There
were stin three on when Jimmy Williams
came up. II he could have met one squarely
we would have won right there, but he
chopped the ball on top, and Dineen threw
him out ending the inning. We we're in
the lead. but In the seventh LACnance and
Ferris got and q bad throw let both
score:
THE game was decided In the ninth. and
Lou Criger scored the run. He never was q
good hitter, and Chesbro was at his best
then 1t was just our luck to have Criger
hit on top OF a splitter dropping q weak
grounder ON the infeld. Ordinarily that Is
what you want to sea But this one rolled
slowly and to SO short q distance infield
that It couldn't be reached In time for
play. Criger was safe. Dineen sacrificed.
Then, with Selbach up. CHESHIRE hit the
earth with splitter that got away from
him. The ball went by Kleinow and Criger
was all the way homo before the catcher
could get the ball back. We tried hard for
b a run In our half. but Il was no use. And
that's how the pennant was lost on the
last day OF the season that should have
been~~won long before"
NABY WILL ROW EIGHT RACES