Evening journal., 1911-08-26
HARD YEAR ON
THE CATCHERS
Washington, Philadelphia and
st. Louis Suffer by In
jurieS to Players

This has been a hard year on the
backstops of the major leagues. Hard
ly team has escaped having its
catchers laid up. Some teams, notab-
ly the Nationals, the Red Sox and the
Phillies, have been hit harder than
the others, but all have suffered.
At one time, just before starting
over the Western circuit, too, Jimmy
McAleer's Nationals were reduced
to one catcher. John Henry, lad
new to the game. He went along,
doing magnificent work in the hottest
OF weather and earning encomiums
wherever he showed. Detroit fell in
love with his performances, and the
papers there touted him as better than
any backstop in the league but Oscar
Stanage, which is going some for De-
troit.
Street Out of Game Twice.
Street, the only and original ''Monu-
ment Baby" has been out twice this
season with injuries.
AT the close of the first trip to Bos-
ton, he broke his thumb and was out
Of the game for nearly month. After
rejoining the club he had to slave to
get back into shape, and. just when
he was beginning to show his oldtime
class, he broke the little finger on his
right hand stopping a wild pitch Of
Walter Johnson's in New York. Again
he had to quit, remaining away three
weeks
Two days before Street was nurt
the second time, Eddie Ainsmith, one
of the most promising youngsters IN
the big leagues, stopped Birdie
Cree's spikes with his foot over In
New York For a while he was threat
ened with either losing the use Of mis-
toes or of blood poisoning. II was at
this time that Henry was forced to do
all the backstopping for the Nationals
Just when he had his team going
along filled with pepper and ginger,
with good chances of landing the flag
I'm his league, Manager Doom, of the
Phillies stopped Rebel" Cakes with
his leg, breaking the bone. Doom
Will most likely be out of the game
for the remainder of the season and
the betting has shifted on the chances
of the Phillies 10 seize the gonfalc Icon.
Furthermore, so badly fitted with
backstops are the Dooinites that
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from the Red Sox and Hack Spencer
is taken over from the American
Association. Madden split his finger
in the first week and, with Pat Moran
sitting on the bench nursing his in
juries, Spencer had to catch all the
games. Yes, it is some tough.
Bill Carrigan. the husky and de-
pendable catcher of the Red Sox, has
been sitting on the bench most of the
season owing TO injuries. Had he been
able to play his game from the begin
ming many believe that John I. Tay-
lor's aggregation would be up IN the
race.
Roger Breshahan's Cardinals have
been the surprise of the National
League struggle and yet when he had
them up where they have a chance OF
mingling with the mazuma, he had tc
quit the game through injuries.
Ed Sweeny. the Yanks backstop, is
out Of the game now with an injured
hand. "Chief" Myers. of the Giants
George Gibson, of the Pirates; Archer
Of the Cubs. Stanage, Of the Tigers
Larry Mclean, Of the Reds; Jimmy
Stephens. Of the Browns; Billy Sulli-
van, of the White Sox, and Jack
Lapp. OF the Athletics have all been
out of the game through injuries this
year.
Indeed this has been hard year on
1.-THE backstopes.