Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-03
BY J. ED aRILLo.

Just how little it sometimes requires to
make winning team out Of loser is
once more illustrated by the brilliant
showing the St. Louis team of the Ma
tional League is making. From team
which appeared to be hopelessly rele-
gated to the second division last season,
the Cardinals are today contenders for
the National League pennant. and all
this without any material change having
been made in the teams lineup.
Barring the changes in the pitching de-
partment, where several youngsters have
taken the place Of veterans. Bresnahan'
team is virtually the same as it was last
year. But several of the youngsters have
in the meantime developed into stars. and
this has made a wonderful change in the
strength of the team.
Some of the best players on the Car
dinal outfit are castoffs from other clubs.
Higgins, Mowrey, Cakes and others were
let go by other major league clubs be-
cause they were believed to lack class
and yet are playing marvellous ball this
season
The showing of this team is much like
that of the Baltimore team in 1894. Neo
Hanlon had q tailender the year before,
but by making several trades, which
brought MIN Keller, Jennings and KEEL
lev. that team won the pennant the fol-
lowing year and for two years thereafter:
Hanlon's team was virtually changed
from a calender to a pennant winner
overnight and. while no claims for the
flag are being made for st. Louis. thai
team has shown enough already to war
rant the prediction that 1t will need
watching for the remainder of the race.
For several years Bresnahan tried to
build up a team with veterans that other
but he soon found that this system was
not satisfactory and he began to shove
youngsters into the various positions
There was no improvement for a time
but eventually these players developed
with the result that he has winner now
In fact, about every successful team in
both major leagues has been built up in
this way. Young ball players cannot be
expected to set things afire the first year
in. Few of them do that, but II given
time many of them develop into valuable
men. There Is always chance for a
youngster to improve. which is not the
case with players who have been in
the game ten years or more
If McAleer had a formidable pitching
staff his team would win lot of games
from now out 1t Is in twirlers that the
Nationals show the greatest weakness.
Nor is the staff composed of the kind
of material that can be figured to i'm
parent to every one that the clubs eff
forts to strengthen should be directed
toward getting new material for twfrling
purposes. There are perhaps two or three
men on the present staff who can hold
their own. but this is not enough to carry
a team through campaign. McAleer
needs a lot of youngsters whom he can
afford to carry along for while in the
hope that they will develop. No team
can win unless it has pitching, and there
have been but few occasions this year
when the local twirlers have done con-
sistent work.
If the Athletics can win without Eddie
Collins in the lineup there will hardly
be any doubt about which team will wiz
the American League pennant Optimis-
tic critics in Philadelphia pretend to be-
lieve that Derrick can fill the position
satisfactorily. but they would n5t be of
that opinion If thev had seen this young
ster perform in Saturdays game. Der
rick is a green hand at the best and he
showed siens of being at his worst a,
second base. Collins Is invaluable to his
team It IS not only his individual per
Torrance. but lie Is aggressive and helps
much by coaching that infield. But 1t Is
doubtful II Mack will play Derrick. The
chances are that he will bring Davis
back to first and use McInnes at second
or short and shift Barry 10 second.
Manager Frank Chance of the Chicago
National Leae ue club expressed a senti-
ment worthy of some consideration wher
in filing his protest over tie decisions OF
Tmpires Doyle and Klein in the morninR
game Of May 70 at PlttsburR he wrote
President Lynch: "Ump'res should be in.
structed to learn the rules instead Of In.
structed to put PLAYERS out of bal
games" II is iust possible that so much
stress has been laid by the pres'den OF
some leagues on the necessity Of curbina
the player that an occasional umpire
without the qualities OF mind necessary to
give him a true insight into his ONCE. has
concluded that the chief purpose for
which be has been clothed with authority
is to look for signs of Characterization"
That seemed to he the particular fault
OF Umpire Jack Doyle. 1t is possible
that HIS ignorance OF the rules would
have been ccndoned. even had he shown
a different disposition toward players.
No doubt in the old days of the game,
when players were drawn from an ele-
ment different from that Of today. It
was necessary to rule with an ircn hand: