The Alaska citizen., 1912-07-08
By Hugh s. Fullerton.

By Hugh s. Fullerton.
 With the baseball season less than two months old, the National league race seems to he over, and the American league race just hegn- ming Cincinnatti, heating the bar. rier and racing out in front for a time, has exploded. and New York, one of the worst teams that ever won pennant, Is more than likely to repeat, and win again, not on its own strength but on the weakness 0! it's rival
 The White Sox, a spotty team carried forward by good pitching and their wonderful fighting spirit, still hang on, but the strong teams are coming and eventually the Sox will be crowded back into the bunch and forced to battle for hold among the first three. Rnt the White SoX are not going to sur render the advantage they have gained without a struggle.
 l do not belive that I have ever seep a team so inspired by cOnfi- dence, by behei in themselves and in each other as the White Sox are They know, every man of them, that there are al itast two stronger teams than they are in the American league, but they have met and teaten these teams and are confident they can du II again and it is going to take q lot to convince them that they are not the cocks of the walk The nrst task of the American ieagne teams that aspire to the pennant is to convince the Sox that they can be beaten and once convinced. they will not be so hard 10 beat.
 Before the season started. ] fig ured the Sox a strong contender for third place. possible second, but didn't give tHem chance to be first The wondertui shQwing against every ciut in the league puzzled me and worried me some what to see wherein the calcula- tions were off l went out to watch and study them and got as far away from all interested persons as pos sible and watched the uen work. both in practice and fin actual play. It was evident at the first glance why they have been winning. They are inspired they are working to- gether and they are forcing their luck ana tigbting for every point.
 The desperate methods they re- sort to against the umptres are rather d shock 10 me. Fielder Jones used to kick whenever there was a legitimate chance to kick, but the sox under Callahan and Gleason are using sIcGraw's tactics and claiming everything in sight and some things that anyone un- pretudiced has t0 pat on goggles to see. They are fightln umpires from the minute the game starts un, til it ends. claiming ever decision, protesting every point - and from what ! saw Of them they are get ting away With 2 lot of it
 In the two games in which studied them closely, they took just seven unnecessary and reckless chances, got away with five or them, lost two, and in each of those two cases howied like madmen because the umpires would ngt give them the decisions.
 ] would like to see the White Sox win the American league pennant, but if they win 1t that way there would be bitter taste to the sweets of victory. The fact Is, in spite of their remarkable showing the White SOx are not deserving of the penuaQt and l believe when the other teams shape up into their proper playing form they will slip back quickly and it will require all Callahans brains and resourceful- ness to keep them ID in the fight. The Athletics have started to climb.
 One week of hot weather started the teams to sproutipg into true form and the veteran pitchers of both major leagues commenced to show their ability. Reubach and Brown for Chicago's clubs. Matthew son for the Giants. Bender and Coombs for the Athletics, Ford for the Highlanders. suddenly showed ability and began to teach the young fellows who have thus far been set ting the league afire how to take a joke Also the Highlanders and the St Louis Cardinals, who have been in the doldrums ever since the sea son opened, flashed form and began pulling up. The Cardinals smash ed the Reds and exposed the vital