The Washington herald., 1912-07-31

detroit from start to finish, and
were rewarded with a ninth-innlng
victory.
Connie Mack Worried.
Connie Mack is plainly worried While
the crafty manager Of the two-time
worlds champions will not admit that
his team is out Of the 1872 race, yet the
players themselves have lost all hope.
Jack Barry said: Boston has too big a
lead. / am afraid We will never catch
them. II We don't win the flag. I hope
Washington does" showing that the
young man bears no animosity toward
Griffs Climbers. Barry is about the only
lone, however, for the other members OF
the Quaker City gang still hold the Ma
tionaIs in contempt, looking upon them
as upstarts. and refusing to hand out
credit where credit is due.
Connie Mack and his players, TO man.
deny that the Philadelphia club ever
lcomplained to Ban johnson about Gandn
trying to spike Collins the last time the
teams met in Washington. Yet the fact
remains that somebody did complain, for
Gandil received a letter from the league
president warning him against future
attempts to deliberately lay up an op-
posing player. This all happened several
weeks ago. Gandil turned the letter over
to Griffith. and ever since the epistle
was received, Griff has been trying to
find out who wrote to johnson.
Climbers Work Hard.
For two solid hours this morning Griff
had the Climbers working at top speed
on the Detroit ball park diamond. Joe
EngeI, Musser, and Nick Altrock pitched
to the batters, and the fielding practice
was unusually stin.
When the big scoreboard at Navin
Field this afternoon showed Chicago a
winner over Boston Griff and his players
shook hands all around, and the Old Fox
cried. We'll get EN- yet Just as 1 said
We would"
The Nationals are now only six full
games behind the Red Sox, a clean gain
of one game during the hrst western
encounter The Climbers grabbed all
four from Cleveland, Boston won three
out of four from Chicago. and the best
the Athletics could do against the Tigers
was to split even
From Chicago the Red Sox go to st.
Louis while the Nationals face the
Tigers Griff figures that st. Louis will
win at least one from the league leaders.
and does not see how Detroit can stop his
scrapping youngsters from coming across
with a clean sweep.
CashtOn TO f1tcn.
Edgar willett will undoubtedly start
the game in the box for Detroit to-day,
and II would not be surprising If Grin
pitched Jay Carl Cashion, as the big boy
needs a lot of work, and a little long rest
would not hurt Groom or Tom Hughes.
As The Washington Herald stated re-
Gently, John Henry may never catch an
other game for the Nationals. Grif re-
ceived a telegram from Henry this morn
ing in which the collegian stated that his
knee was meniing very slowly, and that
he was hardly in shape to work. 1t Is
doubtful II Henry joins the club until 1t
returns from the present Western trip.
Griff is greatly worried over Henry's
condition. The collegian is confined TO
the house at his home in Amherst, Mass,
and Grin wired him not to report until
he felt able to go behind the bat.
Comedians in Form.
Detroit papers have been carrying each
day this week long stories about the
Schaefer- -Altrock coaching combination.
and II 1t is pleasant tomorrow the ball
park will be packed to overfiowtng.
Whether or not the Comedians will be
allowed to get away with their scream
ing pantomime and two-ring circus de-
pends upon the umpires. Connolly and
Hart worked here to-day. but Evans and
westervelt may show up tomorrow. AT
any rate, both the comedians are primed
for their laugh-producing stunts.
II the Nationals capture the pennant
this season a whole lot OF credit will
have to be given Schaefer and Altrock.
The coaching of Schaefer on the last
Western whirl helped a lot Of ball
games, and now with Nick Altrock as
side partner the good work is sure to
continue. In addition to furnishing fun
for the fans and distracting the players
on the opposing team with their foolish |
astics, Schaefer and Altrock are the life |
of the Nationals in practice
They keep the players amused: they |
keep the players in bouyant spirits. 1t is
easy to get work out of a crew of happy |
athletes, and nobody realizes that better |
than Clark Griffith, and he enters into |
the spirit Of the comedy game like a |
good fellow.
Laughed to Victory.
1t can be truthfully said that IL the |
Washington Club lands the bunting they |
will have laughed their way to victory. |
The trip from Cleveland by boat last |
night was uneventfuL Most of the play
ers sat around the main saloon and dis |
cussed the harness races at North Ran
dali 1t seems that somebody tipped off |
a horse named Pee Wee as a good thing, |
and the majority Of the boys did a little |
plunging. They are sorry now, for Pee |
Wee failed to breeze home a winner.
In addition to the long practice this
morning Grin had his team in star
chamber session for half an hour before |
the Athletics started for the ball park. |
These talks have resulted in much good,
and at least a dozen games have been
won on plays mapped out by the Old |
Fox. Of which the baseball public, and
even the scribes with the club, know
nothing, for all meetings are secret, no
outsiders being admitted.