The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-11
BROOKLYN DODGERS
MAY FINISH HIGH;
THE PREDICTION
Ban JOhnsOn's Scheme of
Decorating Umpires APP
prOyed-Has Joe Wood
Lost His Nerve?
Nv WALTER MARcHAND

New York. May 10.-After the present
East VS.. West series in the big leagues
it will be possible to begin to form
some sort of judgment of the chances
of the various clubs.
Up to this time the percentages have
amounted to but little. They simply
indicate which has The best eastern
and which has the best western clubs.
IN the National league SO far three
clubs has furnished the surprises
Chicago, Brooklyn and Pittsburg
1t was generally conceded by the de-
picters that Evers would do well to
finish in the second division and he
may do that same yet, but If his club
i,ceps up the gait they were going in
the west, while in the east, the club
that beats them is likely to win the
pennant. Brooklyn has been playing
hotter ball than for many years. Dahlen
has a fine bunch of players, a first
class pitching corps and team that IS
out for all there is in sight all the
time. 1t would not be cause for heart
failure if they came pretty close to re-
peating Clark Griffith's stunt of last
year.
Pittsburg has been the disappoint-
ment of the league. Chosen by every
one to either take the pennant or push
the club that did hard, they have grad
ually fallen back. OF course the alb
SERGE of Wagner accounts for this and
tliis points out the danger of a club
built about a star When he is out not
oriy is his playing ability missed but
his absence depresSes the entire club.
This accounts in a measure for the
poor showing of Detroit In the Ma
tional league Cleveland and Boston
u, hna fcac 11a,,
der Brougham is playing great ball,
While the champion Red SoX do not
seem to have been able to get into
their stride.
However. we will know more about
it after the inter-sectional games
have been played.
Ban Johnson, dictator of fashions for
umpires, will soon have his veteran
arbitrators rugged up like street ear
inspectors. Ban believes that specta-
tors at ball games are entitled to know
Just how long each umpire has pur-
sued his career of crime. lie has,
therefore. envolved a line of decora-
tions consisting of gold braid and stars.
Thus one gold stripe on the sleeve will
mean that an umpire has been in SER
vice for one year, two stripes means
two years and SO on until at the enu
of the fifth season the sleeve is dec
GRATED with a gold star Braids will
be added to the star until o years are
reached when two stars Will be the in
signfa.
Many umpires are called but few
ever get beyond the plain braid stage
Tommy Connolly Is the only Ameri-
can league umpire entitled to wear
two stars and two braids, Indicating
that he has been an umpire since 1901
a year after the league was organized
he Io1, al
with general approval. The average
baseball fan firmly believes that the
umpire should wear stripes. Some OF
them favor ball and chain.
Boston baseball rooters are BEGIN
ming to fear that Smoky Joe" Wood
the wonderful pitcher of the Red Sox
has had his effectiveness destroyed in
consequence of beaning Bobby Byrne
With pitched ball in an exhibition
game with Pittsburg before the regular
playing season. Byrne dropped as
though he had been shot when the bali
hit him on the head, and for a time IT
was feared he had been seriously in
suied Wood took the incident to heart
Gee" he remarked, after the game
that day. Il thought when Byrne drop.
ped he would never get up again.
have seen lots of players beaned, but
never saw one drop as Bobby did"
ooo IS young man of high strung
disposition, and his nerves were un-
Goubtedly affected by the incident.
Ryrne recovered quickly, as viii be re-
called, but even after he had been pro-
nounced out of danger the Boston
pitcher displayed much concern. Then
1T was a case of tables being turned
and Byrne feeling sorry for the effect
the incident had had upon Wood. Bob
Ey'' some time later expressed the be-
lief that Wood had lost his nerve and
would probably net recover 1t until
late in the season.