The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-07-24
GIANTS KICK Up
| dust IN DOG DAYS
Mugs Mceraw Is Preparing Himself
For an q Told You So" Now
That His Machine is
Working Great.
DEAD APRIL TO JUNE
Our English Cousins Have Found Out
What "Fan" Isles
"Faneler" Of Base
Ball.
DEAD APRIL TO JUNE
BY HAL SHERIDAN.
Written for the United Press

|
able ]. McGraw. known as the Lit
tie Napoleon" but whose real title
is manager of the New York Giants,
is about in a position to murmur an
i told you So" While the Pittsburgh
Pirates were fioundering in the sec
ond division and sending men to the
hospital just as fast as they climbed
into uniform, McGraw insisted that it
would be the Pirates he would have
to beat in the final dash for the pen
nant.
From April on through June tho
Pirates refused to respond to the call.
The machine simply wouldn't open up
and show speed. It was bumped by
everyone. including humble. Boston
and lowly Cincinnati, but early July
saw the worm begin to turn. There
wasn't any change in the material.
The same parts were in use, but as
the team began to patch itself to-
gether it began to kick up smoke. 1t
jumped from the second to the first
division in q little more than a week,
and it now has the stun to whip up
even faster through the dog days.
In the meantime. Brooklyn was
dropping ten straight, which helped
considerably, and the Pirates passed
the stumbling Dodgers, who had ap-
parently shot their bolt and are ready
to give UP the ghost.
The Giants had snatched OF the
lead from the Phillies before the
Pirates got under way in their sprint
toward daylight, and had an imposing
lead established The Cubs and
Phfllies will have to keep full steam
ahead IL they maintain a position
over Clark's crew.
Although McGraw believes at least
he says he believes it-that 1t is the
Pirates he will have to beat out for
the old flag, he doesn't admit having
lost any sleep over it.
Perhaps it isn't chubby to be per-
petually harping on and spooflng
about English methods in sports in
this weekly effusion, but ]. Bulbs
sons have been SO prominent this
season for what they have or have not
done. that there is an excuse. Here's
the excuse. The English have found
out what a baseball fan is. It took
them a long time to do 1t, but they'll
have to be for~iven for this. Those
English cousins of ours are usually in
the mental outfield when Joke is
cracked out and they have to wait
until the second bounce to get it.
Take 1t from an English paper, pub
lished weekly. that has arrived In this
port, fan" Is a "fancier, OF base
ball. To the ordinary run of Ameri.
cans, fan" is distinctive. 1t means
a baseball bug, but the English viii
not have 1t that way. We, over here
speak OF chicken fancier-no. we
don't mean what you think: we mean
real one with feathers that looks
well in skillet-also horse fanciers
Perhaps the English would have us
trip up and dub EN- chicken fans or
horse fans! An explanatory note IN
der the picture of two notables at a
baseball game, says they are fans.
and adds, Fan, It may be noted. Is
short for fanciers' of baseball Just
fancy that, old top.
We are given another chance to
spool the boys across the pond. not
to mention some of the boys on our
own shores in the account of recent
cricket game. AS run getter and
batter the wonderful Ty Cobb Is a
piker compared to phenom develop
ed In England. Braund of Somerset.
In recent game. batted for three
hours and forty-five minutes before
he was put out. He scored 257 runs
In that time. He's a cricket player.
This may explain why they have mill.
tant suffragettes in England.
Baseball acts like a tonic In tb,a
little old realm of ours. Who-as
our famous old crab friend. Beau
Rialto might askwho could imagine |
anything more dreary and uninspirine
han a game In which batter could |