Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-06-30
MANY HITS DUE
TO POOR FIELDS
Uneven Ground Causes Ball to
Bound Badly to In and
Out FieIders.
BY n. C.. PYRD.

To judge by the box scores the players
in the amateur leagues are hitting the
bail exceptionally hard. Not only are
there many hits being made, but many
of them are for extra bases. While In
effectiveness on the part of the pitchers
is the cause of this in many instances, it
is also due to the rough condition of sew
eraL of the fields. Many contests are play
ed in which the ball bounds by the in
fielders for safeties or else gets by an
outtielder for three bases when the hit
should have been held to a single.
Notwithstanding the fact that the fields
on which the majority of amateur players
perform are not in any too good con-
dition, their work is very creditable
Despite the rough spots they so after
everything. and there are many balls
knocked down and the runners thrown
out on apparent hits The diamonds in
the majority of cases are fairy we'll kept
up but the outiieids are for the most
part neglected. The result is that bail
is liable to bound by an outtielder at any
time for extra bases. In several instances
ordinary singles have gone by the out
fielders, after striking some kind of an
obstruction, and have gone far enough
to allow home run. This is one reason
why there are SO many long hits scored
in the summaries Of many contests.
The Sherwood club has won the cham
pionship of the first series in the Central
League. 1t was only after hard strug-
gle, in which what was probably a rec
ord for errors for the season was. made
The pitchers on both sides did cred table
work. but the mispiays behind them up
set all calculations to what might be
expected. In all. nineteen errors We're
made by the TWO teams. They were
very evenly divided. Sherwood getting
ten and q. p. O. nine The pitching of
Rhodes and Kelly to say the least, was
deserving of much favorable commenda-
ton under such adverse circumstances.
1t Is not often that one hurler has to
work with so many miscues behind him.
but it is very exceptional to see a game
in which both are pitching against such
a handicap.
The second series in the Central
League will start today. The Y. NJ. II.
A. and Printers are scheduled to meet.
The winner of this series will go against
Sherwood in a series of three or tive
games to determine the representatives
Of the circuit in the post-season series.
Goebel of the Government Printing Of
flee team had his jaw fractured
in yesterdays contest Not only is it
unfortunate for the player himself, but
IL will mean that the team will be weak
ened considerably during the second half
of the league race. Goebel has been one
Of the mainstays of the club all season.
and was one of the chief reasons why
G.. P. o. finished so well. With him out
of the lineup, another catcher will have
to be found, and good catchers are not
very plentiful.
Despite the fact that Yale was defeated
twice by Harvard in base ball last spring,
it has been given the intercollegiate
championship. There is hardly much
doubt tnat Yale had the strongest col
lege team in the country, but. at that
there will be much dissent by the fol-
lowers of Harvard because of the two
victories secured by the Crimson. Tn
der such conditions it is impossible to
make selection to please everybody. but
the rating made by Herbert in the New
York Tribune seems to be about as sat
isfactory as any could be. Here is what
he has to say regarding the relative
strength of the several big college mines:
Under ordinary circumstances Harvard
would be ranked above Yale, for the rea
son that victory crowned the efforts of
the Crimson in the series which both
teams We're most anxious to win, but
from the point of view of Brown and
Holy Cross it would be illogical to place
them below a team which both defeated
Holy Cross In two sames-simply because
the Crimson got the better of Yale. On
the other hand. it may seem Illogical
from n Harvard point of view to place
the Crimson team below Yale, which
is impossible, however. to reconcile all
interests, and for that reason the fol-
lowing rating is submitted after care
full study of the seasons work. The
ranking, then, follows:
t-Yale. Williams.
Thrown. S-Pennsylvania.
3-Harvard. 9-Princeton.
4-West Point. 10-Dartmouth.
Holy Cross. 1l-Annapos.
G-Amherst 12-COlumbia.
Wesleyan, Fordham. Lafayette and Le-
high also were strongly represented on
the diamond, and reasons could be ad-
vanced why one the other should have
"A place in the list, but Cornell and YER
mont were not SO prominent as usual, al
though both showed flashes of strength.
which if sustained would have made them
worthy of more consideration.
4 is rather interesting to note that in
the number of games won and lost Yale
also heads the list. The Dark Blue estab-
,ished record along that line that Is
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