Evening journal., 1914-05-18
Chicks HIT NEAR
THE Cellar HALL
Champions Lose Many
Games on Their First
Road Trip
NEYLAN TO SUCCEED
PEDONE IN LEFT

Jimmy Jackson's Chicks will re-
turn home tomorrow night, after one
Of the most disasterous road trips
ever taken by a Chick team since
Jimmy Jackson first established his
camp in Wilmington. Out of four
games played, including the Saturday
game, the boys. who looked so good
in the first two or three games of the
season, attached just one game which
could be placed to the credit side
of their ledger. What caused the
disaster is a puzzle. The team lead
the league in hitting until last We'd
nesday. The fielding was not the
best. yet Il would pass, and the
pitching was not at all bad. The
team adopted the same tactics as it
used so successfully last year. Get
on bases and then travel" was the
slogan. 1t seemed TO work and yet
In almost every case the opposing
team, many times not playing good
ball, managed TO score just one more
run than the former champions.
OF course the critical fan will argue
that in certain innings the team play
they let balls go through them when
there was absolutely no excuse for
such errors; that they didn't hit when
a hit meant the game; that SchOllen-
berger is not as good as one-half
of doc" Kerr, who was responsible
for the winning of the pennant last
year. But If those same critical fans
had followed the team around the
circuit, they would have had the
pleasure of seeing crowds almost
terror-stricken at the closeness of
the games betweent their own team
and the Chicks. Mr. Critic, that is
the real test; errors, lack of hitting
and poor brains, all show up on pa
per, but when the old ball crowds
! cheering suddenly dies down, and the
infeld comes in closer and tightens
up while some of those rooters hold
their breath while others pray that
he will either hit Il or strike out,
then you know you have been to see
a real baseball game and your team.
regardless Of victory, defeat or stand
ing in the percentage column, has
been in a real game, played what is
real baseball, and lost not because
the other team was so much better,
but because the greatest element of
all ball gams-luck-was absent from
their ranks.
As a little shake-up, Jackson sur
prised the fans on Saturday evening
by announcing the release of Pedone,
who played In left field. Neylon
will MI his shoes The action OF
Jackson came as a surprise to many
Wilmingtonians. They regarded Pc
done as a pretty good fielder, and
he played good ball when around the
bull sign at Front and Union Park,
but Jimmy could not see him any
place else. Tex Meyers was out OF
the Saturday game because of a
slight injury.
IL is also rumOred that a pitcher
from a National League team will
be secured. Negotiations for such a
man are now on, and while he has
not been named, something is bound
to develop within the next few doys
The Chicks will play York here
on Wednesday and Thursday and
again jump the road.
Harrisburg won another hair-rais-
ing game from the Chicks at Harris
burg on Saturday, to ?. Phillips
pitched shutout game for the Sena-
tors in the first six innings. Will
mington scored two runs in the
seventh and eighth innings.
In the eighth inning Harrisburg got
two men on base through the Witness
of Jarman. Keyes lined out two
bagger, scoring both men and winning
the game. Wilmington was blanked
In their half of the ninth.
WI AfTNGTDNN