Grand Forks daily herald., 1914-09-07
FL|CKER7A|LS
SET THE PACE
Early-Season Showing Made
it Necessary for Others
to Bolster Up.
PITCHERS DESERVE
CREDIT AT DULUTH
Won Gonfalon for Darby
Curtis Did Well at
Winnipeg.


today.
When this article was written. Du-
luth had the pennant practically
cinched.
Grand Forks YESTERDAY made sure
of the third berth by taking Il game
from Winona.
The liiGhbrows will finish in fourth
place, Virginia will hold the cham
pionship of the second division, Far
o-Moorhead will be sixth. Superior
seventh and Fort William eighth
With the drop of the curtain, the
open season for alibis begins. Grand
Forks has no alibi to make however.
Local fans are more than satisfied
with the showing of the club; and
they have reason TO he.
1t is not amiss to say that the
Fhckertails set the pace in the Nor
thern league. Eddie Wheelers crew
made it necessary for the other man
ayers To secure players. When the
season opened every team in the
league. with the exception of Grand
Forks, WAS struggling along with
weak Ineups. When Fred Curtis
bumped up against The locals, he i'm
mediately began a search for faster
players When Darby O'Brien met
the Wheeler gang, he sent help
wanted message to Blume and the
hunt for pitchers started.
The early-season showing Of the
F1ickertails was responsible for the
speed of the league. Every other
manager around the circuit realized
that he would have to bolster his team
to head off Grand Forks. and through
ont June they We're signing new play
ers and looking for faster material.
Over Duluth-way they are giving
Darby O'Brien credit for the ''remark-
able showing of the Docks. 1t is not
our intention to rob O'Brien of any
thing he may have coming but a quar-
tet of pitchers--Ezell, Withers, Cum
ningham and Blancke-are RESPONSE
BILE for the Duluth showing Besides
these four, each one of whom could
work his regular turn and he depend-
ed on. O'Brien had Grina who held
UP his end of it until an injury forced
him out of the lineup.
Without his quartet of hurlers Dar-
by O'Brien never would have got out
of the second division. They carried
him through two long string of vic
tories. placing him and his team in
a position where they could fight for
the flag. Each one of the four is al
most unbeatable. Each got his bumps
occasionally, but held his own in the
general race.
They celebrated Darby day in Du-
luth Saturday They really ought to
give a special spread for the four
hurlers who won the pennant for
them
Fred Curtis need not feel badly
over losing the pennant He has Civ
en- Winnipeg the best baseball team
she has had. and this year made it
paying proposition.
Curtis is one of the most likable
managers in the league, and. when
the Flickertails were dropped ont of
the pennant fight. we pulled for him
He has kept the Maroons near the
top throughout the season During
the first month, the Elickertails kept
him in second place. but he finally
nosed out. and thereafter led the
march until Darby O'Rrien's pitchers
showed him out. He got back in front
again. and held it until the last two
weeks of the season, when the Docks
again replaced him.
With A good pitching staff to start
out, the Superior Red Sox were con-
sidered pennant material The show
ing Of the team has been a disappoint-
ment, however, and. 1t is understood.
the management has lost heavily.
Landry started out as manager, but
III lIit new owners cut MN
loose. and made an agreement with
Virginia, whereby Kid Taylor re-
turned to Superior. 1t was expected
that Taylor would bolster the team
and start it first t-division-ward, hut
he failed to deliver. Taylor got "in
bad after joining Superior. and at
one time, was suspended for the re-
mainder of the season. Rurmeister
relented, however. and renstated him,
The Superior club started the sea
son under new management. Foxy
Bill Sommers got rid of his stock and
two inexperienced men took it. That
may account. in some measure, for
the showing Of the club
Fort William has done remarka blv
well for its first year in organized
baseball. The fans have been Iowa
and throughout the season have pull.
ed for the team. The Fl. P. Conra Il