The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-10-08
1908 Pennant Chase Was The Most Thrill
 ing Baseball Race

Although the race for the National league pennant this year has not been without its thrills, it can't compare with the finish Of the 190S4season, when the gonfalon passed to the Cubs by the margin of a single victory. It was just six years ago today that the de- .cidfng contest between the Giants and the Cubs was staged. and the Chicago club took the New Workers into camp by the score of to 2. Those who lived through that turbulent period of the worlds history will tell you that the joy of the Chicogese and the impotent rage of the Manhattansese t-beggared description The linpid pools of English undecided from which baseball scribes draw the language to express their thoughts, if any, went dry early in the game. No typewriter was equal to the strain. Grief and anger were mingled in the buzzums Of New York and pop bottles were directed, not to- ward the victorious Cubs, but against the alleged osseous and Teiltonie dome Of poor Fred Merkle.
 The deciding game on October 8, 1908, was not on the regular program. On the face of the early returns New York won the pennanf, but the Chica- go club had protested the game of Sept. 23rd, which New York claimed by score of ? to 1, and which Chicago
 
 in this historic contest that MerlxIe got in bad The score was 1 to 1 in the ninth, and the Giants had Merkle on first and Mccormick on second with two men out. Bridwe1I singled. and EAdcCormick numbered home. It was then that Merkle pulled the most mo- torious bone in baseball history by failing to go to second. Johnny-on-the spot Evers called for the ball to be slammed to. second in order to force out Merk1e and retire the Giants The New york fans swarmed into the field threatening massacre. Somebody heaved the pellet away The Cubs pro- tested vigorously, and when the mat ter came before the baseball tribunal President Pulliam upheld the protest In his decision he allowed the tsforces, and declared the game a i to 1 tie. Wherefore, when the regular season closed with New York and Chfca 20 neck and neck the tie game had to be played off to decide the pennart race New York lost and the Cuibs captured the pennant. Y
 Such is the true and yeracious story Of the most thrilling events in all his tory. Tn years to come grizzIed grand peppers will take the youngsters up on their knews and say ..fSo children I don't remember about the war of 1914. but distinctly recall the Nation al League race af 1908, when MerkIe'.-- ct cetera.
 This is the tenth anniversary of the Vanderbilt Cup srace on Long Island in which four teams in four cars each representing the United States, France Italy and Germany, were entered.
 George Heath won the race with a French car, covering the 264 ndqies a- an average speed of fifty-tvo miles an hour. Tart, in an other French car smashed up all records up to that time by covering a lap at the most aTfa zirGr af an hour! Nowadays an automobiIe racer would call that crawling. Of the drivers who were worldwide celebrit ies decade ago. not one is now left in the game.
 Frank l.. Bodie, better known as Ping, the Chicago White sox out fielder, was born in San Francisco twenty-seven years ago today. Ping started in the game as a. pitcher, play Ing with several California clubs. In 1910 He became an outfieIder on the San Francisco Club, and made such a reputation as 8. fence buster that the White Sox bought him. He has moi damaged any Americain League fence to any extent.