The Washington herald., 1914-09-06
ROAD IS ROCKY
FOR NATIONALS
NEXT SIX DAYS
Eight Games Scheduled, In
cluding Four with Athletics
Monday and Tuesday.
SHORT OF TWIRLERS.
Gnf's Pitching Staff Shot to Pieces
at Present-Other Sport
News and Gossip.
By WILLIAM PEET.


Eight games in six days on the Florida
avenue ball yard is the menu spread be-
fore Manager Clark Grifith and his noble \
athletes, starting tomorrow morning
bright and early.
With only three dependable pitchers
and pair Of shaky young southpaWs 70
fall back on, the situation is anything
but pleasant, and If the Old Fox is able
to weather the gale and keep his club
up in the first division before next Sun
day rolls around. he deserves to be
classed with George StaIlings and other
Miracle Men"
Connie Mack's champions of the uni
verse come here tomorrow, playing the
usual Labor Day games, morning and
afternoon. On Tuesday the Macks also
hnger in our midst, showing in a double
header, for the reason that on the aft
ernoon Of June 3 Washington and PhiIa-
delphla failed to go nine innings on ac-
count Of violent thunder storm
On Wednesday. Thursday, and Friday
Frank Chance will be here with his re-
juvenated New Yorks, and the Boston
Red Sox hit town on Saturday.
Johnson. Ayers, and Shaw are Grifhth's
only reliable Fingers. Bentley and Harper
complete the present stan, and it looks
TO man up tree. as if the trio men
toned in the foregoing would be very
busy during the next six days. Harper
and Bentley are also due for plenty OF
experience.
Injuries to Joe EnEeI and BOehling are
the cause Of the present shot-to-pieces
twirling stan. and unless the other mem
bers of the club come across with more
hitting than has been in evidence lately.
the outlook for a successful week is any
thing but rosy.
Connie Mack shipped Plank and
Shawkey home from Boston yesterday.
making 1t apparent that he proposes to
use this pair against the Grirmen on
Monday.
Owing 10 the fact that the Boston Red
Sox appear to be carrying the fight rish,
10 the White Elephants and by virtue of
winning the last four games played have
cut down Mack's lead to a little more than
seven games, the champions Will puC their
strongest club in the field against Wash
ingtOn. and work all the harder to win.
for every defeat at this stage, in view Of
the stiI pace Boston is setting, will hurt
Mack's pennant chances
After a poor showing early this week.
the Nationals redeemed themselves by
grabbing two games out of the three
played in New York.
Walter johnson finally broke his losing
streak Saturday. and the men behind
him played good ball.
Taking it or paper. the Cardinals have
a better team than the Braves. says a
St Louis scribe. But they don't play
on paper. old top; they play on base
ball field.
These calamity howlers predicting
second division for the Nationals make
US tired
1t is true that the Grifmen are playing
rotten baseball these days. and that
yesterdays game was the first combat
the locals have won this week. but the
teams constituted is not of second
caliber. and there yet remains plenty
Of time to carry the fight to Boston and !
finish in the runner-up position.
One of the most valuable books ever
published about baseball is found in .
Balloon, the Britannica Of Baseball" (
II is the work of George L. MOreland. }
the untiring statistician- Mr.. Moreland
is one of the few persons with an un-
broken list of the yearly baseball guides
Statistical gems in no other way procur-
able are found in this amazing volume.
As matter of fact the man who owns
a copy has under his arm a record OF
baseball from the FOUNDERS era to the
present time. Faulty memories are
quickly corrected. Just think Of a book
with a roster of players Of major league
clubs for every season from the date Of
its organization to the present time,
1t also contains a complete record OF
each club throughout its career while
every baseball record known to the game
is found in its pages. Every lover OF the
game will want one. as he will be able to
settle to his own satisfaction Questions
that are generally asked of sporting edI-
tors