The Washington times., 1914-08-25

| who actually make baseball possible
! through their patronage.
| In the middle Of the second game
yesterday. when rain threatened, and
the people in the stands were naturally
| anxious to get away as soon as possible
| in order to avoid the inevitable storm.
was delayed. The Nationals were be-
| hind. and if they could stall until ii
was necessary TO call it off before the
completion of the required number OF
innings, they could avert defeat. Hao
the conditions in the matter of the
|, score been reversed Detroit would un-
juestionably have adopted the same
sort of tactics. So II would seem that
upon every occasion when there is an
advantage in runs either way the spec
tators are to watch stalling. anticipate
a drenching, have no assurance of the
game going TO the point where it is de-
cisive. And all because the umpires are
shorn of proper power or are unwill-
ing to assert their authority.
Perfection in any sport is Utopian.
still. it would seem now that ore rule
that should be adopted should compel
the instant substitution Of a pitcher
when a manager decided that the man
already on the job is too much off color
to continue.
Why a ball club, or several of its
members from the bench, should feel
called upon to act as a committee on
the whole to get out, meet the incoming
young man and then critically inspect
ly trudging off the field is not joke.
but decidedly tiresome to those who
have the better interests of the game
at heart. There is no more reason for
the same performance being gone
through every time a man makes a hit
or a pitcher twirls a strike.
Although proverbially loyal to the
Griffmen, the crowd yesterday was
actually shouting for more action or
Bill Evans, who was presiding behind
the plate. Today's game will start
early with an understanding that it is
to be called at o'clock. II there IS a
lot more of this stalling. it will simply
be adding another chapter to the vol
ume that they started to write last
winter when organized baseball people
went into Mysteries when IL was sus-
gested that unless the Federal League
were taken seriously II would hurt base
ball, and the result in loss of prestige
and fortunes.
Joe Birmingham will lead his Maps
into Washington early tomorrow morn
ing for a series that will carry to the
end Of the week. Twenty-Five men are
being brought along. and it would not
be surprising il the set should find a
number Of new faces being seen in the
Cleveland lineup for the first time in
Washington. 1t will be a royal oppor-
some of the ground which they lost
during their two visits to the Sixth
City.
While the casualty list of players
was four, there might have been more
had it not been for the action OF the
police when some of the colored breth-
rem in the jury box got so excited over
a baseball argument that they used
closed fists and threatened keen steel
as the fight started Ty Cobb and sew
eral other Detroit players went sprint
ing to the bleachers. When they ar
rived the chief belligerent had made
his dive through the window, and Cap
tain Doyle was trying heroically to
of his body across the sill. Had some
of the players been caught in the jam
and beat up or stabbed there would
have been more work for some of our
leading physicians and surgeons.
The Boston Red Sox are today con-
siderably better fortified in second place
than they were yesterday morning.
While the Griffmen were dropping the
pair here. Carrisan's club was grab
bing one. meaning the gain of a game
and a half over the Nationals for the
days labor.
When everything around him was
going to pieces it was Ed Foster who
played steadily at third, while Dan
Moeller survived the wreckage by max
ing three hits The only other wash
ingtonian to hit in that game was
Foster.
While the Giants idled yesterday they
regained first place in the National
League when the Boston Braves tumb
led in the eighth inning at Chicago and
let the Cubs pile up four runs that
broke the tie.