The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-05-18
FANS STILL WAIT
FOR PIRATE SLIDE
Griffith's Team Refuse to
Crack, But Steams Ahead
Winning May Games.
BY FRANK G. MENkE,

NEW YORK. May 1s.-Quite a num-
Der Of our most respected and resepct-
able citizens are suffering from sore
and inflamed optics these days be-
cause they followed the advice of
some of the wise ones" who prevail
ed upon them to watch the Pirates
hit the tobog."
The aforementioned citizens, many
of them residents of New York and
Philadelphia, where the Pirates are
cordially hated and feared set about
watching and waiting assuming the
very same attitude that Prexy Wilson
assumed toward Mexico for such a
long period. But they have watched
so long and intently that they have
strained their eyes.
The Pirates havent's cracked"
And, as we view things from this
modest angle, they aren't going to
crack" in the accepted sense of the
word as it applies to baseball. The
Pirates seem to be conspicuously
among those present this season.
Reds Cracked.
"The Reds blew themselves to a
husky lead during the first month in
1912 "scrap assert" some folks. And
the Dodgers and Philies breezed along
ahead of the field for period in 1913.
And then they cracked-busted into
about TAP different pieces and never
had look-in afterward. That's what
will happen to the Pirates"
Maybe so-but maybe not. The
1912 Reds and the 1913 Dodgers and
Phillies and the 1914 Pirates are some
thing entirely different. The Reds got
off to a flying start in 1912 not be-
cause they were SO good, but because
the teams that they tackled in the
first month were SO bad
And then, just as the Ohio river folks
were thinking of making Hank O'Day
mayor of the town, governor of the
state and faucet guardian of all the
city breweries, the Giants wandered
| wandered into Cincinnati When they
left the pennant dreams of Redland
had been distorted into a last place
| nightmare.
But it's something else again with
| the Pirate clan, as remarked above
Clarke Is craftier manager than
Doom. He isn't overworking his star
pitchers. He's sending them along in
| their regular turn and keeping them
| in fine shape. Clarke has two OF
three young twirlers who have been
| delivering, and If they can keep uE
the gait, and continue to lend an oal
occasionally to Harmon, Adams anG
| O'Toole it's quite likely that the
Pirates will grab off the National
leagues share in the world series
| spoils.
Weak at Short?
In addition to having a number OF
pitchers, Clarke also has three out
fielders who can hit, throw, run anC
field in very able and satisfactory
manner. Also he has one of the bes,
all-around first basemen in the game
In kenetchy, whirlwin second sack
er in Viox and fast and very relia BILE
third baseman in Mowrey
| The Pirates only weak spot seems
to be at short. A fellow named Wag
ner plays there. He's hitting only
about $50 to date, averaging only one
| stolen base day, and isn't fielding
any better than about $50. Blu
Charlie is coaching hi mand says the
young man seems quite willing ant
ambitious to learn the game. and
therefore, he will keep him at tn.
shortstopping job for a little Will,
longer anyway in the hope that HI
will improve with experiences.