The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1914-07-09
CUBS STRIKE PACE
or 1906 MACHINE
Chicago. Team Rises Up and
Becomes Factor in Pen
nant TuSsle.
BY FRANK G. MENkE.

NEW YORK, July 9.-The Chicago
Cubs seem to be considerably among
those present during the last week or
two, and the Giants. who had figured
the 1914 National League bunting won
have awakened to find that the old
Chicago peril hovers over them again.
Hank O'Day, after getting away on
poor start seems to have his gang
working with almost the same ma
chine-like regularity that made the
1906 Cubs famous, and barring acci-
dents, the Chicago outfit may yet rise
up and horn it's way into the worlds
series.
The Giants have a lead that some
persons may term commanding, but
1t Is nothing to get overconhdent
about. 1t isrs lead that a week or so
of hard lucA may chip away, and with
the end of the season still eleven
weeks off, there is every reason for
the Cubs to feel hopeful about the ul-
innate outcome of the race as 1t con-
Germs them.
The best part of the Cub uprising is
the fact that the entire team now
willingly comedies to Hank the job OF
leader, and instead OF pulling about
ICu ulIIeIeul ways Iuc SdA6 10 pun
ing together for Hank.
XIII Managerial Bee.
Earlier in the year when the Cubs
were going like lame and spawned
mule, Roger Bresnehan, Tommy Leach
and Frank Schultz, in whose bonnets
there was buzzing the managerial bee,
didn't exert themselves overly much,
according to reports. 1t was said they
figured that if Hank continued to make
a poor showing as manager, he would
be deposed soner or later and that
the job of handling the Cub reins
would be given over to one OF the trio.
So why work your head off to win
games, when by losing them it brings
about the possibility of your becom-
ing manager, the ambition of every
major league ball player?
But all of a sudden the Cubs began
to sit up and everybody in the vicinity
took notice of the process. The Cub
twirlers began pitching in real form,
the infield and outfield began working
with machine-like regularity, and the
whole gang began hitting like fiends.
From a position near the bottom Of
the heap the Cubs shot up just behind
the first place Giants and seemed un-
tired by the race They continue to
play at 700 clip, and although they
since have received a couple Of set
backs, they seem to have the power
to do a real comeback" and remain
in the comeback position right to
the October tape.
Hank isn't making any pennant pre-
dictions, but his bunch has become
fired with the idea of showing as much
pep as any team in the big leagues.
Hanks pitching staff is a bit weak.
He needs one seasoned, reliable pitch
er to bolster. it up, and he needs
hard-hitting addition to his outf1eld.
Given this pair-for which he is
searching night and day-and the Chi
cago fans may yet count on the priv
ilege of seeing a worlds series COM
bat staged lin their home town.
Quite number of our little base
ball experts are contending the pen
nant to the Giants, but it seems bit
too early for making such an award.
Even if the Cubs uplift doesn't last,
the Pirates still look dangerous. And
the Reds may recover from their
slump of the last three weeks. The
Phillies aren't figured in the pennant
fight, but they may be able to wallop
the Giants often enough during the
rest of the season to give some other
team a chance to close up the gap that
divides the Giants and their nearest
rivals.
The Boston Braves seem to be COM
ing along at a pretty good gait, too.
There isn't one chance in one hundred
that they'll grab the pennant, but they
Lloy do stunt that will considerably
gum up the pennant situation. The
Braves have a habit of turning into
the stretch during the final weeks
of the campaign and beating every
thing in sight and who knows but what
they will turn upon the Giants pret-
ty shortly and soak them amidship
with such force as considerably to
weaken the clutch the Giants have on
the first rung of the ladder?