The Alaska citizen., 1914-08-31

heats in 2:l3 class.
 Those Chicago Cubs are more than little bit eXasperating. They win when the Giants win. lose when the Giants lose and when the Giants do not play they are also idle. All of which is mighty poor method of cutting down New Works lead. Edward Konetchy VOWS that some he joined the Pittsburg team. Kon- ney is surprised whenever he hits ball safe these days. He has been dropped to sixth place in the batting order
 Mike Schwartz, rated as the best United States. is just now the most prominent candidate that Uucle Sam has for the proposed loo kilo metre (62iA miles) walk that will be contested at Berlin two years hence, provided the war is over by that time Schwartz can out-foot any walker there is in America for fifty miles. His main assets as walker are his strength and gameness under punishment that simply cannot be excelled
 Many Coast Men Raised.
 Statistics compiled by a Los An geles writer show that the Coast league has sent upward of 70 men to the major leagues within the last seven years and nearly half of them are still there says the Port land Oregonian.
 Portland leads the list, of course. Walter McCrede Is the best little developer of youngsters in the busi- ness and he has showed close to 25 into better jobs during his re- gime.
 Best of all 70 per cent of Mack's  graduates have made good. such fel lows as Gregg, Olson. Graney, Groom, Seaton, Kuhn. Peckingpaugh, James, Steen, Hagerman and Four nier being samples.
 Los Angeles has sent about F 70 the majors in the same space of time; San Francisco IA, Sacramento and Oakland seven each and Venice four. It is a common statement in ball circles that Hogan refuses to have anything to do with youngsters and the figures prove 1t.
 The statistics are inaccurate. Many players have been overlooked, for instance. Dave Gregg. who went from Portland to the Maps last year, and Dan Howley, the big catcher sold to the Phillies at the same time. But in the main. they giv" fairly good line on what has been doing in the Coast league school within recent years.
 Like Old Wine.
 Youth will be served" they say.
 Well, he is being served outrage ously in baseball.
 What chance has the young man of today when the leading twirlers of each league is also the oldest in age and service?
 It is true. The veterans of the Big Time-Plank and Matty-are pirouetting along like twoyear-olds at the head of their respective pro sessions. Ed Plank, with thirty nine summers (and as many win ters) behind him, is now coming down the home stretch of his four teenth season in big league baseball, The great southpaw has failed only once in all that time to finish the season with more games won than lost That was the year that the Athletics finished sixth. Plank won IA and lost 16.
 Matty is not as old as his great rival by five years but he has seen one year more of service, if the first year may be called such. That first year. 1900. Matty pitched only three games and had the lean per centage of O00. In 1902 the Giant star also fell below the meridian, He won 13 and lost IS.
 A strange coincidence, but both Matty and Plank are college men and practically went direct from school to the major leagues, and they are still with the teams that they broke in with.
 There was a time when the proper caper was to predict the finish" of these old masters. But they have fooled the wise ones SO often and brazenly by improving instead of go- ing back, that we seldom hear of 1t any more.
 Yea verify, Methuselah would have been a great ball player.
 Could Read His Record.
 This is a Tim Hurst story that is