New Britain herald., 1915-07-24
More of the Same.

thing to law, With many a soft spot and many
 flaw, A very bad club are the Pniiiles. In fact. to assume as we've heard
 them all tell,
 When 1t comes to chance that's re-
 garded as swell, As a flag winning club they are punk
 erenell, ,,, And will soon be out unoer the liiies. They are ready to topple. to vanish,
 to blow,
 To skid and to slip in the wake Of the
 foe, They haven't chance at the world
 series dough And their flame will soon turn 70 an 1
 ember; a ~ For a month or two now they've been
 ready to wane; Big Alec is begging ms arm OH III
 vain;
 Pretty soon they VIII starI cine
 under the strain---
 As the pesky Braves cracked last sep
 tember.
 "McLoughlin," writes an English critic, Ifs forced to depend largeiy on his terrific smashes' He hasn't much else'' Sad case. Much like that or Ca ruso. who hasn't anything but voice.; or Walter Johnson, who has nothing left but a fast ball.
 The Worlds Greatest Ball Club.
 No. 2-The Pitching Staff. Alexander-Philadel Nationals. Mamaux-Pittsburgh Nationals. Johnson-W Washington Americans. Rucker-Brooklyn Nationals.
 Alexander is the greatest pitcher in the world today. He has reached the star height held by Mathewson, John son and Walsh at their best. He is the Farrell of the Mound-the Un- paragoned of all Pill Propellers. Next to Big Alex comes Walter Johnson-still a grand pitcher, though not enjoying his best year. With a harder hitting club his record would be the best in his league. Of the first six games, he lost five were Senatorial shutouts, where he had no chance. He still has enough stuff to produce trou- ble.
 The pick for third place finds many entries-vMamaux, Caldwell, Wood, Dale, Faber, Morton-all fine pitchers. Mamaux has done the best work of the lot, for his winning record is not only above par but his work has been a matter of spectacular consistency. Even in his few defeats he pitched ball that deserved to win.
 Nap Rucker follows because he is the best left-hander in the gane-the steadiest, at least The Alpharetta side-wheeler drew a late start but once ir condition has moved along with his ancient way. There are fine young pitchers coming on, but most of them have not yet quite arrived. The ve- terans are still able to hold the bulk of the territory, won some years ago.
 Moody Phrases.
 Of all sad words that sting and cut The saddest are-"But couldn't putt"
 Our magazine writer has a large German army entering Philadelphia and capturing the Recs and Athletics engaged in a pennant battle. The armies of yon Hindenburg and von Mackensen put together couldn't effect capture like that.
 Up and Down League. Observes the little War Stock; No wonder it has vexed;
 It acts just like the Phiis one day. And like the Reds the next.
 sun Different.
 Hans Wagner, from the beginning, has always been different. There has been no player like him. He has been eternally beyond any range of the dope.
 Tn baseball, above all other ingred- tents, the Batting Eye has outlasted ary other faculty. Mike Donlin was still batting over 300 when he quit as regular. And Mike had eleven sea- sons at 300 Or better. Mike was still hitting the ball when his legs were below par and his arm none too strong < Larry Lajoie, in his nineteenth year, is still batting between 1915 and 1925. He isn't so fast as he used to be, but he can still hit
 Pop Anson, in his twenty-second campaign--in the days when Pop was all through in every respect--closed cut his mighty career with an aver age of .303--still over the Great Divide That was in 1897, through a run of 112 games.
 But Wagner is the great exception. He was the most consistent swats- man of them all-batting above 300 for eighteen consecutive years-smash- ing all records by four or five seasons. But today, at Forty-one, when he looks almost as fast as the field as he ever looked, when he is still covering ground and stealing bases, the Batting Eye alone has faded. Hans dropped below 800 last year for tho trs- time. He dropped to .252. This season he has been struggling all year to pass .250, spending most of the time below .240. i He has been the one big upset in this ma tier of the lasting power of the Batting Eye. It may be that he will get along aEain and slip back to 300.