The Washington herald., 1915-07-14
IAINSMITH OFF
TO join CLUB
Nationals Catcher Leaves for
St. Louis-Had Been Here
for Malaria Treatment.
OTHER SPORTING GOSSIP
Ayers and Engel Pitchers Likely to
Oppose Browns in Today's
Twin Sketch.
By WILLIAM PEET.

| Eddie Ainsn1ith. the Nationals peppery
| catcher. who was sent home from New
York ten days ago. left yesterday aft
ernoon to join his club in st. Louis. and
should be ready to go behind the bat on
, Thursday, il needed
Manager Griffith ordered Ainsmith back
! to Washington for treatment. and the
catcher has been under the care of the
club physician ever since. He was treat
cd for malaria. which proved a reoccur-
renee of an old malady. Ten days rest
put the catcher right. and before leaving
he declared he was ready to work any
time Griff said the word.
! AS John Henry has been forced to bear
the brunt of the work during Ainsmith' S
! illness the appearance Of his side part
ner tomorrow should make big hit
with steady old John.
Before passing judgment on Tommy
Connolly as hitter Manager Griffith tol
! the writer that he would have to see
what Connolly was able to do on his
second trip around the circuit. or after
the rival pitchers began mixing up curves
with speed and a change Of pace.
Connolly did fairly we'll in Chicago and
during the first game against the Browns
Yesterday. but he is not making any
in some quarters.
The fact still remains that Connolly
! looks like natural hitter and with ex-
perience will doubtless prove to be a
good ball player.
Another double header is booked for
st. Louis today. and the Washington
pitching selections are Doc Ayers and
Joe Engel, or possibly Bert Gallia.
According to reports from St. Louis
Griff is going to recall Southpaw Jack
Bentley and ship Booth Hopper to the
Minneapolis team.
Early in the spring Hopper was
rated one man likely to make
good. but he has thus far failed to
deliver. Bentley has twirled great
ball for Minneapolis during the month
he has been with that club.
There was a time when it was dim
cult to keep track of the "Cy' Youngs
in baseball Every player who came
into the game named Young was just
naturally called "Cy." There was "Cy''
Young, jr., who was a southpaw, and
there was a "Cy" Young, Sd.
Now the game is running to Eddie
Collinses. There is the original Eddie.
of the White Sox; Collins, of the
Pittsburgh club. is also called Eddie,
although his first name is Edgar. Mil
waukee. of the American Association,
also has an Eddie Collins on its ros-
ter. He halls from ST. Marys College,
Kansas.
Several minor leagues have gone to
the wall this season, some of them
waiting until after Independence Day
TO give Up the ghost Clubs Of other
leagues are devising schemes to keep
things going for a time longer. All
OF them, however. will long remember
the season of 1914 as being the lean
est in many years.
Generally. the Federal League has
been blamed for causing a decrease in
attendance in nearly every city and
town. John B. Foster. secretary of
the New York Nationals. declares that
the falling off has not been so great
as many claim, because they have been
comparing this years attendance fig
ures with those of the high-water
year-1913.
Says the Philadelphia Evening Led
ger: Manager Mack and Owner
Hedges, of the Browns. held long
consultation in St. Louis prior to the
departure of the Mackmen for Chicago.
and the old rumor that Baker and Nc
Innes might become the property of
the Browns was revived. but our guess
is that RUDE Oldring was discussed
more than any one else. It is a GER
tainty that "Shag" Thompson will be
a regular next season. and it is a we'll
known fact that Mack has another out
fielder under cover who will be a reg
ular along with Strunk; so it would
be no great surprise il RUDE Oldring
would NAV elSewhere before the close
of the present season.
A remarkable game was played in
the Northwestern League between Vic
toria and Tacoma. Tacoma won by the
score of. 81 to IS. and fifty hits were
made by the two teams. with twenty
six going to Victoria. Catcher Haworth
of Victoria. made home run. triple.
two doubles and a single out of five
trips to the plate, while johnson.
Grover and Hogan. of Tacoma, and
Kaylor. Of Victoria. had four hits each.
including at least two extra base hits
in their total. There were nineteen
two baggers. three triples and one
home run made in the game. bringing
the total base record up to seventy
eight. a record for modern baseball.
This game is all the more remarkable
because of the high caliber of ball gen.
orally played in the Northwestern
League.
The brand of baseball being played
in the National League may be the
poorest of the last generation. as John
McGraw opines-and he must be right.
for no one is taking issue with him
but the race, struggle. or whatever
the competition for first place in the
senior major league may be called. is
the closest the league has witnessed
in many years. Close races will do
more toward bringing out the specta-
tors than good baseball, for every one
is interested in some particular club,
and II that club is in the running II
will get out a goodly crowd. no mat