Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-05-30
ALEXANDER WITH STARS
Nebraska Base Ball Player Render
ing a Good Account Of Himself IN
Big League Of the East.
SOME DOPE OF THE DIAMOND

nv FRANK q. MENKE.
NEW YORK. May Ask weeks OF the
1915 base ball season have skidded onward
and what bevy Of surprises those six
weeks have brought In both the American
and National leaguesl A dopestor who
would have predicted that the Yankees
and Tigers would be fighting Il out for
first-place honors in the American would
have been mentioned as candidate for
the BOBBY hatch. The same thing would
would have been applied to anyone who
predicted the rise Of the Phillies and the
inghorious fall OF the Giants in the Ma
tional
Many there are who spool the future
prospects Of those Phrantic Philadelphia
Phillies But the PhiIlies have become
spoof-spoof They've been spoofed at
since the season began. but they stu are
considerably among the people.
The Phillies tackled the toughest teams
in the east-and held first place. They
tackled the world champion Braves and
wsllopcd them. They grappled with the
Giants. beat them TO n pulp. and then
dubbed the Dodgers. Then came the
western clubs. but they haven't done any
dethroning The Phillies have met their
terrific onslaughts and hurled them back.
Alexander NAMED as star.
Any club that can tackle every club in
the league during the first six weeks and
keep around the crest IL a club that
must be counted In the running, espe-
cially II Il has a pitching star like Alex
ander Of Nebraska and a battling demon
like Cravath.
The Braves look 100 per cent better
than they did at this time last year, but
about 30 per cent worse than they did
while at the height OF their 1914 squirt
The pitchers aren't going we'll n they
round into old-time form shortly the
Braves surely will be ripping some huge
holes I'm the percentage OF the other
clnbs
The Cubs look better than any Chicago
National outfit In many years The team
IL playing with spirit. Its pitchers are
going good and. barring spell OF hard
luck they will be in the scrap for con-
siderable period.
The wonderful punch that carried the
Giants to the crest Of the National
league In other years seems gone
Possibly 81 may come back; probably not.
II Il doesn't. the Giants will do we'll 10
they finish in first division.
Girnts Inek somets'n~,
The Giants Lakeland always have
lacsed-rcal base ball class. The team.
as a. whole. never was more than a
mediocre outfit II was the fighting spirit
that McGraw instiiled into his crew that
carried them TO the top. But the spirit
seems TO have fitted away-and a
mediocre ball team remains.
The Dodgers have some good pitchers,
a few ciouteFs and may prove danger
Gus to clubs that have first-divislon am
at.s
10 date. The Cardinals seem shy Of the
1919 power and the Reds seem to have
shot their bolt.
In the American the Tigers look like
real pennant possibilities. Any club that
totes along Messrs. Cobb and Crawford
always can be figured as dangerous on
the offensive. This year the Tigers have
good pitching staff. II II holds up.
watch Detroit.
Varkeer n NEE sa~~~t-~.
The Yankees constitute almost a. big
surprise In the base ball world as the
Braves did I'm 1914 They've had wonder
full pitching up to date. the ciubbers are
clubbing In pinches. and n nothing
happens 60 break the teams spirit, the
Yanks look like sure fIrst-division poss.-
bllities. AZ 70 the pennant-weii, stranger
stunts have occurred.
The Red soxs are Just getting under
way after a poor start due 20 the hors
de combat condition OF three star twirlerB
Leonard. Wood and Gregg. Iris
Speaker Is beginning TO hit in nid-sea-
son form. ana the sox are sure to
move up.
Those rsiuyenated white sox have a
great quartet OF pitchers. a whirlwind
infield and a mighty good hitting outfit.
headed by jacques Fournier and Eddie
Collins. They certainly win be pennant
contenders all the way.
Not the Same Senator'S.
The Senator's OF 1915 are not tho SEN
stors OF 1913 and 1914 They havo about
the same outfit that made such game
fights during the last two years. but
something seems lacking. Whatever Il
II II muet be recovered or the Senators
must DO counted out Of the gang Of the
pcnnant battlera
Cleveland looks 100 per cent better than
II did IN 1914. but Il doesn't look good
enough 10 land In first position. Com
petition Il too keen. The Browns will be
lucky n they keep out Of last place.
while the once peerless Athletics must
pull together very soon. or they'll land
farther down on ladder than any other
team has landed IN hase BAH history.