The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-08-28


-1i Even before the double disaster be-
gan Mr.. Shakespeare could have begun
gathering data. Manager Engle was
engaged in converse ton with We SCRIBE
and he had been asked that old ques-
ton that every Topeka fan has asked
over and over:
What's the matter with the Iopeha
team"
-. Engie replied in substance as fol-
i lows:
..In the first place. it is luckless
team. You car say what you want to
nbout luck. but ever since ! have been
here tough luck has played an IN
,,.,f;stn. par, ia LCcpiui; us ir"In
climbing. The breaks Of the gam
have gone against us consistently al
ways And. every time we get started
on the upward climb, something nap
pens to some of the players and the
winning combination is broken up by
Injuries.
First. we had trouble with our
pitchers. and then when we got them
L. going good. Schweitzer got injured.
S-chveitzer rejoined us. and then Coch-
ran. when he was going at MS pest,
vas crippled in the hand. Then
sschw eitzer injured his leg again, ana
after that Devore pulled up lame.
ION top of this, we have rev
players who do not have their hear
in the game. and with nothing out
tlieir salari to fight for-no post
season inducement-it has been a haru
matter to keep them scrlpping for
q mes az they ought to scrap. These
ere the things that have KEEP. us down
ard the things we have had TO con-
ttnd with ever since l took charge OF
The club Maybe there have been
,aher factors. but tough luck has been
the major cause of our staying down
instead of being up in the race and
fighting for the pennant."
Better Material.
80 If the old Bard of Avon couldn't
have made a rip-snortin' tragedy out
of this We miss our guess. But there
Is no guessing to what he could
have made out of the two games OF
the afternoon which the Bears an
-nexed by the scores of To ) and
2 TO o. Even with his negI, cted wife
nsgEing at him To pay the grocery bill
ne could have written a masterpiece
fiom the double disaster thar overlook
the Savagcs and pushed them down
below the OakeS crew.
The iirst game was made to order
for a playwright. After the Bears had
taken a two run lead in the first
frame. Rusty Bill" Lathrop and Doc
tor Manscr settled down to a nip and
tuck pitchers battle that lasted six
innings. and the game moved along
with polished smoothness.
- First there had been the opening
thriller. Denver making two runs right
off the reel, just as Shakespeare prob
ably would have had them DO. Then
there were the six innings of the bat
tie without either side gaining adj
Vantag &c. Then came the big act. lead
ing up to the sad but interesting eli
max. in which. with man on ahead
of him. DEBATE hit Il home run over
the fence. tying the score. Then there
MAS the necessary suspense furnished
10y the ninth inning and chucked fun
of thrills and made exciting by the
fact that the Bears got men on second
and third with no outs. only to be
retired scoreless.
The Big. Fatal End.
And then came the tear producing.
tragic tenth inning in which the home
battlers were completely overwhelm-
ed. There was the lucky hit of Man
ser's that started the fireworks. the
hobhle by Engle that permitted Miller
to camp safely at first. the infield hit
by Lloyd. and the sacrifice fly by
Oakes that scored the Grizzly veterin-
arv and won the game And on top of
all this came the flagpole homer of
Overs that cleaned the bases and
smothered ont the last spark of hope
that the excited fans had been cling
Ing to.
Undoubtedly the father of Antony
and CLEOPATRA and Romeo and Juliet
could have manufactured broadway
thriller out of this performance. and 1t
Is unfortunate that he was not present
to take advantage of the opportunity.
The SECOND game was not 40 much
NJ n thriller altho il was a close con-
test and was not settled until the sew
cnrh inning which was the end, by
agreement.
Pitching Was Good.
Roth HenninG and Irion pitched
ehutout hall for the first six innings,
all a
frame, but in the first of the seventh