South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-06-27
NATIONAL LEAGUE
RACE CLOSE ONE
Brooklyn Looks to be Best
Bet-Several Other Teams
Are Dangerous.
BY Frank G. Menke.

international News service.
NEW YORK. June 26.-The issue
IN the National league race con-
tinues in doubt. The season is near
~ half over. yet none Of the teams
has a decided advantage Four are
considerably in the race, with two
others close enough up 10 cause
their supporters to be slightly hope
ful.
The Dodgers have the edge so far.
The Brooklynite hurlers. following
the pace Of Jen Pfener. have been
whirling inward at a terrific clip.
The team as q whole, has been hit
ting Such a combination will fur
nish a fight in any league all the
time
The Phillies refuse To do any
cracking. They have demonstrated
To- date that their achievement of
year ago was not a fiuke. other
teams went into the IA - sSnsider
ably strengt hened The fnilly line
up Of 1916 is almost intact Yet
that squad Of Moran insists" con-
tinues 10 hang around first place
with a grimness that is surprising.
Giants Are Dangerous.
The Giants-heaVen only knows
what they will do. They have been
so erratic this season that no one
can forecast from one day TO an
other what they are likely TO do.
First they started by losing Is out OF
- games. burying themselves as II
seemed in last place. Then they
turned right around and won Il
straight Following that they have
played i'm and out baseball. display
ing flashes of brililancy one day;
performing like dubs the next The
Giants are a dangerous team, and
they seem TO have sufficient will
power to lift themselves TO the top J
But will they use that power?
The Braves have been a disap- /
pointment. They never actually have T,
started. All season long the brand |
Of baseball they have displayed has
been spotted. ON paper, the Braves f.
loom up as a pennant combination. /
They have the hitters, the fielders
and the pitchers. They don't seem |
20 lack anything necessary 10 keep /
a club right In the pennant fight. I
7
along Fred Marshall Stallings,
however. is hopeful. His club, he
feels. is a warm weather outfit. one
that really doesn't begin speeding
Up until heat is in our midst. The
tcrrid spell is about due, and now
comes the Bostonian test. Will the
Braves move upward and onward
or won't they?
The Cubs. after poor start. have
been doing nicely. But they still are
quite a jump from first place. Jo-
sephus Tinker is optimistic He
should be. His club is strong in every |
department. If the breaks begin TO !
come the Cuban way. instead of GO
ing against them as in the past. |
Chicago will have it's long delayed !
chance to exude cheers.
The pepperiest club in the Tener
circuit is that headed by Charles
Lincoln HerzoE Those Redlegs
look so good that it occasions sur
prises to find them imbedded in the
second division. Herzog explains this
~ saying that his pitchers-espe-
Cially TOney. the star. have rounded
too slowly this season.
Reds Going Nicely.
The team as a whole is going
along nicely now" said Herzog I'm
the past we were beaten frequently
because my pitchers weren't deliv-
ering and because we had some hard !
luck. Now we're ready. If we don't |
show up well from now on il won't /
be because of tough luck. but be- |
cause we have faced better teams"
The Pirates have played better |
baseball than was expected, but |
they are in seventh place. The !
chances are that they won't rise !
higheT-not more than one notch at /
best. The team is too mediocre to |
figure in a pennaut night. The Car /
dinals also have been going poorly 4
hut probably they have done the best |
they could. They are imbedded In 4
the cellar. and when one gazes upon E,
the makeup OF the club, no surprise |
results. The Cards are the worst /
looking team in the league and they I
are in their proper element-last /
place
Right now. Brooklyn looks like the /
best club in the league, with the |
PhiIlies as danger3us rivals. The |
Giants may cause trouble for both |
and they may not. They are impos- |
sible TO dope" The Braves have |
the punch-but will they deliver it? |
And the cubs and Reds are the |
dark horses" with the Reds so /
dusky of tinge that the betting is I
about 100 TO I against them.