Evening star., 1917-10-02
NATIONALS FIGHTING
FORF|FTHPOS|T|0N
Must Win Two in Boston to Re-
tain Leadership of Sec =
ond Division.

| If the Nationals are to make sure OF
| retaining the position they now hold
in the race they will have to be "up
and doin'" in Boston in tie seasons
! final series Of four games with the
Red Sox. which opens this afternoon
with a double-header. The margin the
Grirmen hold over the Yankees is just
two and a half games. The Red SoN
have been winning with regularity
since they lost all chances to attain
| the pennant, and can be counted upor
to put up a stiff battle against the
Capitalians at Fenway Park, where
Griffith's cohorts have had but a small
measure Of success this season.
| While Washington is engaged at the
Hub. the Yankees will be taking on
| Connie Mack's low1y Philadelphia out
| fit. The Donovanites have won more
than two-thirds of their games from
the Athletics this season, and the Red
Sox have taken the Griffmen into camp
they have met, so it Is apparent that il
both Boston and New York maintain
their seasons ratio the Nationals are
due to slide down the ladder into sixth
place, while the Athletics will end the
campaign firmly entrenched in the cell
lar.
If Washington can split even with the
Sox. however, they cannot be dislodged
from the head of the second division
even though the Yankees win all of
their three games from the Mackmen.
while the Quaker city outfit, if 1t
cleans up the series of three games
with the Yankees. not only will there
by assure the Nationals of holding
from the league basement and win
seventh place from the St. Louis
Browns who now occupy this niche.
Griffith has johnson, Harper, Shaw;
duty in Boston. and it is assured he will
not spare them in his effort to take two
of the four games and thereby become
assured of fifth place. Should it happen
tits with the NIackmen and the Nationals
win one and lose three in Boston. Wash
ington and New York then would be tied
for fifth place with 72 games won, 81 lost.
an average OF All.
That this season has been a big one
financially for Owner Comiskey Of the
White Sox is indicated by the size of the
This was for $17.113, and as it repre-
sented 10 per cent of the gross receipts
from the home games of the White
Sox it means that the total was $171.-
900. His teams share of receipts from
games on the road probably totaled
close to 100000. However. the aver
age major league team costs $1,000 a
day to operate, or s154.000 for the sea-
son and. in addition. the cash he spent
for spring training, scouting and in
cidentals reached a stable amount. But
it Is assured the "Old Roman" has en-
joyed a highly profitable year, proba-
bly, the best since he entered base ball.
Johnny Evers, the famous Trojan, may
become a major league pilot next sea-
son. He has announced his intention of
retiring with the close of the present
campaign and it Is reported he already
has received at least one tempting oner
to assume the management of a big
league club in 1918.
AS a bench manager Evers should
make good. He Is keen student Of the
game, has the faculty of injecting fight
into a club and. has had ample exper-
ience to qualify him for the job Of
pilot. Evers has gotten along famously
with the umpires since quitting the
Boston Braves and II not actively en-
gagged in playing could be counted upon
to avoid the disastrous run-ins with
the officials that were caused by his
hasty temper in the heat Of battle.