The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-07-16
THESE Be PARL0US
DAYS FOR BASEBALL
Uncertainty Reigns as One After An
other Star Players Quits the
Diamond for Trenches.
GAMES FATE IN BALANCE
American League Race Is Close With
Hard Fight Ahead for winner.
National Pennant Between New
York and Chicago.

New York. July 15.-While the fate
of baseball hangs In the balance. the
mad scramble for supremacy IN tne
major leagues still goes on. Wnlle
the players and magnates are hoping
against hope that the government al
Washington will not put the pan
on the great national game. the true
fighting spirit of American sportsman
ship is being exempified.
These are the dark days" of base
hail The writers of the sport Will
refer to them as such after the suspense
is over and the game itself is hrm-
" on its feet again.
Truly this has been an unique sea-
son. The uncertainty that has been
attached to It has been the darkening
shadow from April to the present time,
and will continue to be till the worlds
sartes battle is over Already it has
dealt the X o out to some of the
stronger minors. Managers are not
sure; club owners are not sure: and
the fans are completely up In the
air
one after another OF the great men
have been lost to the sport. the mighty
Hank Gowdy first. the great Alexan-
der. the slugger Benny kauf and one
after another till the last, our SEN
sational shortstop, Charley Hollerch.
the seasons find. Day after day new
names and new faces are seen in the
lineup, as the men are brought in
In wholesale lots from the minors and
collegiate teams.
So far the season has established
little, except possibly that nothing Is
certain.
The American league race as 1T
stands is a close contest and 1t will
take a lot of hard fighting 10 decide
the victor In the National league. the
battle seems to be limited to two
clubs, Chicago and New York.
The past week. as well as the many
weeks proceeding since the teams first
went to the Southern training camps,
has brought forth it's new develop
ment Chief among these was the
disaster wrought by the work or
nEht@- order Hardly any club escap-
ed the weight of the new war depart
ment ruling. Roger Hornshy, the
most prominent of the men summon
ed. Will probably be the test man.
His case has already been appealed
TO the Texas district board.
Chicago and New York have play
ed their crucial series In Chicago. and
this test Of the strength OF the two
clubs has proved practically nothing
except that they are well matched
In the American league. Cleveland
has started on the acid test tour
through the East and has been meet
ing few reverses. At that the Indians
have proven themselves capable Of
playing a good game and Will prob
ably stand the drive gamely when the
double header season is well under
way. The Senators have been gradu-
ally pushed down. Their spectacular
string OF winning seems now 20 he
broken and they are again marking
time with the other three leaders Of
the race.
individually. Ty Cobb was the fea-
ture man. He has hatted his way
from seventeenth place TO the top of
the league and is setting the pace
by good margin of some twenty
points in less than two weeks time.
It's hard to beat natures way-save
hy driving