Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-08-30

tar IN front in the American league
race that nothing short of a com
pIete reversal of form will give
Cleveland or New York a chance 20
win out. Both the Indians ard
Yankees have been slipping, the In
0lanS making very sorry showing
since the loss of Chapman. In six
teen games Cleveland has won four
ana lost tWelvs-the worst ball ~
lar they have played this season
/ Ihat is q percentage of only .S33,
while the White Sox have been
gong at an 1915 pace. Cleveland
mas thirty-four more games to play
ana even If they win twenty-five IF
those, playing at a 1886 clip their
chances are remote for the White
SoX have thirtytwo games to play
and unless they slump badly would
still finish on top. The race is not
over, but Chicago has a very com
| handing lead so LATE in the season.
me National league race is as
tlght as ever, Brooklyn holding up
surprisingly well aginst all oppo-
sltlon including Cincinnati, while
New York has been having SOME
trouble against western teams
Cincinnati's purchase of Pitcher
Napier from the Texas league adds
strength to its pitching staff which
has been uncertain and Should helm
the team in its final dash.
Much space has been devoted 10
Carl Mays by sport writer's the
country over since he accidentally
hit Ray Chapman with that fatal
fitch. None, Of course, accuse
Mays of Intentionally hitting the
Cleveland shortstol,. The tragedy
is referred to an accident, but, with
the exception of New York writers.
the tendency is to recall the facr
thatfMays always has been credited
with use of the bean" ball. Many
OF the baseball experts assert that
some way should be found to do
away with the bean" ball. One
says that in former days the bat
ters threw their bats at the pitcher
whom they believed pitched at
their heads and says if batters did
that today bean" balls scon woull
be unknown.
President Ban johnson, of the
American league, SAID after tho
accident, that he doubted if Mars
ever would pitCh again, at least not
this year. He thought the accident
would work on Mays nerves and
also recalled that he was unpopular
with the players because he was
known as a bean ball pitcher.
Mays was reported to have suf-
fered a nervous breakdown after
the accident, but New York
writer says Mays denied this and
said he only had a headache" In
any event, Mays was able to take |
fls regular turn in the box and |
pitched against Detroit and won. |
Just one week to the day after the |
accident. The hitting of Chapman
did not seem to have weakened his |
effectiveness as a pitcher. An ac- |
count of this game said that a
couple of times when Mays pitched I
close to the batter he yelled: !
Look OUT" or course Mays did /
not want to hit the batter. His /
shout, however while a warning /
to the batter Of n clOse-in pitch !
also could be construed as an eff
fort TO brighten the batter. and if !
Mays continues to so shout at bat
ters in later games It will be so !
construed by players who don't ,
like him, regardless of Mays in
tentions.
Reports were sent out of New
York that Manager Iris Speaker,
of the Indians. before he went to
cleveland with Chapman's body,
told the owners of the Yankees that
he would do all he could to prevent
the players from taking organized
action against Mays. A Cleveland
writer, however, says that not
standing those reports Speaker had
said nothing either way about the
accident when he left Cleveland
after Chapman's funeral.
Everyone deplores the accident
to Chapman and Mays presence in
the game will not help the fans
and players to forget It. Mays is
in an unfortunate position.
Chief Bender. pitching for his
New Haven team against Bridge
port recently, entered the no-hit
no-rnn class. The only man who
reached first base was thrown out
trying to steal second.
A statistician has furnished the
statement that during the six years
carl Mays has been pitching in the
American league he has hit fifty
II In to-. |