Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 September 1886 — BASE-BALL. [ARTICLE]

BASE-BALL.

The Champion Chicago Club in the Lead, and Will Again Fly the Pennant. The base-ball season is nearing the close, only a few more games remaining to be played. The champion Chicagos hava proved themselves the steady stayers theii friends claimed them to be, and by brilliah? play in the last few weeks have distanced all competitors. Nothing but a miracle can now prevent them retaining th? chainpionship for another season. Tha following table shows the standing of the League clubs at this writing: NATIONAL LEAGUE. Games Garnet Clubs— won. lost. ChicagoS3 21' Detroit 77 31 New 3S PfiiTaclelpHia 58 4C Boston .46 56 St. Louis.. 39 G 7 Kansas City2B 76 Washington...,.l9 80 In the American Association the St. Louis club has a dead sure thing on the champion flag. The eight clubs stand as shown below: Clubs— Won. Lost St. Louisß2 40 Pittsburg6B 53. Brooklyn6s . 57 Louis villa. ... .64. - 58 Cincinnati.s7 64 Athletic 53 63 Metropolitan.... 46 69 Baltimore 43 z 74

Base-Ball Notes. Unlike other clubs, Chicago never makes crippled players an excuse for defeat, and they have their share of mishaps as well as other players. President Spalding, of the Chicago Dlub: “The Chicago Club will not play Sunday games, and will oppose Sunday playing in the League.” Ryan, of the Chicagos, is the best batter of the League youngsters. In sixteen games he made twenty-three hits, with a total of forty, an average of .352, with a total of .591. The four weakest batters in the League and Association ate all pitchers, and yet a pitcher stands as high as eighth in the League, while a twirler actually leads the Association, and another is but three pegs below him. The averages indicate that the best League fielding team would be: Pitchers, Boyle and Casey; catchers, O’Rourke aud Bennett, basemen, Farrar, H. Richardson, and Denny; short-stop; Force or Glasscock; outfielders, Hornung, Daily, and Fogarty. The best League batting team according to averages would be: Buffington, Ryan, and Stemmyer, pitchers; Kelly and Ewing, catchers; Anson, Myers, and White on the bases; Glasscock, short-stop; H. Richardson, Hines, and Thompson in the outfield. More superstitious notions: Gleason, of St. Louis, always comes on the field walking astride the right foul line. Big Brouthers always lays his gloves in a certain spot white he goes into the bench or to the bat, and he allows no one to interfere with them. Wizard Shaw has a peculiar superstition that if he steps in the box from any direction but the rear it will hoodoo him; consequently, no matter if he be standing directly in front of the box when the ball is returned to him, he religiously walks around the box to the right and goes in the back door. No power on earth could induce him to enter the box from the sides or front. ■ The religious dances of the ancients consisted for the most part of slow and stately movements around the altar, without any violence of gesture or attempt at gymnastic dexterity, and more in the nature of a ceremonial accompanied by music than what is implied by our word dance; consequently, among the Greeks and Romans freeborn citizens of both sexes and all ranks, even the highest, took part in these exhibitions without any disparagement to the gravity of their, characters or dignity of position.