Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 May 1887 — OUR NATIONAL GAME. [ARTICLE]

OUR NATIONAL GAME.

The Unprecedented Interest That Is Being Taken in BaseBa'.l. i— L The Race for the Pennants —A Veteran’s Advice to Amateur Ball Players. [CHICAGO CORRESPONDENCE.] In no past year has the national game of base-ball aroused such interest as seems to have Liken hold of the people in every League and American Association city since the championship seasons of these two big orgauizat ous have been inaugurated. In Chicago more interest is taken in the League stiuggle than in the Association, presumably irom the fact that this city is exclusively a League city and that ho other professional organization supports a club here. General surprise and disappointment are being manifested in Chicago over the poor showing made by the Chicago champions thus far in the race. Their defeat in th? opening game of the season, followed by defeat in two of the three games. played at Indianapolis, and in ihe first two games played upon the home grounds, has had the effect of bearing Chicago club stock, so tar as its playing strength is concerned, more than anything else that has .happened: and with the impulsiveness usually exhibited under such circumstances, many aumirers of the game, who should know better, have expressed a slighiing estimate of the team’s strength as compared with other clubs that it will be compelled to meet in the struggle for championship honors this season. Among the older heads, however, the hope prevails that Chicago is strong enough to give the most likely clubs in the League a hard race before the finish is reached.

Anson has expressed the opinion upon more than one occ ision that New York will be the only dub that Chicago will have to fear this season, and while one should have every regard for the big Captain's views in in such matters, many differ with him to the extent of believing that Detroit, and not New York, will prove Chicago's most forniidable’adversary in this race. Ihe race for the league pennant shows the Detroit club still holding on to the lead, with New York a fair second, and Boston close upon the heels of tho “Giants.” Chicago is fighting nobly for last place, and may succeed in gaining the proud (?) dstinclion of becoming the tail-enders of the string. Pittsburgh is playing a remarkably pretty game, and playing it in a style, too, that would indicate its ability—barring accidents, of course—to hold to the place indefinitely,. ■ ■ ..1 \\ ' Ihe following table will show the work of the League clubs to date:

I I taiw -j te jg UH. teotibibta ols® | Q .Si'S s=l 5d d .IQ ? 010 o a Detroit 0; 0 0 2 0 sjo 7| I|B 1 Chicag0.,,,,.,,... 0 ..I 0 0 0 0] I 0 1 4 5 7 New "York 00.. 1021) 2 5272 Boston. ~„4.0, 0 0... 02024263 Pittsburgh 1 2 00.. 0 003254 Philadelphia..... 0011 0.. 013475 Indianapolis.- 01200 0 0.. 02686 Washington 0| 0l 0 0 0 0 0 .. 1 5 68 In the Association race St. Louis still holds the lead. Following is the work of the teams: ii !«• j i • n d a ® ts 2 ft Clubß. 9' S 3p4 fl tn tn tn © tn O O © © U § g | s a sS is :d . m 5 -fl C ® 43 d did d Athletic 0 2 0 0 0 4 dl 6l 7j13 6 Baltimore 6 .. 1 0 0 0 3 010 313 2 Brooklyn 1 3 ..I 0 0 0 4 0 8| 4 12 4 Ciuciniiati.,...’... 000— 5 1 0 2 8 7 15 5 Cleveland . ... Wtc O -0 0 0 113]14 8 Louisville 00053.. 019 615 3 Metropolitan.. 0 0 1 0 o'o.. 0 1 11112 7 St. Louis:. 0 0 0 2 5 4 0 .. 11 3,14 1

The Chicago Club is badly off for pitchers, and herein lies the trouble. Clarkson is the club’s only thoroughly conditioned pitcher at present, and, disagreeable as it may be, it is, nevertheless, true that, with Flynn in his present crippled condition and Ryan firm in his determination not to pitch, there is but little, if any, probability that Chicago will play well enough to win a majority of the games in their series with any of the clubs they may meet until this weakness is remedied. This condition of things, however, can not last for long. Neither Anson nor Spalding will approve a team that has shown its inability to play better ball than Chicago has played thus far this season; and if Van Haltren does not join the team at an early day it may be depended upon that Chicago will go out upon its first Eastern tour next week with two, or nt least one, able, experienced, and thoroughly conditioned pitcher to re--1 eve Clarkson in futuie. The fact that the box is the very dangerously weak point in the Chicago team, Anson long ago recognized, and that the gap in the team’s ranks made by this shortcoming will be soon tilled is a foregone conclusion. Not for many seasons past has amateur base-ball enjoyed so great a bpom in Chicago as it is ndw experiencing. Every Saturday afternoon the great open lots upon the prairies, as well as the lawns of many of the public parks, are covered with amateur teams and their friends. With few exceptions the new rules of the League and Association, as given in “Spalding’s Guide,**""are adhered to. For the benefit of young players it may be well to quote that veteran -in base-ball efforts, Bob Ferguson, of the Metropolitans, who says in reference to the work and style of a player in the field: “To stop a ball well requires practice. An infielder should have agility anda quick eye. Little more is required. The dead ball is much easier to stop than the -lively ball that was in use when I played third base. In those days the balls came to you red hot, audit was a frequent occurrence to see a player knocked off his feet by them. The dead ball as used now comes to you without any lie, and the only thing is to have hurd enough hands to hold it I could describe a number of ways in which the ball is stopped. Some players will shin the ball; that is, they will stop it with their shins with the intention of picking it up quickly, but in doing this the ball is apt to bound away from them. Again, some players will ‘crowd’ a ball by dropping on it with their hands and knees, but unless they are very quick they are not able to recover themselves in time. Then I have seen players ‘ draw the ball,’ as it is called, by standing in front of it with legs close together, and let the ball run up to their hands. This is the worst of the lot, for if the ground is in any way rough the ball is sure to bound away to one side. The perfect plan, according to my idea, is the one which I always used, and I found it to be the most effective, and that is to scoop the ball as it cOmes to you. This I do by holdiiig the hands close together and give the arms full play. As the ball comes up let the hands go back between the legsslightly, and when the ball is about a foot “from you, suddenly brrngthehands forward and run the fingers under the ball. It is easy and sure.”