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Show THE BOSTOPLAM Their Chances for Winning the Pen-' Pen-' ' nant Seem to Be Pirst-- Pirst-- f ? ' , ; Class. i , EADBOUENE ' I1T GREAT FOBM. Savr York May Brace Up Yet-Pliiladel-phia, Boston and Chicago Surprising Sur-prising Everybody. THE Boston learn of the Players' Play-ers' League havo struck a gait that is fast making the teams apprehensive that they will pet the largest share of tliat $20,000 in prize money to which all in common must contribute at the end of the season. The way Captain Michael J. Kelly and his assistants are pounding crock pitchers and rolling up runs and victories is well calculated to worry their adversaries, particularly the jfcw York brothers, who do not appear to be in'it at oil. It this thing keeps up much longer they will be calling some of these Inducibles crocked pitchers. There have already been many surprises In the memorable campaign just opened, and one of them is the remarkable form shown by that old war horse Kadbourne. Of course it is early in the game to make predictions, but if Radbourne holds his peed and Stovey, Richardson, Nash, Brou-tbers Brou-tbers and Kelly keep up the lively cannonading can-nonading the lively Keefs ball is receiving, the gentlemen from Boston will come pretty pret-ty near winning the Brotherhood bnnting. At any rote it looks now as if the guess I ventured to make some time since that Boston, Brooklyn, New York and Chicago would wrestle for first money was well founded, save as regards New York. And there is no certainty that New York will not be In it before long. It won't do to count Brother Ewlng out of it yet. If they do not get too deep into the consomme, Back's team will strike a winning gait soon, and when they do they will make it lively. So far as Buck's team go they are not the same old Giant. Figure it as you will the loss of Ward, Tlernan and Welch has . made a vacuum. Ward was frequently irregular, ir-regular, but when the Giants got into a tight place he was nearly always, ready to pull them out They used to say out in Indianapolis that Mike Tiernan was a demon with the stick. Certainly those bunts and hard drives of his were handy adjuncts to victory. And Welch well, Jhtiokey and his smile were of some value In spite of the fact that since he refused to sign a Players' league contract his old comrades com-rades have voted him a stiff. The reasons far the many defeats of Kwing's men in the past two weeks are not mysteries. Buck's pitchers have been hit hard and his outfielders out-fielders have been a bit slow. That's all ' there is to it. Buck has read the riot act to all hands, and unless there is some ball playing pretty soon there will be some surprises. sur-prises. The Buffalos have surprised the country by their success, and the Chicagos have been somewhat of a disappointment. Com-iskeyhas Com-iskeyhas not got quite the work out of tbem that they are capable of doing, but at present they do not seem to have much to fear except Boston and Brooklyn. Ward's team bave certainly done splendid work so far, and will do better as the season sea-son progresses. Their victories from Boston Bos-ton and New York are a pointer that they are likely to keep well up with the procession. proces-sion. In the League race the surprise has been the good ball played by the Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago colts, who have kept well to the front and seem to show no disposition dis-position to let go. All three teams are playing magnlficont ball, and have seemingly, for the time at least, eclipsed the veteran teams of New York, Brooklyn and Cincinnati. Mutrie's aggregation bave mado no better showing, so t ex as position is concerned, than Kwing's Kw-ing's men, for both teams are ornaments of the rear division, and well in the rear, too. Still they have played good ball. The main trouble seems to be a lack of effective effec-tive team work and the aptitude the stars of the team have shown- in making costly . errors. But with such pitching and base running talent as the team undeniably have, they will not long remain in the background. back-ground. They have the material to win the pennant, and Manager Mutrie, like Manager Ewlng, is confident that before the 1st of June his men will be well to the front. Slxing up both teams, I think Mutrie will be nearer the top than Buck will when the two teams go on their first western trip. The western teams, with tho exception excep-tion of Cleveland, have been holding their , own against each other during the opening games; but it is plainly evident that Cleveland Cleve-land and Pittsburg are not probable candidates candi-dates for first place honors. The Bostons are doing the best batting, but seemed to lack intelligent direction in their games at Brooklyn. They have a great lot of base runners, but unless their ambition in this respect Is curbed when they are hitting the ball out of the lot, it will lose mauy games for them before the season closes. The Brooklyn team seem to be suffering from the same trouble that has beset the New York Brotherhood team. Their pitchers are not in proper form, but I think Xbis will merely be temporary. . Caruthers has pitched one good gams and so has Hughes. A few days of good hot weather will greatly help Byrne's pitching talent, because physically all the pitchers are in good condition and have taken good care of themselves all winter. Summed up the colt teams of the league have the call at present, but the indications, to me at least, are that before the end of June New York and Brooklyn will be well up, making a pretty race with Chicago, Boston and Philadelphia. Phil-adelphia. The weakness of Philadelphia's team is in the box, and it will be apparent when the heavy stickers begiu to get their eye on the ball in earnest, and Chicago will suffer from the same cause before long. So far the Players' league teams hare done more batting than the National league teams. Indeed, the Brotherhood pitchers have been pounded all aloug the line. It is too early yet to figure out, if it can be figured, how much of this is due to tho eighteen inches added to the pitchers' distance. Tim Keefe says that it is due mainly to a too lix-cly ball and the fivct that the pitchers are not in condition. Tim, in my judgment, has hit t he nail on the head. W. I. Harris. |