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Show HEAD OF CHICAGO CUBS HAS HOPES By CHARLES W. MURPHY President of the Chicago Nationals. Chicago, Sept. 2. The fight for tho 1012 championship in the National league is hy no means over, and it would not surprise some if the race would tighten up from now on until the last game Is played in October. The Now York club got off well and secured a lead, chiefly because the Brooklyn and Boston clubs offered of-fered little resistance to the Giants, and also because the Philadelphia Nationals Na-tionals who are now playing great ball, were in a badly crippled condition. condi-tion. While the Giants wero meeting with little opposition during tho early part of tho season, wo were experimenting experi-menting with out line-up to some degree de-gree and wero also battling with strong clubs like Pittsburg and Cincinnati, Cin-cinnati, which went very well early in tho season, and St. Louis. This plying start put the New York club In a position whero it seemed to have things Its own way, but the present line-up of the Chicago club Is such that wc will keep flghtlug until un-til the last ray of hope Is gone, and if the Cubs can get some assistance from other qlubs In the way of downing down-ing the Giants now and then, the race may continue right through to the end" of the season. Chicago Team Best. Personally, I believe that the Chicago Chi-cago club, as It Is now lined up, Ib superior su-perior to the New Yorkclub. I also believe that the Philadelphia National Nation-al league club is equal. It not superior to the New York club. We have had the misfortune to lose the services of Mordecal Browu, who sustained an injury to his knee, and ihat has hurt us some. We have also had the same bad luck with regard to Cheney. In ray judgment, the Chicago team knows "more inside baseball than any learn in the country, and I think we have increased our pitching strength materially in Lei field, Lavender and Chenev. Ruclbach is going fine at this time and will no doubt bo a big factor In our success throughout the remainder of the season. I do not think I ever saw Manager Chance manifest more Interest In tho game thau just now, and this la largely large-ly due to the fact that he is feeliu; better than he has far some time past. Batting of Zimmerman. The tremendous batting of Zimmerman, Zimmer-man, together with his all-round play, has helped us largely, and Manager Chance recently said he would not trade Zimmerman for any third baseman base-man In baseball. Saler and Leach are both playing great ball and have fitted into our machine nicely. Evers. Tinker, Shecknrd and Schultc aro going along fU well as they havo In former yoars, and the catching of Archer Is something some-thing that people talk about overy place the Cubs go We arc well fortified for-tified In having Tom Downey and Jerry Downs for utility lufleldcrs, as both of them are good batters and base runners and men of experience who know tho game. Our outfield is well fortified in having hav-ing such men as Good, Williams and Miller for extra men, as we arc practically prac-tically carrying two outfields. Need-ham Need-ham and Cotter are both good catchers catch-ers and good batsmen, so that wc are pretty well fortified behiud the baL Scouring the Country. Wo are scouring the country in our effort to secure a little more pitching pitch-ing strength, and we will not allow the expenditure of money to stand in the way of giving the public tho be6t that can be had If wo can build up our pitching staff so that it will be 20 per cent stronger next year than it Is this year, I do not sec how any club is going to beat us out of another pennant. We have our lines out for some mighty good men, and I would not be surprised if their -success would duplicate, that of Lavender, Lie-field Lie-field and Cheney with us. Tho Chicago public Is entitled to the best that can be had, and following follow-ing out our policy of attempting to mako good on the ball field we are going to keep on strengthening our team and rebuilding the Cub machine until we can again point with pride to our club and its achievements. If ve do not heat the Giants from now until the end of the pennant race, we will at least give them a battle and a mighty good scare. Personally, Per-sonally, I think my club has moro than an outside chance for the pennant. |