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Show PITTSBURG PIRATES APPEAR STRONGEST IN NATIONAL LEAGUE ' ......... . .. . i.tk,it.lmi f Th Inf rrtrturtlon of thfl Tlw ling is also a factor, as he Is contributing contribut-ing the bent hitting of his career. Tho pitching department Is one of the strongest In the league, Sam Leaver and Deacon Phlllippc. the hardy old veterans, heroes of the pennant pen-nant years, seem to have regained old time form and are winning their games. Nick Mnddox. one of tho mainstays of last year, has not yet got Into winning shape, but this deficit Is more than made up by tho sensational - work of Howard Camnltz. Counted as a second rater for many years, this fellow has now come Into his own and Is mowing them down like tho real old boy with the hoe. Vic Willis and Lelfleld. two of the best of last season's staff, appear to bo as good as over, and a few youngsters have shown tolerable class In sundry battles. The Pittsburg pitching forco. In fact. Is going better than ever. and. adding to this the heavy batting of tho team and the unexpectedly fino play of the Infield, the task of stopping tho Pirates Pi-rates certainly looms up In monumental monu-mental size ; Will Livelier Ball Help Game? Ban Johnson's suggestion to furnish the American leaguo clubs with balls containing more rubber, which will make them livelier, therefore increasing the batting, will unquestionably have the desired effect, but the fact should not be overlooked that the uso of this type of a ball will decrease the fielding. Lively balls cannot bo Judged when bounding as aro tho kind now In use. and the result will be that there will be many more, errors made, and errors do not help to make baseball attractive. It Is a question whether a livelier ball would help the game. Fast ball phony bill they call ll has occasionally boon Introduced Into a game surreptitiously. The side at bat would manage somehow some-how to get tho "phony" Into play. If tho batter hit It fair It generally went whizzing past the waiting Inflelder or far over the head of the waiting outfielder. out-fielder. In tho Brotherhood league of 1S90, when a fast ball a ball loaded with an extra big chunk of rubber was used, there wero many more long hits than usual, but not as many singles. Tho theory was that the ball traveled so fast to an Inflelder when hit on the ground that It was an easy thing o get tho runner at HrPt. On the contrary. If hit to the outfield on a lino the ball would generally bump the fenco or go ! over it. Tho Introduction of tho new "fast ball", would mean a complete , change In all defensive tactics. - It might mean bigger score. It might awaken Interest for a little while In 1S30 the sentiment the country over was that the games In the Brotherhood league were less Interesting than those in the National, where the regulation ball was used. Just where tho Idea camo from that the oubllc Is clamoring for more hitting hit-ting Is hard to understand. Baseball has never been as prosperous as at the present time, which would Indicate that the patrons of tho gamo are satisfied with the exhibitions furnished. But it is decidedly questionable If tho public will take kindly to tho game with the batting Increased and the figures In tho error column" doubled. Cincinnati's Speedy Runner. Manager Clark Griffith of tho Cincinnati Cin-cinnati Nationals has the speediest team In either league. There may be speedier men than tho Rods' slowest foot workers, but when It comes to a composite flying machine Griffith's athletes ath-letes have every other team In the business busi-ness tied to a post. For tho past few weeks tho Reds manager has had his men practicing sprinting until now tho players can run a hundred in nearly 10 flat Take the lino from stem to storn. eliminating, of course, those heavy footed individuals, the pitchers, and there's not a man on the team who can't do the 100 yard straightaway In less than 11 seconds or mako the distance dis-tance around tho sacks under 15 flat. The Reds' new outfielder. Ward Miller, Mil-ler, makes a deer ashamed of Itself when Jt comes to covering ground. Next comes Second Baseman Egan, who . Is about as sweet a first base gainer and right hand batter as the Reds or any other team can boast of. After Egan comes "Rebel" Oakes, who has added to his speed repertory since tho Reds', sojourn In the east. Following Oakes comes Hans Lobert. one of the fastest men In tho National league or a long run, his little falling being a slow start from tho plate. This also goes for Mike Mitchell, who would finish fin-ish ten feet behind Hans In a patter around the bases. Dick Hoblitzell. Tom Downey and Frank Roth wind up tho pprlnt family eight of the fastest mer, that ever woro tho red of Cincinnati. And all they have to do to show theli speed Is to get on the sacks. By TOMMY CLARK. F the Pittsburg 'Pirates can rnaln- win the rapid pace they have Q been setting for the last month or ll more Manager Fred Clarke s Buc-eeors Buc-eeors will surely be a close contender for the National league banner at the end of the season. . Last year's Pirate team was a pow crful one and Idst out only by the closest clos-est margin, but there was a nera m-pression m-pression around the circui t that Clarke s men would not repeat their brin ant performance this Um- It was figured Pha Chicago would be In better shape and that the New Yorks would play a stronger game, a more ",acn,"-,i came. Moreover, there were two or weak points on the Pnratcj-r,,accs Pnratcj-r,,accs which would have to be strengthened, strength-ened, and tho material available for such strengthening seemed hard to ""The fact that both tho Cubs and Giants have shown themselves, weaker than had been expected has tended to help Pittsburg, no doubt, but the Pirate outfit lias been winning on sheer superiority su-periority of guns. It has been malting good right along, and the handy way U has whlrped the Cubs on nearly all occasions shows that It has the cham-. cham-. pions buffaloed. Unless something goes radically wrong It will bo hard to derail the Pirate bunch, for each week sees them ' getting a firmer hold upon the j ' Ituatlon. . j The Pittsburg team has been the i wonder of the major Leagues this sea-( sea-( ton. That so many youngsters should j be given regular positions and the team maintain the high position In the race ; Is considered little short of wonderful J by fans and writers In many cities, j With but one veteran-Hans Wagner J In tho Infield and another In the out-:; out-:; field tho Pirates have been consistent winners. In addition to this Clarko has ' stood pat on his pitching staff. I When tho Buccaneers started their campaign the view was generally cx-f cx-f pressed that they would not make as I good a pjiowi.ig as last year because) they had tho thrco youngs tors In tho ' lineup. It was pointed out by tho ' scribes that usually the breaking up of j ' a combination that had worked togoth-1 j er for some time wrought much dam-1 ) uge and that one now face on a team affected its work until the newcomer i j got on to the way things were done. j Pittsburg has a now first, second and ; third base man practically a new In-1 field. In view of this fact, the way Ab-1 eteln. Miller, Wagner and Barbcau have . ; MANAGER FRED CLARKE AND SOM MILLER P I T $SiS4, 1; ' ? .. i'if''' ' AWfrfr . ill '.siMmT -"v W . . v x.'d? ; Q . ' : t . ,: y)? ' '''Tn:i but had nover stuck. However, ho has V' r '"X vt.- l f- . ' " I- 5 ffi? y ' : been performing nearly as well at third ' ; :5;l i.' '' VyV ? ' ...gf II ? ' !sM$'' '": ' -y.Zj as Leach could do, and the shift of i$fi vt.;:Cv-;-My U ' i - ? :-'- ' :"-PvXrrm'l "Tomrnle the Woo" to the outer garden :;:h.Vvf' .A,V' : -'L ' S'f&S&tM lha4 strengthened that department con- ' t'v ''". - : VAM Hlderably. Owen Wilson ha also been 1 I . ' V-V ' v V-vVi--'- ' ' " ' v:Xsv'.; hitting much better than ever before. lU i-:cC''x-m- ' i' IJ.LEACfct .j&JiK'-'l If he can continue to wallop the leather .... , , )&yyj.X-i.''t;:(--- ' " as he has been doing his value will bo Did ball. Ho never hit so savagely as :; iT J jrm greatly enhanced- These young play- I10 has been doing this season, and his yjfr, JUfr 4V' ; J&PXk ers have all helped out greatly, so that (lclding work seems to stir up the three f.,, " v fW fti the Pirates are a much better balanced ''imf frJ1'11, f ;v:.:V.. ; -- Wtg aggregation than they were at any time Big Bill Abstein Is holding down first f:tl;& , && Ijffl ldSt season, and they should Improve sack, for many years the Pirates weak km- A ' IN X?WJ$W " their work as the recruits become :orner. In grand style. Miller at sec- i?S:.6 Vg?7 more accustomed to their duties, and. Is a mere youth- yet he has been -mrm 0ar- but had nover 6tuck. However, ho has been performing nearly as well at third as Leach could do, and the shift of "Tonnnle tho Woo" to the outer garden ha-i strengthened that department con-Hldcrably. con-Hldcrably. Owen Wilson has also been doing grand work and of late has been hitting much better than ever before. If he can continue to wallop the leather as he has been doing his value will bo greatly enhanced Theso young players play-ers have all helped out greatly, so that tho Pirates aro a much better balanced aggregation than they were at any time last season, and they should Improve In their work as the recruits become more accustomed to their duties. Gibson Is doing excellent work behind be-hind tho bat and has ripened Into tho highest class of ma,; km en. He Is far belter than In previous years. His bat- old ball. Ho never hit so savagely as ho has been doing this season, and his fielding work seems to Btlr up the three kids who are playing around him. Big Bill Absteln is holding down first sack, for many years the Piratos" weak vomer. In grand style. Miller, at second, sec-ond, la a mere youth, yet he has been setting the diamond on fire since he displaced Abbatlcchlo from second sack. It took a lot of nervo on Manager Clarke's part to yank out a veteran of ing of Tommy Leach to tho outfield was merely Intended to bo temporary when i It was first done, for thero was some question as to the, ability of "Jap" to cover the olf sack acceptably. Ho had been tried out before la fast company, I been working together Is Iittlo short of marvelous. The solidity and precision shown by tho Pittsburg infield have been a source of surprise and intense chagrin to tho other clubs and fans on tho circuit. With three new men working It was supposed to be impossible for the Pi-- Pi-- rates to develop tho lightning speed and mutual reliance which havo made the .'tib Infield almost Invincible. But tho pew men have fitted together like so much clockwork. They havo per- fected an Infield system that Is one of the best and most effective In the league, and, working round the great Hans Wagner as a pivot, they aro playing play-ing lightning ball at every stage. Wagner has undoubtedly been the salvation of tho team, both In tho wayj he has braced up the new Infleldersj and tho way he has been killing that' graduated from the lots last July, yet hl3 Judgment was of tho besL Miller ha proved himself an exceptional youngster, for ho has made good In every department of tho game, and his nlcknamo of "Honus Wagner tho Second" Sec-ond" seems to fit him exactly. Barbeau's playing at third has also been right up to snuff too. The shift- j From Our New York Dramatic Corre-! spondent.) WHILE the writer has always claimed that tho only mode of becoming a successful playwright was to write ; good pluys, various dramatic notables have opinlons'lhat conflict, j Tho well known manager and pro-! pro-! ducer. Henry W. Savage, has decided views on the subject of the playwright's art. He has had so many poor plays offered him that he now feels competent compe-tent to know a good pl3y when he Bees it. Now that Mr. Savage Is home from Europe his mall Is overflowing with I manuscripts from people who believe' they have "just the thing" for him. The j fact that he discovered George Ade. j Frank Pixley, Gustavo Luders, Alfred G. Robyn. Edith Ellis, .author of "Mary Jane's Pa;" Henry Blossom and others has made him a favored target ! for budding playsmlths. But a man with ten new productions on his hands t has no tlmo to read plays when only , one out of COO Is worth while. I The Pirate Craze. J However, he answers all letters with l religious sincerity. Recently ho took ; time to reply at some length to a man who complained of having his third i manuscript turned down. Tho rejected piece was entitled 'The Jolly Smugglers" Smug-glers" a near paraphranc of "Tho Pi. ratee of Penzance." To the disappointed disap-pointed author Mr. Savage sent the following "don'ts." which might bo digested di-gested with profit by all would be Playwrights; "Don't writo about smugglers, pirates r bandits. "Write a clean love story the kind that when you were a boy made you turl up In a corner and continue reading read-ing while the folks went to dinner. "Write something new, even If you never saw It on the stage before It might go. News Topics Grow Old Before Pro-duction. Pro-duction. "Don't select as a subject anv current news topic. Don't attempt to write about anything any-thing with which you arc not familiar "Mako your characters . natural To be so they must do only what men and women do In real llfo and not what tho etory books pay they do. "Mako your characters speak good LnglUh. "Don't use stilted words. ."P0,i.t ay' 41 have tourui papers with tho old man's will secreted ' etc "Don't give tho villain whiskers nor make tho hero clean shaven Try it tho other way for a change. The Advertisement Will Help the Chorus Girl Support Him. ' "Don't make your hero a black sheep i returning from Goldfield with the wealth of a Havemeyer. Make him a! mart chap disinherited for marrylns a chorus girl. . b "Don't make the Injured husband ll , 1 ,hcrolnQ fey th wrl3t and fling the lady from him with a curso on his lips. "Don't preach. Tho public can secure i ireo seats In a church. 1 ln'a5onl t frga th0 audlc"c has lmag- ' T,'?U t f?r.g,t tho publlc wads nows-papers nows-papers and has real human intelligence. I .M 1. ? so,llo1ul Monologues ' ar for. vaevlllo and minstrel shows. ; Don t put too much In your play. ' Don t begin tho first act In a chcer- ' h.l f a"Ct l" tha Tk ,ntor of 1SM and ; ihen Jump to tho summer of 1309. Thoso j terUl for a thousand good plays. ;! ij r., , . T |
