Evening public ledger. (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, September 13, 1915, Final, Page 12, Image 12

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    EVENING LEDGERPHILADELPHIA, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1815;
12
PHILS SWEEP ON PENNANTWARD "THREE AND TWO," VAN LOAN DIAMOND AFFAIRSj
FOURTEEN OUT OF TWENTY-FOUR
SHOULD WIN PENNANT FOR PHILS
Boston and Brooklyn Face Heavy Handicap, While
Moranmen, With an Even Break in West, Then Six
Out of Ten in East, Should Bo Easy Victors
Nothing iihort of a. slump worse than any the Phillies have experienced this
Jrenr can deprive Moran's hustling bund of the National League, ponnnnt, A
glance at the standing of teams and the nchedulo far the rest of the season
khows that It Is about a thrco-to-one shot against cither Dodgors or Braves over
hauling the locals. Brooklyn's hope Is almost gone, as tho Dodgers havo but
ono moro game to play at home and It has been a poor road team throughout the
season.
Boston has a ohanco, but Its only hopo"1les In a Phllly slump. A (earn with
rtx flrat-claas twlrlera and some natural batting strength Is hardly llkoly to
Jose moro games than it will win now, with so much ot stake, nnd It Is neces
ry for the Phils to lose as many games as they win for Brooklyn or Boston
fevo any chance.
Braves or Dodgers Must Do tho Almost Impossible (o Win
The Phillies have 24 more gnmes io play, and by winning 12 tho tenm will
finish with St victories and 68 defeats for the percentage of .BG8. To equal
this mark Boston must win 18 out of 22 games. It Is barely posslblo that tho
Braves will perform this feat, as they have eight gnmes to play at homo, but
io reach that mark, the champions will havo to play much better ball than any
team in the league has shown over a llko stretch this season.
Brooklyn has lost six more games than the Phillies, nnd this difference Is
ure to spell disaster for Robinson's team. If the Phils aro brcnklng even In
14 games, the Dodgers must win 14 out of the 20 games that remain to bo
played, and their chance is evon more remote than tho Braves, although tho
Dodgers won yesterday whllo tho Braves woro losing to Chicago.
Some tlmo ago it was pointed out horo that a percentago of 670 would
enable any team to clinch tho pennant. That this Is true Is shown In the fact
that Brooklyn must win 18 games out of tho 20 that remain to be played, whllo I
Boston must capture 17 out of 22 games to nnlsh tho season with a percentage
f 671. That this is almost impossible must bo admitted. If Boston and
Brooklyn were both playing at homo for the remainder of tho year, cither
would have a slight chance, but no better, whllo the Phillies can nnlsh with
71 by winning 13 out of tho 23 games to bo played.
PhllHes Should Win 14 Out of 24 With Ease
Winning 14 out of 24 games should prove an easy task, despite the fact
that all but four of the Phillies' games are to bo played away from home.
When the Phillies were in tho West on the lost trip thoy met with moro oppo
sition than they will now, becauso several teams which aro out of the raco will
be experimenting with youngsters in order to havo weak points plugged up
before tho start of the training season next year.
Threo games remain to be played in Pittsburgh, and It seems that tho
Phillies should tako two of these games with Alexander In reserve. Flvo
games will boplayed In Chicago and five in St. Louis. Five victories in tho
10 games would be a good enough record, though it is possible that this mark
will be passed.
Reds Are Primed to Battle Brooklyn and Boston
. In Cincinnati tho Phillies are scheduled for but two games, which Is an
other excellent break of luck, as tho Reds aro playing by far better ball than
any Western team in the TencrLcague. Boston and Brooklyn are scheduled
to play four games each In Cincinnati, and they will surely meet with great
resistance, as tho Reds aro fighting to finish In tho first division.
Tho Phillies should get an even break In the double-header, particularly
if Alexander Is primed for tho opening game of this series. Perhaps both
the Dodgers and Braves will get an even break or better, but In doing this
each will bo forced to play so hard that the after effects may cause the loss
of a game or two somewhere else.
Even Break in West Should Satisfy Phillies
An even break in the West Is all that tho Phllly rooters wish for, but it
Is safe to bet that Moran's band will do better. An even break In tho West
will place tho Phillies In such a position tht it will be necessary to win only
sir out of tho remaining 10 games In the East to reach the total of 88 victories,
which will give the team a percentage of 671. Figuring sometimes goes astray
and this dope may be knocked out by a terriblo slump, but on paper It looks
as if the Phillies havo tho flag cllnchod.
Phillies Pitching: Staff In Decidedly the Best Shape
Lack of seasoned pitching will handicap both Boston and Brooklyn, and
neither team has enough dependable twlrlera for a gruollng finish. Boston
has Rudolph and Nehf only, who are effective and capablo of going iu out of
turn with good results. Ragan, Tyler and Hughes have proved erratic and
cannot be depended upon, whllo Brooklyn has only Pfeffer and Sherrod Smith
In proper form.
Pfeffer has been pitching wonderful ball, and as he is ono of thnsA hir
strong, easy-working youngsters, there Is little doubt but what ho will bo
abta-to hold up his end. While Smith is nlsn nltr-hln or,ir,,iMi ,,. i m.i
crack at any time and can hardly bo depended upon to do an "lrnn-mnn"
set. That it is necessary for two pitchers of elthor staff to en nil thn ,
without breaking is evident, and the men do not seem to be available.
L
Good Work of Mayer Big Boost to Moran's Chances
Even without Mayer in his early-season form, tho Phillies' chances looked
exceedingly bright, but now that the side-arm expert has returned to the form
that made him the running mato of Alexander the Great, prospects aro still
brighter. Mayer's work for tho lust threo weeks proves that he can bo de
pended upon to share the pitching burden with Alexander.
When he is in condition there aro few pitchers in the major leagues better
than Mayer, and what is moro, his ability to stand a lot of work, even though
he is of slim stature, makes him the ideal man for relief work along with
McQuillan.
Even With Batting Slump, Phils Should Do Well in West
Lack of batting strength is almost certain to assert Itself before the
Phillies are in the West long, as the team has not batted well away from
home all year. But the pitching staff is In such form th.t ,...,.: .
this department will not hurt tho team's chances seriously. But If the Phillies
... TV .. lnoy am m ln wew york BerIes before departing
WHEN A FELLER NEEDS A FRIEND
NowJ HOWARO LET'S
den VHM- A OooD
Scholar Yoo cam be
YflUVt MAO A NICE
Long vacation haven't
too - novaJ oe mothcr'a
LITTLE MAM - ThERCi
The FIRST BCLL-
The
MORNING
6CHQ0L BEGINS.
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PENNANT CHASE BACK IN 1908
HAD A FEW THRILLERS, ALSO
New York, Chicago and Pittsburgh Extended the ArgJ
ment somewnac rue x nueB uiiunge ongntiy
as Years Pass in Sports
!&
THREE AND TWO
Charles "Gabby" Nelligan, the Only Deaf Mute to Play
League Baseball, Joins "The Tourists" as Emer
gency Catcher "Gabby" Is Likewis6 Dumb
By CHARLES E. VAN LOAN
The, World's Most Famous Writer of Ilanetmll Fiction
WHAT MAY HAPPEN
IN BASEBALL TODAY
(Copyright. 1011, by Street & Smith.)
FOR 15 years Chnrlea "Gabby" Nelligan
played professional baseball. And,
though ho Is now selling cigars to fat
customers, who sco In him nothing more
than a fat, bald, and unfortunate human
being, there was a time when Gabby
Nelligan cut a considerable figure In what
tho sporting experts are pleased to term
"the world of athletics."
When an lncurablo case of Charley
hoise led Gabby limping from tho field
of glory to his obscure cigar stand, he
left behind him a record worthy of pres
ervation In marble or bronze If ever
we build a hall of fame for baseball
players and we havo done many worse
things In that line the bust of Charles
Henry Nelligan must bo given proper
and deserved prominence. In the r -an-tlmo
his record stands, distinctive, orig
inal, unique.
For 15 years Gabby played ball, and
more than halt of that time he was in
tho big league. During these years ho
never once talked back to an umpire,
"roasted" an official scorer, or "Jawed" a
reporter. In 15 years the fans were un
able to rattle him or draw from him the
slightest sign of attention. When Gabby
Nelligan laced his spiked shoes and
pranced out upon the .diamond, he was
an full of business as a life insurance
agent. His business was to play ball,
and ho allowed nothing to distract or an
nov him
There Is no man living who can say
that he ever heard Gabby Nelligan say
an unkind rcmnrk about plajer, umpire,
or manager. Moro than that, ho never
listened when other men abused their
fellows In uncomplimentary terms. Club
and leaguo scandals passed over his head;
and It Is eaBy to provo that at no time
did tho great catcher ever tell a ques-
from the West it would litrhtpn thn hnisn e . ...,-, . .. .v
... , , . " -.... w i..D miners una result in many
victories in close, low-score games. Throughout the season tho Phillies have
been losing close games through lack'of hitting, and a continuation of tho
feattlng would change the tide in such contests.
Four-and-a-half Game Lead Looks Big Now
Any way one looks at it he must become convinced that tho team's
chance, are bright. When a club has a lead of four and a half games wTth
Jew than a month to play, It must go to pieces completely to be passed In tho
etretch. and tho present Phllly team is not likely to crack now.
If the Phillies (were due to crack, they would surely have cracked after the
recent series with. Brooklyn. Instead of blowing up after the three defeat.
they came back stronger than ever, and now have a better lead than before'
that aeries. Also Just remember that Alexander the Qrathaa not even been
called upon to pitch out of turn. He Is ready and wilUng, and if it becomes
necessary, he should bo able to bring the team In with a few games to So
Captain Fleck, of Narberth, "pulled a Cravath" at the expense of Pitcher
Xholer, of Oladwyne, in a Main Line League game on Saturday. With Qad
wyna leading 2 to 1, and two men out in the ninth. Fleck made the longes
iieV6r r",terfw the Narberth 6""Js. cleared the left-fleld fence
and gaye Narberth a victory.
Four thousand local and out-of-town railroaders saw Philadelphia even un
the series with Wllllamsport for the Pennsylvania Railroad Grand WvUlon
chunplonsh lp The game went 11 innings and was featured by the gameness
lnnlij Came frm beh,n(1'an1 th "core the S
, KT.,n!ln.!f " Vall!t Bame- Dl8Bt0n A. A. went down to defeat at the
lTJ!Z th6 Chl1Me UnlverBUy tca "X the score of u to 6. Pitcher CondelL
Iftl IT", bT '"I? tM m9Und and Mason' wh relieved him, was
! bH4 bard. Mason's homerun in the ninth was the feature
.- '- : '
"lie never once talked back to an umpire."
tlonablo story or make use of an oath.
An angel, you say? Oh, no, hardly
that. Merely an unfortunate human be
ing. Gabby Nelligan did not talk buck
to umpires because he could not talk at
all. He did not listen to scandal and
evil communications because ho could
not bear.
Gabby Nelligan was deaf and dumb
from his cradle.
There have been several deaf and
dumb baseball players; but only one who
worked behind the bat; and to the day
of his death Jim Penny, the old scout,
claimed tho credit of Cabby's discovery,
"Shad" Iloe, manager of the "Tour
ists," needed a caicner, to say nothing of
a left-handed pitcher or two, and ono
good outfielder; and Jim Penny was sent
forth Into the bush country to round up
the raw material. He found Gabby
catching for a bush team In a bush
league In a Western State, and hastened
Jo make a report.
"A dummy catcher!" said Shad Itoe.
"Jim, you're crazy! Nutty! A dummy
behind the batl Whero do you get that
noise?"
"I'm telling you," said the scout ear
nestly, "I heard about him, and didn't
believe It myself until I'd seen this fol
low work. He's a wonder, Shod I"
"A mechanical catcher," said the man
ager, "Is the worst kind of a catcher.
The man I want ha got to ba able to
see, smell, hear and talk on,co In a while.
A dummy wouldn't be able to tell what
was going on half the time, and he could
only get In on a play after the other fel
lows had started It He won't do, Jim
He wouldn't outguess anybody "
"You think not?" said the scout. "I
hung around there and watched him work
for a week, and I saw him outguess 'em
day after day. And you say he could
only horn into a play after It was
started. Let mo toll you something. This
fellow has got such n terrific whip that
he could stake any base runner In this
league to a flying start, and then get
him at second. Ho throws flat-footed,
doesn't have to stop and sot himself, and
gets the ball away with a snap Instead
of a full-arm swing. Why. I saw him
throw out a runner at second when he
had one knee on tho ground never oven
bothered to get up! If ou think that
any base runner In this league Is going
to make a sucker out of this dummy,
you're foolish. It'll be the other way
around'"
"Sniff'" said Shad Roe. "Does ho hit?"
"Hit It his middle name!" said the scout
enthusiastically. "You know when I
went to school they told me that if a
man lost one sense, the other senses wero
strengthened to make up for the loss.
You know that Dummy Henderson al
ways had a wonderful eye for a pitched
ball. Well, this fellow has got Hender
son skinned a mile. He stands up there
at the bat and waits till the ball Is
right on top of him beforo ho makes a
move. I bellevo he can see well enough
to wait for the break. Anyhow, he
watts until the ball Is right up there be
fore he cuts loose. He doesn't swing
much he chops quick as a flash, and he
hltH tho ball right on the seam every
time he goes after It. Hits almost any
tlng high, low, curve or fast ones. He's
batting over three hundred and fifty right
now. Of course. It's an awful league, and
poor pitching and all that; but It strikes
me that this dummy Is tho sort of a
fellow who would be liable to hit any
pitcher."
"Is he a smart fellow?" asked Hoe.
"Got a bolter education than you have,"
said tho scout "Ho was brought up In
an institution, they tell me; and, besides
that, ho knows more brainy baseball In
a minute than any fellow In the league
out there. He's taught those yaps who
play with him a lot of new Btuff, and
worked out a lot of plays that would
astonish you, I'm telling you. Shad, If
you don't grab this dummy some other
manager will, and- "
"Oh, well," said Itoe. with a grin,
'you've outtalked me, Jim. Go on out
and tie this fellow up. I don't reckon
ho II bo fast enough for us; but If he
Isn't, we can easy farm him out for a
eeason or so."
Gabby Nelligan, arriving In the spring,
along with the other morning-glories and
promising bloomers, hud a strong preju
dice to overcome; but he made Jim Penny
a proud man by living up to nis advance
nrtlces In every particular. Shad Roe
was stubborn and "set In his way," but
the very first time tho voiceless recruit
let out the strength of his throwing arm,
the manager grunted In frank amarement.
And. In the batting practice. Gabby found
ail tho fences too short for him, and
bush recruits and seasoned league pitch
ers ooked alike. Gabby's bottle-shaped
bat know no roverence.
Shad was the flrot man who set about
learning the finger nlphabet, in order to
communicate with Nelligan without pencil
and paper; and when Jim Penny saw the
manager practicing his newest accom
phshment. he went out Into the barroom
to laugh.
Shad was surprised when he found out
how much the dummy knew about the
finer points of baseball, and the news
paper men with the training squad Inter
viewed Gabby exhaustively by written
word.
(CONTINUED TOMORROW.)
NATIONAL LKAGUK
Won. Ixt. I'ct. Win. Lose. Split.
Phllllen ... 74 0 .809 ,ft73. S(iX ....
llrnoklyn .. 12 Ot .Ml .Ml .n.13 ....
Itoslnn . . 70 (I .SSI) .834 .A28 ....
Ht. Louis . . 60 71 .483 .480 .478 ....
Chlrniro 63 67 .4RI ,18.1 .477 ....
Cincinnati . . 61 70 .474 .478 .470 ....
PlttKliurxh ... 64 72 .471 .474 .407 ....
New York ... SO 71 .413 418 .410 .. . .
A.Mi:i!lCAN I.EAGUK.
Won. Lout. IVt. Win. I.nr. Split.
IloBtnn ... 87 43 .609 t-COl .M0 ,S97
Detroit ... .87 48 .04.1 .047 .610 ....
Chlrniro . . 70 S3 .A99 f.60t 1.A90 .597
WnMiinitdm ..72 SO .511) .,1,13 .S45 ....
New York ... 80 70 .488 .403 .484 ....
m. I.ouln . . . S5 78 .414 .418 .410 ....
Cleveland .... 80 83 .370 .381 .373 ....
Athletics . 38 93 .200 .295 .288 ....
FT-DKHAI, LEAGUE.
Won. Loit. Pet. Win. lote. Split.
PltUnursh .. 73 69 .833 .850 .649 ....
St. Louis .... 72 61 .511 .545 .637 ....
Chicago 73 02 .841
Newark 68 62 .823 .527 .819 ....
Kannas City.. G9 51 .810
lluffalo 69 69 .500
llrnoklyn ... 67 69 .493 .406 .489
llaltlmore .... 43 88 .328
twin two. iLose two.
In Addition to Which
H'Aen O. J. Caetar ruled the oame
And Tyruacobbed tne Appian Way,
You may recall Me tmash at fame
And how he packed the park each day.
You may recall hoto each fan cheered
And iohooped U up for him (n J?ome,
When he tixi there and rtohtly otared
To fetch the, grand old pennant home.
But when old C. J. lost Ms smoke
And Time bedutled his Balling OHm
You know how long it took some bloke
To slip the Big Kibosh to him.
now times have changed across the rout;
When Matty falls do rooters pan hlmt
Do loyal fans yell "TAKE iltit OVTV
You bet they do and atso "CAN ItlM I"
O Tcmporn and Such
Seven years ago tho National League
had about such a raco on hand as It has
today. It had threo clubs romping bn
through September so tightly Jammed
that It required a decision from the
league to separate them at tho finish.
Those three clubs were New York. Chi
cago and Pittsburgh the old pennant
guard of tho National Leasue. Their
leaders were John McGraw, Frank
Chance and Fred Clarke. And the threo
clubs they fed upon to a large extent
were Uoston. Philadelphia and Brooklyn
only the Giants quit feeding that S-cnr
on Philadelphia when Covelesklo arrived.
The N. L. still has threo contendere.
romping through the stretch. I5ut they
are not New Y'ork, Chicago or Pitts
burgh. They are the three 190S feeders
who seven jears ago In that blazing
finish wero regarded na dubs supreme.
190S and 1915
Back In 190S around this stago of tho
battle tho two clubs given tho best chance
to win wero New York and Pittsburgh.
Chicago was Counted out. But tho old
Cub machine swung Into lino about mld
Septcmber for a final dash, and when
the Giants broke In Philadelphia tho
three-cornered tlo existed almost to tho
last day. Tho dope was torn to shreds
In IMS, and It would likely be torn to
shreds In 1915 If there was any dopo left
Which there isn't.
li. H. K. McGraw figures the National
League raco will not bo decided until Oc
tober. The edds aro 2 to 1 he's right.
Hood Said Something
(The same being applied to about 10
days hence, or thereabouts.)
By GRANTLAND RICE
I remember, I remember
Long years ago this morn,
How guards and tackles made me eur
j no uuy mat j was oorn;
i ney irampiea on my face and neck A
Wnereat gave me joy
To think they'll klok my spine no mtr,
As when I was a boy. t
V
I remember, I remember a
The thrill that always came
When I put on the moleskin
For the first hard practice game
But now it brings a greater thrill'
That no big nlutt tolll smash my nreksS
tn some cross-tackle play. aH
I remember, I remember
JIow fell tho boding hush x
itku .... . i i .....
'' ivu jtviauuuvtk gome jat oloks Ik 1H
To smash the old V-ru.ih- '
Of how his mother panned us loud
Across the drifting gloam, "
Although wo plokcd the pieces up
And brought them straightway rtone
as wo unaersinna it, no one Is mewl
confident of winning the pennant thwl
Thoy simply ckn't lose? " "DD""n.'1
If thero be anything In hunche r.r t I
casting shadows. Eastern football had m1
well get ready for a tidy shock this NiTfl
Thn start the West made tn golf anil
lawn tennis, with both chnmrw i,u4
I furnished enough Impetus to gain many!
rf.'.u ...v-e.. Vv...w uuufcl.,,. I1IH3,
RADNOR
THK "NTttW
Arrow
COLLAR
4
SECRETS OF GOLFDOM
DY A GOLF ANALYST
,Jo'" Albert Scott write solf from the
standpoint of a .tudent of thi ram, lis
Ln'thSTlnuI" fi'"r Prtlon o5'hU llf.
ha. .i..1 ? ".i Kurux nd America. lis
J,t1ua,iMl.,h,.rt and science of It
f"?tw'thS to tud Bna " W,U
EVENING LEDGER
Ileilunlnr tomorrow, Sir, Heott will
rtlteiiM solf for the readers of the n.n.r
The Unit article will deal wfth Vlaml
Vardon'. grip, the left hand. Mr, rlcott
.pent many days with Vardon, who Is
champion of Great llrltaln, and made
Pb?10"'b t The Vardon Grip!"
which U famous the world over, l)o
not mbi any of tbe.e articles, Iher be
gin tomorrow In the
EVENING LEDGER
Most men like Fatimas
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Two
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Fatimas-are cooi and
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iudea 1UUUUB ttjoay.
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I
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PA TMA vat Ht Onff Orarrtt
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Cigarette
C)fto'llhcHveh Individual
MUFATIMAS.O
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EVENING LEDGER MOVIES-AND TO THINK, CHARLEY, TONUS GOT PUT OUT OF A BALL GAME
ASli
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THATBASE-BAUETICUj
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