Standings on August 1st
Things have tightened up quite a bit during the dog days of summer. The salary feud between Metropolis pitcher
Asa Brainard and owner
Wallace Luthor continued to simmer. Then Brainard injured his ankle running bases in a 12-3 loss to New York on July 8. The Stars won their next two with
Al Pratt pitching in Brainard's place, but since then have gone 2-7 to finish out July, including an embarrassing 45-13 loss to the Philadelphia Athletics, who now trail Metropolis by a scant 1/2 game. Stars' Manager
Hugo Danner has been tight-lipped about when Brainard (22-10, 3.70) might return to the lineup. It is said that Luthor has complained to confidants that he believes Brainard to be 'dogging it' to force the owner to concede to the pitcher's salary demands.
The race for the pennant is now so close that only 3-1/2 games separate league leading Metropolis from sixth place Boston. The Red Stockings had spent the early part of the season languishing in the league's cellar. However, pitcher
Dick McBride (19-17, 4.15) found his groove and has gone 8-3 for Boston during July putting the team into the thick of the pennant hunt.
Only Chicago and New York appear to be floundering as both teams reside in the league's cellar. Chicago's only bright spot has been
Ross Barnes who is batting .341 to lead the league. Washington's
Dan 'The Mighty' Casey continues to awe crowds at games with his powerful "Sky-Rocket" balls and he leads the league in home runs with 10.