ed without abrogating a previous agreement with Davis. The
public did not take kindly to the situation when the Naps failed to get
into the fight, and the new management had a pitching staff of
youngsters with out much of a catching staff to help them out when in
trouble.

The Cleveland team never was prominent in the race after the first
fortnight, although it retained a respectable position at the top of the
second division, with an occasional journey into the first division
during the first month or six weeks. In the middle of June the Naps
dropped back into sixth place, below Detroit, for a while, then took a
brace and reclaimed the leadership of the second squad for part of July.
Midway in August found Cleveland apparently anchored in sixth spot and,
with the consent of the Cleveland club owners, Manager Davis resigned
his position.

The management was given to Joe Birmingham, who took hold of it with
enthusiasm but without experience, just as Stovall did the previous
year. He infused new life into the team, shook it up a bit, and improved
its playing so much that Cleveland passed Detroit before the end of the
race, and was threatening to knock Chicago out of fourth place at one
time. This would have happened but for the brace of the White Sox.
Profiting by previous experience the club owners did not look around for
a permanent manager until they saw what Birmingham could do, and in
consequence were in position to offer him the leadership of the Naps for
the season of 1913.

* * * * *

What was left to Manager Jennings from the great Detroit team that had
won three straight pennants was slowing up, with the exception of Tyrus
Cobb, who has yet to reach the meridian of his career, and the Georgian
got into trouble fairly early in the season, with the result that he was
suspended for a considerable period. That and the strike of the Tigers
in Philadelphia threw a monkey-wrench into the machinery, resulting in a
tangle which Jennings was unable to straighten out all the season. There
was a problem at first base which he had a hard time solving. The break
in Del Gainor's wrist the season before had not mended as it should have
done, and he was unable to play the position regularly. Moriarty was
pressed into service there and did good work in an unfamiliar position;
then the infield was shifted several times without marked benefit.
Donovan, who had always been of great help on the slab