#The Three Leading Clubs in the Pennant Race of 1894.#


It is about time that the record of the championship campaigns of each
year should be divided up, in order that the leading minority of the
competing teams may be awarded the additional credit due them for
obtaining positions of special distinction during each season;
beginning, of course, with the winner of the pennant, and followed by
the occupants of _second_ and _third_ positions with the three other
clubs of the first division ranking in due order. By thus extending the
list of honorary positions in the race an additional incentive for
making extra efforts toward the close of the race is given to each one
of the twelve clubs of the League at large. Thus, in the early part of
the championship campaign, if two or three clubs find themselves
hopelessly contending for the pennant itself, there will still be left
over those of the other two honorary places in the race, viz., _second_
and _third_ positions, to compete for; and failing to achieve success to
that extent, there will be one or other of the last three places in the
_first division_ to strive for. This opens the door to win other
creditable places in the season's race to be fought for by the six clubs
of the second division, instead of their losing heart in the contest,
simply because, by the end of the May or June campaign, they are left
without a chance of winning the pennant. It would seem to be, from this
view of the case, an object of special interest for the League to award
a series of honorary prizes to the players of each team attaining one or
other of the three leading positions in the race of each year, in the
proportion, we will say, of $3,000 for the first place, $2,000 for
second and $1,000 for third. In the future the GUIDE will give special
prominence, in its statistical records, to the clubs attaining second