The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-04-01
HANDLING BATS AND BALLS
The Local Team Expects to Make a Good
Showing in the Cincinnati Games.
After That It Will Return Home to Play the
Clevelands and Others in Exhibition
Games Until the Season Opens

The baseball season Is fairly at hand Two
weeks from next Friday the League champion
ship season Will open. the Association season be-
ginning two days earlier. The Indianapolis
Club will make start to morrow, being sched-
uIed TO play the Cincinnati team tomorrow and
Tuesday at that city. Not only is the Cincin-
natl team one of the best in the country, and
certainly the best in the Association, but it has
the advantage Of q months playing in the
South. Il will occasion no surprise, therefore,
Il the local club is defeated in the opening
tests. but nevertheless the players eager
for the games. and are confident they will
capture 1T least one of the two. The men were
practicing at the park yesterday forenoon and
afternoon They will probably be somewhat sore
today in consequences, but by tomorrow they
will be- all right. The team which meets Cincin-
natl tomorrow afternoon will be much stronger
than the one the Reds faced last season. The
makeup of the Indianapolis club Tor this series
will probably be as follows: Buckley, c.; Healy,
D; Esierbrook, lst b.; Bassett, I'd b.; Denny,
3D. b.; Glasscock. s. g.; Seery, T.; Hines. c. f.;
Shomberg, +. (.
The local season win open next Friday, when
the Cleveland club is TO play at Athletic Park.
No club in the association, with the exception of
the BroOklyns, has been materially strength
ened since last year as have the Clevelands,
And they will be able TO play a far different
game from that Of last fall They have been
strengthened behind the bat. in the box, at first
base. And left and right fields. One of the new
pitchers is Stemmeyer. formerly OF Boston,
whose old effectiveness may return under the
new rules. His home is in Cleveland. Upon
SURFING from Cincinnati the indianapolis club
will remain at home until the championship
BeAsou opens, playing exhibition games with
various teams.
The dates of these home exhibition games are
~ follows:
April 6 and with Cleveland
April 8 and 1O-With St. Paul
April IL, IL and 13--With Toronto.
April IA and 16-With Toledo.
April 17-With picked nine from Indiana colleges.
April Is and With Buffalo.
Through the efforts Of Manager Spence State
College Base ball Association has been organ
lied. and on Tuesday, April IT. picked
from all the colleges will play the Indianapolis
club at Athletic Park, this city. The colleges
which will be represented in the association are
DePauw. Bloomington, Wabash, Butler. Han
over and Franklin. Others may enter A sched-
ule OF games will be arranged, most of which will
be played on Saturdays, that being the only
date which the students can obtain leave of
absence from their college work. A meeting of
representatives from the various colleges will
probably be held in this city at early date.
The movement is one in the right direction.
The Lafayette Baseball Club recently secured
Fowler, the well-known colored second base
man, from the International League. Fowler
came on from Utica last week, and it tpanspired
that nobody connected with the Lafayette club
had been aware of the fact that he was a colored
man. After little dickering they gave him
his release. Fowler is out of job, and is
at Charlottesville. this State. He is good
player, but has always found it difficult to get
an engagement because of his color. There APP
pears to be much distinction in this regard in
baseball an there is in the theatrical field.
President Spalding, of the Chicago club, will
take two Mines of sleven men each to Australia
next winter He thinks the enterprise will be
decidedly profitable, and has guarantees against
loss Australia, ho says, is beginning to mani
feet decided irterest in base ball, fact he has
learned through the demand from there for
baseball goods He calculates the cost of the
trip at $50. 900. A competent theatrical man,
who 10 familiar with the country and speaks
several languages. will DO sent ahead to adver-
tise the games One idea 10 to play cricket as
well as baseball