Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-04-07
A BASEBALL TALK.
WHAT MANAGER surarE SAYS or TIE
SEASON ABOUT TO OPEN.
ne National Game Growing in Popularity
Millions Of Money investsd--eevsrnor
Hill on the Subject. Etc.
tysr the Dispatch, cOpyriss,cd 1852 by baehsller
New York. April Q, 1880.

New YORK, April 6, 1889.
This is 10 be great baseball year
The season will not open until the lat
her part of April, Just about the time
when New York is celebrating the CEN
tenpial OF the Inauguration OF George
Washington as President OF the United
States If the father of his country
could como back and see the New York
Club meet another of its class on the
diamond he would fully understand what
progress has been made since the April
day when he took the oath OF Office IN
the gallery Of the old City Hall IN wall
street.
However. New York is getting warmed
up, and ere long nothing but baseball
will be talked of. Spalding's braves
having made the round Of the globe,
having slugged the ball so 10 speak at
the Antipodes under the frowninR brow
OF the Sphinx, on the burning sands OF
Egypt, before kings, princes, lords, and
lesser lights, are about TO open up shop
again here in the land Of the free and
the home Of the brave, where the people
know good thing and know how TO
nav for il. In short time New YORK
will be full OF base. bali men as 1t always
is Of baseball lovers.
BAsE-BALLs POPULARITY.
II there is any one who can explain
satisfactorily the cause of the surprising
popularity OF baseball ne ought to come
forth and do it. 1t Is but repeating an
oft told tale to SAY that its popularity is
constantly on the increase. yet it is so,
and is worthy of repetition. Men like
James Mntrie, the manager OF the New
York "Giants," the pennantwinuers OF
the National League for 1888, estimate
that more than S3.00o,00 are directly
interested in baseball at the present
time. and that something like $l5, 00O,-
600 are invested and exchanged upon
the national game in the course OF the
year.
OF course more money than this is In
vested in horse racing. But horse racing
cannot, after all, be ranked as being as
popular O sport as baseball.
The integrity of the game is yet In
tact. There may be pulling and drug
cling of horses, and charges OF both are
freduent. but as yet no charges of dis
honesty have been preferred against any
of our reputable baseball clubs.
GOVERNOR HILL ON TIE NATIONAL GAME
Governor Hill, OF New York, has an
other reason for the supremacy OF the
game. -.
"Base-ball," he says, has. like the
average American, more dash. more en-.
terprise, more aim. more git up aud GIT
10 it in q minute than anything else OF
its kind in any other nation on earth
ever attained in a life time. That's the
secret of the national games success IN
the United States, and in every other en-
terprising country in which it has been
introduced.
At any rate the game is a success, and
no one will quarrel over the cause.
There is probably no baseball man in
the country better known than James
Mutrie. the manager OF the New York
Baseball Club, sometimes known as
"Truthgul James other times termed
"Smiling James, and not unfrequentiy
called plain Jim" Among the fra
ternity he ranks with such men as
"AL" Spalding, Harry Wright Cap
tain Anson, and other veterans. MIR.
Mutrie has been for number
OF wears with the New York Base Ball
Club, aud every year until last year he
went in for that championship pennant,
and didn't get it. And every year James
would start in new and VOW to get there.
Last year he did get there. And this
year James is hustliDg for the pennant
again.
TALK WITH MANAGER MUTRIE.
The big manager sat in his Office the
other day busily engaged with good
cigar and schedule OF 1889 games.
This is to be a great year for base
ball, he said.
"Better than last year" L inquired.
"I think it will be much better, the
genial manager replied. 1.-The outlook
is good all around. The trip that Spald-
ing's men have taken will give boom to
the game. but for that matter it was
growing in healthy manner before.
Then. again, the teams are all good ones,
every one of them, and people will al
wavs nav 10 see good game OF ball.
There is a good deal of rivalry among
the teams, too. New York holds the
remnant Well, the other mines will do
their best to take it away, and l promise
YOU New York will do its best to keep 1t.
In consequence you will see a hot fight.
and the people who know good thing
will want TO zee 1t
"And what will the result OF that fight
be ?"
THE BosrOSs.
"Well, think with any sort of luck
and barring accidents New York will
hold the pennant. ! believe our team
can hold their OWL. But it must be said
that Boston has n strong team. l don't
think they are pennsnt-winners. but they
are good ones Chicago also has strong
nine
"But cannot strong team prevail
against luck?" asked.
The veteran manager lay back In his
chair and took another long puff at his
cigar. Gazing through the smoke he
seemed to see mascots, hoodoos. fortune
tellers, and variety of other things. II
was plain that he. like pretty nearly
every other baseball man, was more OF
less superstitious.
LUCK IN THE GAME.
"My friend" he said, there's good
deal in luck. III give you an instance OF
that. | took the New York team to Bos-
ton season before last. when we were
standing first rate. Every man in the
team was in the pink of condition, AND
fit TO play for mans life. We beat the
Boston boys two games nicely. AS VIC
were coming from Boston on the train
Mickey Welch came to me and said, I'VE
have got the pennant this time, sure
jim Wen, Thought so too We went
onto Philadelphia, and felt sure of pulling
offthebest ofit. Wen. we had just got the
game started when Roger Conner, on
first bsseman, WINS taken sick, and L haC
TO send him home in cab. 1t was bu
a few minutes later when Tim
Keefe, who was pitching, fell and hur
his side so that he had TO stop. / haC
TO go to the gate and get Welch to so il
the box, and seeing Ewing there / SAFE
70 him Il think YOU had better go il