Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-04-22
THE NATIONAL GAME
Lovers of Baseball Have No
 Cause to Complain.
PLENTY OF EXCITING CONTESTS.
The Association Games Have Started and
 Soon the League Contests Will Begin.

Tho Outlook for the .Leneus Champion
 ship-Five Clubs Think They Have a
 Mortgage on the Pennant-New York,
 Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and
 Pittsburg-Ths Struggle Likely to Be
 Close and Exciting.
 NEW YORK, April 22.-From now until October lovers of the National game will have no reason to complain of any lack of sport.
 The American Association started to knock out victories on Wednesday, and by the end of April all the other professional clubs will have followed its footsteps.
 The great feature of the season, how ever, is the opening of the League cham pionship.
 When, therefore, the eight clubs forming this body file out upon the fields on We'd nesday next to battle for supremacy, it will be the opening of series of the most desperate battles ever fought for the pom nant. Five clubs arc now figuring for places in the race, but before the season is far advanced one or two of these may fall behind. It is certain, however, that the New York, Boston, Chicago aLd Philadel- phia clubs will not give up until late in the season. They will enter the arena well equipped, although some of them will be weak at ono point wh ere another is strong and vice versa.
 New York, Chicago and Indianapolis will open the season with nearly the same teams as they closed with in October last Wag- enhurst, 8 powerful collegiate, has been added to the Giants, while Anson found it necessary to secure Pitcher Hutchinson, of Des Moines, and Catcher Sommers, of the Bostons On the other hand Indianapolis signed Getzein, of Detroit, and exchanged Whitney, of Washington, yet with these changes these clubs are practically the same as figured in these cities during 1888. Tho other five teams have signed a number of new players or secured the release of others. Probably no club in the country has been so materially strengthened as the Bostons. The purchase of Brouthers, Rich ardson, Bennett and Ganzell from the De- troits fills the Hubbites with hopes of cap- turing the pennant. Philadelphia and Pitts burg, too, for that matter have thelr eyes on tho flag.
 Manager Harry Wright has big Sam Thompson, of the Wolverines; Catcher Decker and Pitcher Wood, who formed the winning battery for Toronto last season |; as well as Kirby and Mitchell among his new men. Pittsburg can boast of Peter Conway and Ed. Hanlon, who figured con spiciously on the Detroit team; and Gar field, Allen, Nicoll and Lauer, prominent youngsters. Washington will also figure prominently with its reconstructed team. Morrill,, Wise, Healy, Carney and Bright are in It's new galaxy. 1t has also a num- Der of men who went to the Capital City from Troy at tho close of 1888. This list in cluded Pitchers Person and Paddock and Catohers Clark, Banning and Sweeny.
 For their first ycar in the League Cleye- land will muster a strong force of players. The majority of them are familiar to all lovers of the game.
 The construction of these eight clubs cer- tainly 1ustifes tho theory that the struggle throughout will be close and exciting. They will be more closely grouped together when the goal is reached than in previous years, and the distance between the first and last clubs in the race will not be as great. As regards the East vs. the West, the former is much better equipped than the latter.