Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-19
WILL BE AGREAT SEASON.

| Years Baseball-A Few Words About
the Prospects of Pittsburg and Other
| Cities.
| ESPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DISPATCH.
NEW YORK, April lS-The attendance so far
| upon all the American Association champion.
ship games, upon the League exhibition games,
| ana at the opening games of the Western Asso-
citation season leaves little or no doubt of the
| restoration of old-time interest in the national
| game The impression is abroad and prevails
almost universally that the great season of
1889 will be repeated so far as popular attend
ance is considered, if it be not excelled.
When the National League season opens next
week you will find the first proof of the pud
ding. should the weather be propitious the
four games will draw out multtudes on
| Wednesday.
Here in New York there will be a crush.
| About everybody who ever saw game of ball
played intends to be present when the Bostons
and New Yorks come upon each other for the
first measure sof strength.M The new Polo
| Grounds-lsst years Brotherhood Park-will
| seat 10000 people easily. When / say 10000,
mean 10000 and not an exaggerated figure, as
| is SO often used when speaking of grounds
seating capacity. The grand stand and pavil-
| ions of the Polo Grounds should be seen to be
| appreciated. They beat anything in extensive
| ness to be seen on the baseball fields OF the
United States.
Well. / want to foretell that should the
| weather next Wednesday be- favorable there
will not be a vacant seat on the Polo Grounds.
And that would be 2 crowd which, in some
cities where eXaggeratlon is the order OF tne
day, would be announced as 10000 people.
Ipresume the crowds in Philadelphia and
Pittsburg will be proportionately large. In
Philadelphia the League club drew out 2, 500
spectators to an exhibition game last Monday,
and the interest in the Athletics games at
home and abroad has been unusually great.
90 not suppose the mos: skeptical man in Phil
adelphis will deny me the right to say that
never has baseball season opened in that city
with greater interest shown by the deVotees of
the game.
In Pittsburg the crowd ought to excel any
that has ever attended the opening of game.
There are two reasons for it: First, The home
teams attractiveness. Pittsburg has never
been honnred with such a notable team of star
players, 1t is an aggregation" to use slang
expression, upon which the eyes of the baseball
world are conferred, If that team pulls together,
that is, proves itself capable of doing good
team work, there will be no League rival with
a warrant to defeat it in a majority of games
played. 1t is certainly a most remarkable col
lection of good players. Whether strong
team can be fashioned out OF them remains 10
be seen, for you cannot always make success
fu! team from all star players, any more than
you can make watch from nothing but gold.
mOnize with one another and be strong in
every postion-to make a. successful team.
The second element of attraction in that
opening game at Pittsburg is the popularity of
the visiting team under the charge of the most
notable ball player in America A. c. Anson.
The Chicagos have always been fine card in
Pittsburg and no team in the League would do
better to open the season there
look for great turnout In ONeilsburg
Wednesday.
As for Cincinnati, there is not so much GER
tainty. That city has always been good base
ball center, and its people have been extremely
loyal to their club and its players. This spring.
however, sees that city in almost the same base
ball position which was occupied by New Y ork,
Chicago, Cleveland and Pittsburg last spring.
l am hoping, however, that the result will not
be the same. There is no conflict of dates. and
both teams should be treated fairly l cannot
believe that such faithful players as McPhee,
Reilly, Rhines. Harrington Mullane. Halliday,
MARI and the rest will be treated shabbily by
the people of my old home.
The situation in Cincinnati does not seem to
be one of promise any way look at it. A city
the two clubs well up in their championship
races. l cannot convince myself that either of
the Cincinnati clubs has team which will get
into the first division of its class.
1t was a mistake to boom Kelly's team as a
possible Association winner, or even as one of
the Association leaders Kelly himself is q
great PLAYER, but one or tw or even four or five
good players cannot win games. Outside of
Kelly, the team has not one frst-class player.
Seery, johnson and Andrews are great out
felders, but weak batters; and it is wellset.
tied axiom in base ball that a valuable out
fielder must also be good, hard hitter. 1t is
mistake to engage outfelders who are not
away above the average in batting strength.
The inield of the Kelly team Is .so weak in
battfng and but fair in fielding, and. compare
tiveiy speaking, do not believe tie team is
strong in batteries. Its pitchers are an uncer-
tain quantity, with the exception of Crane. He
would be strong man for the Association if
he could withstand all the peculiar temptations
that's are thrown around base ball players in that
city. Let US hope he can and will If he does,
be will be the clubs mainstay.
Kelly. while great player, is not good cap
tain. kel is too excitabie. No good captaiI
will desert his team in the face of defeat. That
sort of thing will take the heart out of the best
of players. Keily's fault in this respect is also
Ewing's. You never see Ward quitting the
game in the presence of defeat. No captain
should give up game until the last man is out.
Kelly and the Association club did remarkably
well in getting such team together under the
circumstances. But it was mistake to make
people believe that it was to be leader in the
race, or even a possible leader. 1t needs
years experience, at least. and months of op-
portunity to strengthen the weak places before
il can hope to take place as leader.