The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-04-12

exhibition games of April are rapidly get
ting the men into excellent shape.
Already, more than two weeks before the
games are called, there is the keenest public
interest in the championship. Here il what
some of the principal baseball men in the
League say about it and their own ambi-
tions-beginning with John /. Rogers, treas
urer OF the Philadelphia League club and
member of the National Board of Profess
sional Baseball Clubs:
TREASURER ROGERS OF THE "PHILLIESn
TALKS.
We expect either to win the pennant or
come very close to it, because we will con-
tinue the policy that has always character
lied our club to get the best possible team
work, as whole, out of our men, rather
than individual spurts of star" playing.
Some years ago we followed the plan Of
engaging ton or twelve extra young players
every spring, keeping them for one or two
months Of the season in the hope Of getting
one first-class player out of the experiments
1t was by that method that we discovered
men like the late Charles J. Ferguson,
James G. Fogarty and others of equal or
approximate excellence. Our team has,
under the guidance of MIR. Wright our
manager. been a harmonious aggregation,
and with rare exceptions as gentemanly a
get Of players as appears on the diamond. :"
In practice they are taught TO study each
cthers' mannerisms and northumberland
the proof of the value of such in
Eructions was manifested last season
when left without a manager by the
great affection that occurred to
Mr.. Wright in the month of May. They,
under the direction of Mr.. Allen, our short
stop, who became manager pro tenn, be-
hayed and conducted themselves both as
players and gentleman, as well as if under
the personal direction of Manager Wright.
Despite these drawbacks we certainly would
have won the pennant, the lead for which
We held for four weeks in the month of
june if Mr.. Myers, our second baseman,
had not been striker down with maIarial
fever for five weeks, and Mr.. Clements, our
great catcher and captain, had not been
laid up for ten days with injuries at a
critical peroid. AS it was we finished good
third. Our nine last year gave as beautiful
an exhibition of the game as any in the
country and demonstrated that it
possessed the best short-stop (Alen) and the
best base runner (Hamilton) in the business
This year, in addition to these gentlemen,
we have secured Mr.. William Shindle as
third baseman, as good as exists; he is also
a fine batsman and base runner. Delehanty
has come back to his old club and will ap-
pear on first base, adding greatly to the
batting and base-runnlng strength of the
team. Mr.. Myers will preserve the same
stone wall at second as heretofore, Thomp.
son and Hamilton will guard right and left
fields, and Myer, Il u!tlral born out
fielder, who last year was obliged to
play at third base, aud who did it we'll,
will astonish our patrons by some excellent
fielding and throwing. He is also timely
batter. Clements will do most of the catch
ing, assisted by young Gray, who showed
up so we'll last year as a sui stitute. We will
very likely need another catcher in case of
accident, and have already our lines out to
secure one. In the pitching department we
his own anywhere and Thornton whom we
secured from the Milwaukee club
in exchange tor Vickery and Schriver)
is a pitcher whom we will be
surprised to find q lower than
10 the first set. Esper, left-handed twirler,
bids fair to do his share and young Schultz
Is as yet only an experiment but a most
promising one. With the addition of
another battery we would feel very CON
hdent of winning the pennant. AS we are
very likely to get them we put in our claims
tor that coveted SYMBOL Of victory. In bat
ting and fielding we think we are very
strong, our only doubt eing in the pitchers
box, which doubt we think will be dissipated
before the champion season gets fairly In
augurated. j. l. ROGERS.
MR.. soDEN DOESN'T SAY MUCH, BUT HE HAS
STRONG TEAM
have never stated either publicly or