The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-04-17
READY TO PLAY BALL.
On Tuesday, April II, the
Mighty Men Will Meet.
MANY SIGNS OF PROSPERITY.
The Good Old Days Of 1889 May he
Eoualed in tho Present season-Guesses
at the Way the Fight VIII Go-The
PLAYERS.

~
championship clash the 18th day oil Aprl''
Boston ought TO trounce Washington Ina.
IS about as sure n thing as sure lniiigs
90 in baseball. The happy facts ina, INC
uncxpectedv always has glorious chanse
in the national game Brooklyn mas a snaue
Tho hest Of Baltimore while New YORK
md PHILADELPHIA are about even up" In
the western division Cleveland really ex-
,,oc,s IN distance Louisville. and Chicago
bos been tromped on so regularly by Cap
tain Tebeaus aggregation at Hot Springs
that the Mound City enthusiasts affect a
belief in the ability Of Captain Glassoock's
lads 10 continue the torture for Uncle.
Some Missouri paragrapher hkened that
old ,yarborse-Adrian G. AnsOn-to James
G Blaine the other day, and declared that
In baseball "Anse" had the same magnetic
ro,vers that the plumcd knight possesses.
Cincinnati fully expects TO see Captain
Coriskey celebrate his championship de-
but in red by a victory over Pittsburg. On
that afternoon the visitors from the City
OF Smoke promise TO present in the points
a couple Of favortes who once fought for
the glory of Orkopolis-Elmer Smith and
Billy Earle.
Surface indications point TO prosperous
season. Louisville turned out over 100
people 20 see the first game played with a
picked nine Every afternoon while the
Cincinnatis were at practice they attracted
hundreds Of spectators that were
but little smaller than those in attendance
at championship games when King Kel's
Killers and Sir Tom LOTUS Reds divided
the interest and chilled enthusiasm in that
city. Several thousand cranks greeted 81.
Louis new team in their first contest with
a semiprofessional nine. The fact that the
New Yorks were accompanied 10 Rich
rnond by delegation of journalistic spe-
cialists, and that the tours Of the teams in
the south have been fully and faithfully
cnronicled in the public prints, give bright
promise that the good old days Of 1889 will
come again.
1t hasn't done Washington any good to
enter the Senators in so many contests
with other League teams. The people OF
the national capital may desire to get
hardened to defeat early in the fray. or
course these exhibitions do not count, but
they certainly lead to a prejudice against
the vanauished which lasts until the har-
rowing memories Of i'll fortune and reverses
are wiped out by victories. Washington
IS used to trouble, but 1925 supply may
all be stacked up for early distribution
The Senators size up as weak in the box
Mat Kilroy has thus far proved TO be about
as good a man as there Is on the list.
"Spring gravel" however, is not always
kept on the bill of fare as an article Of
regular diet
AS a rule pitchers do not throw their
arms out in such a series as that which has
been in progress in the south. When the
old hero of Port Richmond went in the
conditions were different. He was pitch
ing for his life, and the result was that the
Philadelphias were defeated in the pretti-
est game of the exhibition season.
"1he understudies" are all on the anx-
ious seat. Almost every club in the League
has youth or two on the list of substi-
tutes. They have sort of bichloride Of
energy effect on those to whose shoes they
would fall heir if there should be a let up
In the quality of their work. Philadelphia
has an Ohio boy Golden who would be
called on TO play first if Roger Connor's
batting eye should get speck in it. In
the first few games in Florida Golden was
hitting the horsehide sphere in elegant
style, but since the land of flowers and al
ligators was left behind he has disappeared
from view
The duel in New York is pretty one
for those on the outside. Charley Bassett
seems to have the call for the post Of ''regu-
lar" Mt second base, but Red" Mack may
be retained as a sort Of "bogieman of the
Polo grounds" ready to make his boom
the moment there is slip in the machin-
cry. If the present programme is carried
out the Giants will farm out the guardian
ship of first base to both Captain Ewing
and Jack Boyle.
Down at Louisville, although the outfield
is full Manager Jack Chapman has made
a place for the veteran William V. Wolf,
who has a record possessed by but one other
man in the land-Captain Arson.
The Chicago chieftain has been on Chi
cauo's roster ever since the birth of the
National league, in 1876; while Chicken
Wolf was "A member of the Eclipse clu b
when the American association began bust
ness six years later, and he has continued
IN Louisville ever since. Wolf has had a
scare, and he will train that paunch off
this year even if he has 10 cut ice cream
and nuts off the menu card There is a
legend TO the effect that when Mr. Wolf
gets down to work at a hotel table he goes
from soup to coffee without missing a
thing. His appetite, however, has never
interfered with his ball playing. for he has
ALWAYS been one of the reliable hitters Of
the Association. There has been some
talk of persuading that handsome man,
Colonel Weaver, TO take his turn behind
the bat once more, and If he does that
may boost Wolf into his old field.
For n gentleman who is going 10 retire
Fred Pfefier spends good deal of his time
on the Louisville club diamond. He has
been practicing regularly at second and
has been under Chapman's order. a fact
that has worried Jimmie Canavan not a
little, although if Louisville does yield
Chicago will make a place for him and
thank her stars such an opportunity Of
fered
The ball player of today owes much to
King KEEL If he hid not turned his ia
nous back sOmersault while the magnates
were billing and cooling in Washington
there would have been no occasion for any
peace congress in John Il. Brush's baili-
wick last December Old Grim War would
have been screwed down in casket in
the shadow of the Washington monument
and buried in the Potomac. AS it was he
got away, and each club OF the dozen
mourns his escape TO the tune of about
$4,000 each. The funeral in Hoosierdom
cost about that much more, for he had
outgrown the shroud all prepared for him
Vt Washington. Such is lfel
rem MULFoRD JR