Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-09-09
decidedly snappy. They appear. however,
to lose their heads quicker than any team
In the State.

can rely upon in the box. Some day
they make q kpurt for few innings, bu
our hearts are always In our months
We never know when they are going 4
| pieces, Just az Duke did on Tuesday
Our third base has always been weak
| The wooden man who now covers. Of
| pretcnds to cover the bag. Is little bette
| than the lean and awkward Napier. What
| he doesn't know about ball.playing would
| fll the new State Library. IL 1t were en-
bodied in book-form. In the left-nel(
| Cleve has proved himself a genuine
nonentity OF late. He appears to be IN
| a trance, and there is absolutely no count
| ing upon him for a grounder. II should
bc stated in Justice to oil the Grow
| fieIders. however, that the ground which
they cover Is exceedingly uneven. anc
| there is absolutely no way OF telline
which way the hide may bounce. Il
| would be an excellent plan to have tn,
| whole field skinned next year. or. IL thi.
Is impractIcabie, TO have IL properly
| leyellcd. Perhaps II would also be q
| good plan 10 have the whole team (witi
| two or three exceptions) also skinned
| Our park should be enlarged. Tht
| grounds are now far too small. and tn,
| park IL utterly inadequate TO accommo
| date the immense crowds which have re
Gently attended the games. Many per
| sons wonder why the fence back OF the
| felders has not been removed and more
space given for vehicles and horses Tn
| fortunately. n street, or rather an imagi
nary one. Is laid out Just back of thC
| fence, and the authorities Of Henric(
| have not allowed the managers TO en-
croach upon this territory. Next sea
son. however, their hearts may soften
and in that event Richmond will have
| backgrounds of which she may be proud
Certainly the management have SO fan
| shown n disposition to do everything pos
sible 10 accommodate the cranks. AS fan
as Il goes. West-End Park is a success
| All it needs is d little more growth Al
| least 5000 have been expended already
| IN fixing up the grounds. and the I'M
provements have been made as fast as II
was felt that they were needed.
There have been n great many specula'
tons as TO the amount of money Mr.
William Bradley and his associates have
cleared this season. Certainly. they have
come out at the long end OF the rope
for in the last two months Richmond has
developed into the greatest ball-town IN
the South. For my part, l hope from the
will accumulate barrel of dough lie
deserves every cent he can gather in.
During the first part OF the season ne
and his partners were the only men VINO
had the nerve TO put up the cash to give
this city a team, and now IL comes with
poor grace from the sore-heads to COM
plain about their profits. Moreover. Mr..
Bradley has always put up his money In
the interest of the national game. rms
Is not the first season he has shown ms
nerve. for he has helped baseball right
straight along.
The Crows are a well-paid set Of duff
fers too. Several Of them get salaries OF
SEQ per month and expenses. The man
agement are carrying so many players
that they are really paying out great
deal OF money. Moreover. the crowds
that have attended the games have really
not been so immense as was reported.
on Labor-Day. when the greatest num-
Der Of rOoters appeared on the
scene, there were but 5000 pres
ent. and Of this number fully
one third were ladies, who were admitted
free. And then, too, the bowling mop
Of negroes. who make things 50 dlSa-
greeable, are always admitted at re-
duced price. In passing, let me say, TINT
these dusky rooters show but little APP
DreGlgtlOn OF hlilGlltSSto NbiiAtiANN NIE''
them. when they give vent to their de-
rIsive utterances against the home team
Next season Mr. Bradley, and the
powers behind the throne" will perhaps
change things in this respect little.
So many things have been written and
said about the "rooters" that ii would
be tencrity for me to add my ideas on
the subject. 1t certainly Is credit 10
Richmond, however, to see the immense
gatherings which she sends TO the bail
games No particular element Is repre-
scented In the throng. and the crowd Is
a thoroughly democratic one. Governor
OFerrall enjoys the game just as much
as does the old umbrella-mender. who has
rooted so persistently and faithfully with
his horn. while King ORourke Eek
pitcher and "Donati GiantO is no happier
when he sees the home team win than
are the worthy representatives or tht
Catholic clergy. who always occupy seats
on the left-field bleachery. Besides. the
regular rooters and cranks, who wriggle
holes in the grand stand, and grind them-
selves away on the bleacheries, there Is
another little colony about 800 in NUMBER
who view the struggles from outside the
grounds. How these chaps ever get them
selves up to an elevation which viii
enable them to look over the fences, Is
more than can see, but they do it. Some
few have light scaffolds. which they carry
back and forth to the field adjoining the
park; others manage to mount the fence
while still others meet the emergency by
ingenuity. which no human being can
explain. In mentioning these outside, yet
ever cordial spectators, it would be n sin
TO omit reference to those enterprising
and ambitious citiZen5 who root from the
neighboring telegraph-poles. But base
ball levels al ranks. a fellow feeling
makes us wondrous kind. and when we
get in the .neghborhood of West-End
Park all social differences are forgotten.
People have begun to ask: What will
be the prospects of baseball in Richmond
next year? After years Of experience as
a rooter 1 feel compelled to reply that
this is a question which no man can sue
cessfully answer. The cranks are tickle
lot. and sometimes. when they become
disenchanted they abstain from going
TO the park for weeks. Who can predict
what ideas they will take into their hard
heads next season? For my part, ! hope
Messrs Bradley * Co (whoever the COM
pany may bel Will not undertake TO do
things on too grand a scale at first. Base
ball was killed in Richmond once before
by Just such n move. Mr.. Woodall. who
Is one Of the powers behind the throne"
in the firm Of Bradley & Co., tells me,
however that when they start afresh
next spring they are going To commence
pretty much "a they did this year. and
make their improvements keep apace with
the increase of the patronage. This, after
all. is the only way 20 run a baseball
team.
There never was a man who attended
ball contest yet who didn't think he knew
more about the sport than the managers,
the players, and everybody else put To-
gether. Half the fun in going to root
consists in the fact that you have an
opportunity 10 ventilate your ideas and
make folks think you know it all Hence
many baseball prophets have arisen from
comparative obscurity and will tell you
gratuitously everything you want to know
on the subject. / am one Of these pro-
phets myself. / shall never forgive the
public If they fail to grasp and act upon
the ideas embodied in this essay Let me
give you a brief list of the things / "a
great big u think:
First. ] think next years team should
have a live man on third base. and
Myers. the bandy-legged Splinter from
Petersburg, IS the fellow we want
Second. / think the remains OF the late
Cleve should be removed from left-feld
and an abie-bodled youth be substituted
in his place.