Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-09-09
ON THE BALL FIELD.
AoI The Rlchmonds Weakened Thar
Chances for the PennaDt.
PROSPECTS FOR NEXT SEASON.
snoss Back OF tho Movement VIII Pro-
coed with Cautiop--weak Points On
Our Team-Descrve Great Credit.

fhc humorists In a shape something like
Ahis:
And thus, from chidhood's hour,
I've seen my fondest hopes decay:
i never had piece OF bread.
Particularly thick and wide.
But what IL fell upon the ground.
And always on the battered side"
Somehow or other those lines have
been running in my head ever since Mon
nay-ever since 'Labor-Day," when
Patriarch Edward Tate and eight OF his
rrowish nedgelings were showed out OF the
prospective championship nest by the
Dinwiddie Husbandmen and made to bite
the ignominious dust Of defeat below.
Tho have fallen, fallen, fallen, and on
their buttered sides. while we poor crnnks.
smacking our lips at the prospects OF
honors never to be won. are made to 20
starving for the sweet morsel which we
had hoped to chew.
But n few weeks ago and we Qn our
minds eyes, did see a fag-a waving.
triumphant fag-that futtered with its
ample folds DER what IS known as West
End Park. We beheld 1t as 1t proudly
caught the breeze: we cheered it as 1t
waved; We honorcd 1t for what 1t signified.
and we praised it for the victories Il
betokencd. 1t may be parenthetically
Stated that we did all this IN our imagi-
nation. In reality we now mourn its
loss Things amt what they used 10 be-"
There was a time when all was sunshine:
now all is mud. We realize, alas too
late. that the map OF Virginia recognizes
village known as Petersburg, and that
within the limits OF this moss-covered
hamlet there is an organization known
as a baseball team.
Once in a moment Of madness me"
and $3.50 other rooters imagined we saw
or. perhaps. We dreamt it-Edward Eras-
tus Tate standing beneath the shadow Of
that pennant. with smile on his moon
shaped face, and garlands on his head.
Now We know II was a dream, and we
have had ourselves kicked for dreaming
Il. We have had 20 "eat Crow" for all 1t
was worth Of late and bitter has been the
pill 10 swallow. our poor, poor birds
they have been plucked and depleted OF
their plumage.
'"Thoy have fallen by the waysde.
They have gone beyond recall"
granted. Those bouquets given them Sat-
arday and Monday proved too much for
human vanity. The flowers heaped upon
the Richmond nine have come TO a double
meaning. They were intended as honors
and maybe they We're though they were
honors such as defunct citizen receives
at his own inteunent They were, in
view Of recent events, funeral designs.
] never did fancy those garlands any
lnIl
ceiving American beauties Just as If he
had been Il society belle. and coquettishly
smiling and bowling acknowledgements.
as though he We're some fair coy maid
Why. it's enough to make n dog laugh.
and a very serious dog at that. l thought
when the rooters threw those bouquets
AT the players that trouble was gong 10
follow. and II looks too much as If
was right Even IL the Crows hadn't
Yoiten inflated al such recognition these
attentions were calculated to embarrass
!hem. The sweet blossoms should not
have been presented until after the
Yamey-then things might have been bet.
Ter.
am always only too glad to take
cheerful view of things. but TO save my
life now, l can't see any possibility OF
Richmond's winning that pennant. BLESS
ed Is he who expecteth nothing" But
we can and must still hope and pray for
second place. Lets play like we don't
think there's any such thing as n pen
nant In this world. Then. If by some
freak OF fortune we get ", the surprise
will b. all the more agreeable. After all,
] suppose we ought TO be satisfied: but
II is powerfully hard 10 be philosophical.
when We went into that game Monday
there Was everything before us. and We
simply had a "cinch" on tina rag, but
after that contest felt that l would b.
proud II we got last place. Rousseys
misdeeds on that occasion were suii-
cient In themselves to deprive him of the
rights Of American citizenship. In fact
nearly every member of the team APP
peared to imagine himself a Chinese laun-
dryman. With tears in my eyes ! watch
ed the strugCle-or rather the landslide
from left field, and near me was a rOoter
who fairly foamed at the mouth when he
saw how the Crows answered Never
more" TO all his appeals for improvement.
Before the game was over that crank
was bitter against everything in this
world. He could have killed his own
father.
And then came Tuesdays game. We
started off at a canter and for two innings
Duke wrapped 1t round the necks' of
the Farmers and then, all Of n sudden,
he went 10 pieces like a. soap-bubble. lie
nanimity only equalled by Santa Claus
when he calls Christmas. and when he
did throw the ball over the pan the Hus
bandmen punted II up to the moon Clcye
might as we'll have been a cow grazing
out in left field for all he did. and that
once-long-haired juvenile. BABY Phil
lips. did but little better. Baby IS like
Samson; whenever he gets a haircut
he ceases 10 be prodigy. The longer he
plays with the State-League lads the
more convinced 7 become that he is clear
~ outclaseed. He is a courteous. gentle
manly little duffer with nice white teeth,
but then that doesn't cut any figure. He
can't eat the ball with his teeth. nor
ran his gentlemanly ways avail him when
he muffs fly or strikes out. The third
% the series with the Dinwddie Plowmen
cheersd me greatly. for in the black
coated satellites of Patriarch Tate l re-
COgnized the Old-time Crows who had
Eichmond at their feet few weeks ago.
il did me good TO see them pounding the
yarn over the fence and galloping around
the bases to the hOme-plate. And then.
too. II was positively delightful TO actually
realize that ROussey and Bailey can hit
ball once In a lifetime Yes, that game
was "A Plenty" dig a and big p for me.
They say that some OF our players were
put rather late last Sunday night. and
There are wine people who attribute the
recent disasters Of the team TO this cause
II Is not my purpose TO preach tenn
perance lecture. but. really. l think if ever
there was time for the Crows TO do the
"teetOiloi" act. II is now. Whatever may
be said against the blackbirds collectively.
] believe that Gilman and Wells should be
spared the censuTe Certainly the little
second baseman has worked bravely
through darkness and afilction. He has
always been found at his post. and.
however great the odds may have been
against him. ne has struggled TO do his
best. And then. too, he appears 10 lack
that awful disease known as "bighead."
Tue broad-shouldered Wells. who never
loses his dignity. has iabored equally as
conscicntlously as Gilman. and he plays
with the idea that the cranks like Eng
land, expect every man 10 do his duty"
HIS batting during the past week has
been su.erb
kain. though he has frequently gone
astray OF late. has done his best. which.
unfortunately, Is below par just now
some OF his plays are phenomenal, and
MS grace and ease OF movement make
him an ornament to- any ball-park IL ne
had aroused himself from his stupor on
Mohusy' instead OF waiting until Wednes-