The Washington times., 1895-04-07


on the baseball diamond will begin on
April 8, and from that date to the closing
OF the league season at the end of Septem-
ber, the play viii be as nearly continuous
as bad weather and the intervening Sun
days Will permit.
Each club win play twelve games with
each of the other elubs-six at home and
six abroad-a total of 1872 games for each
club. The schedule has some nOticeably
good features this year which are quite
new. Many OF the series OF games will
be broken up instead OF being played con-
secutively a Western team in the East
will not play three games with New York,
three with Brooklyn, three with Boston, and
so on, hut in many cases will play in New
York, then in Brooklyn, then New York
again, and then two or three with Boston,
stopping on the return trip from BeantoWn
To complete the series with the New Yorks
and the BroOkIyns. This breaking up OF
the consecutive series of games should in
crease the popular interest by a greater
variety Of opponents.
The season opens with the Eastern clubs
pitted against each other and the West
eTn clubs opposed by others from the same
section OF the country. After this first
round, the Eastern clubs go west and make
a tour of the West, playing three games in
each of the six Western cities. This sec-
ton is followed by the Western leans coming
East VS. East and West vs. West, and again
the Eastern clubs go West and the Western
clubs take their turns in the East, and
then the schedule winds up in September
by another East VS.. East and West vs..
West series.
All agree that the prospects for good
ball, large profits, and extended public
interests were never brighter, and the
cranks are looking forward with TN
bounded enthusiasm. or course each city
has its ''rooters," and all are equally con-
fident of the ultimate victory OF their
favorite teams, but The league race is yet
to be run, and all predictions are necessarily
hazardous, for no one can tell till they have
played together what a team can do, and
most OF the teams have been somewhat re-
modelled.
The New York Giants viii start the
season with most favorable prospects.
Baseball enthusiasts, as rule, are very
optimistic, but there seems to be good
reason for the great horde OF Metropolitan
'rooters" to believe their team will land
near the top of the heap-if not on the very
apex of the pyramid-this season. Last
year wound up in a blaze of glory. for,
although the Giants finished second 10 the
Baltimore Orioles, they were virtually the
champions. In the special series OF games
for Temple Cup, played directly after the
close of the regular league season. they
moreans.
This spring there have been numbar OF
important changes in the team its players
andits managers. In the first place Andrew
Freedman, a New York real estate dealer
has bought out controlling interest IN the
club, and now directs it's movements. ed
die Talcotr and others of the old boari of
directors had got tired sinking money IN
baseball, and were glad to sell ont feir
interests in the management OF the u ants
Freedman has started in with unbOdnded
enthusiasm. He has secured number OF
new players and has retained almost all OF
last years strong team.
The chief loss to the club will be in
manager and crack second baseman OF last
years team. Ward is now past master in
the art or baseball, and has grown almost
too old for the game. He has started in TO
study law, and has given up baseball for
good. His old place at second base viii be
hard to fill. Stafford and little yale"
Murphy are both being tried in that posi-
ton, and one or the other will probably fill
the place acceptabiy though not IN Wards
way. Davis Will captain the Giants this
summer in their long campaign, and will
act as manager as well. He plays third base
and is one of the most reliable men on the
team. With such quartet of pitchers as
Rusie. Meekin, Clark, and German. and per-
haps Knauss, the new man to fall back
on, New 4Ork VIII be strong in that depart
ment, which is half the game in itself.
In Brooklyn there have been some changes
in the makeup of the Bridegroomf Dave
Foutz, last year, s captain and manager, will
give up playing this season aud devote all
his energies to managing the team. His
eyesight bothered him before the end of last
season. and he had to stop playing ball for
time. Center Fielder Griffin will act as
captain of the team in his place. The Brook
lyn team has also been Strengthened in the
all-important pitchers box, by the exchange
of Catcher Kinslow for Pitcher Gumbert, of
last years PittsbuTg team. Grimm's re-
lease has been bought from Louisville, too,
and he will take Kinslow's place behind
the bat
At Washington there are a lot of new
men who are being t-ied for positions on
the Senators team, and an effort is being
made TO rejuvenate the club by the in-
fusion of new blood.
In Louisville the same plan is being
tried, and the entire team from manager
down to center fielder is composed of