The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-07-07
POINTERS FOR GRUhBLERS.
The Up-Hnl Struggles Of The Richmond
Baseball Team.
THEIR EFFORTS FOR HEW IEH.
Hard to Sign Men in the Middle OF the
season-Batteries Crippled, But stin
Playing Good Gossip About
individual Merits OF the Men.

Ilmf~.
con. the work OF the Richmond team dur
ing the past two weeks. Such terms as
"tobogganing down the scale" and fall
ing from their pedestal" and the Ike
were used. and number OF discouraslng
criticisms have been INDUCED in.
These communications were written
chiefly by people who knew very little
about the national game, and stu less
about the circumstances under which the
Hustlers have been playing OF late. The
criticisms are for the most part the out
nut OF Ignorance, narrow-mindedness, or
prejudice. and consequently most OF them
have been consigned to their proper
| place. In the waste-basket There are
several reasons for this. In many IN
stances the very language of the COM
| minications frequently shows that inc
writer knows very little about the STU
alton. His comments are based upon an
| ideal style of bail playing, which play
ers In a minor league neverreach, ana ne
takes no note of the disadvantages which
the Hustlers have been compelled to cope
with.
IT MUST DE REMEMBERED.
There are several important facts which
should be borne in mind. First, the
Husters took the lead In the Virginia
| League soon after the season was open
ed, and they held It for more than nine
weeks. That is not a bad record. Al one
time they were nearly two hundred
| points ahead of their closest competitors.
and during the entire nine weeks they
maintained good, steady lead. Ihey
won moro than five consecutive games
| ddrins the race and in the midst OF the
tor
twelve. More than once their high record
was so steady and creditable that some
| OF the most reliable and enthusiastic
baseball critics in the city remarked
! that they would like to see both the
| Richmonds and the Lynchburgs drop half
| q dozen or moro straight games to the
| tail-enders.
The Hustlers have played good, strong.
| honest ball ever since the season opened
| Sometimes they went 10 pieces. The
| team that never did that, never played
much ball. Their general record has been
highly creditable, and they have been
| justly regarded as the leading team In
| the League. Is not this enough? Had
| they kept lead OF two hundred points
| ahead of any other team all the time
would not the interest have tagged?
| Would rot the tail-enders have grown
| discouraged, and the spirit of competition
| dropped to a point that could not POSI-
| bly, have stimulated the public interest or
| the rivalry of the competing teams:
These points should be TAX 81 into con-
| sideration before all kinds of wild and
| groundless criticisms are made. oar
| team IL at the top Of the list is Lot
| that sufficient? What more would you
ask? The season is only half over Even
| If the Hustlers should lose a few more
games, who will say they haven't time
enough to catch up?
THEIR CRIPPLED CONDITION.
The Richmond team have been laboring
| against heavy odds during the past two
| weeks. They have been in crippled
| condition. and have made desperate ef-
| forts to overcome this advantage. For
| quite while Flynn has been on the sick
| list. He is. perhaps, the most reliable
man in the box the Richmond team has.
| That is loss No. |. Then Gibson had
been under the weather for a long time.
so that he could not relieve 'Reddy
| Foster. The consequence was that Eos
| ter oficiated behind the bat day in and
| day out until his hand got in a very
| bad condition. He had to lay off for "a
while. His work behind the bat could
not be equalled by any other player on
| the team. That was loss No. 2.
Tannefill was unwel for while, and
once or hwice, and, naturally enough,
could not do as good work In left field
Berte was sick for a game or two, and
SO was MCGOWAN. Houseman missed
few comes by indlsposition, and several
other members of the club had 10 lay
off for a short time by reason OF game
fingers or sickness. Wells was absent
for game or two, while trying to
strengthen his team.
What wax the result of all this? Why.
the players had TO be shifted around
from place to place. and assigned 10 po-
sitions where they were not accustomed
TO playing. Substitutes were used on
more than one occasion. Is there any
sane man that ever saw three games or
baseball who will claim that all these
unfortunate, unlooked-for mishaps are
not disadvantages that are hard to over
come?
EFFORTS FOR NEW PLAYERS.
Some people have advanced the theory
tina. Richmond ought TO sign new play
ers. Granted. But where are the new
players to be secured? 1t should be re-
membered that there is salary limit
regulated by the League. This salary
umi. is not sufficient TO secure players
from the National, Western. or Eastern
Leagues. Neither will II induce players
TO Leave the Pennsylvania League,
the New York State League, or
cthers Players win not break their CON
tracts with other leagues where they
are known, and In which they have made
regulations, to sign with clubs In an
other league which cannot afford TO Of
fer them any increase in salary. and
where, In most cases, the salaries are
smaller.
Where should the Richmond team look
for new players? There are only two
places-in the Virginia League and In
the Southern League. Both OF these
have been tried Kelly was recently
signed SO was Bradley Both men are
doing well. Jake Wells made an effort
10 get players from the Southern League
He failed. Why? Because the Southern
League did not disband and they pay
| salaries equally as large. II not larger
than the Virginia League. w Ellis has also
written To many cities. and used the
wires freely. 1t must be borne in mind
that this is the middle of the season. a
time when 1t is almost impossible TO
secure players with good records on the
salaries offered by the Virginia League.
What is to abe done? Have patience,
stop grumbling, go out to the games and
encourage the players. II they lose the
game. bear with them. and look on the
| bright side of the matter. They VIII
come out all right In the long run II the
| baseball people do their part.
THE INDIVIDUAL PLAYERS.
II may be worth the space TO add a
few comments upon the individual work
OF the players with q word about their
progress As manager and Captain. Jake
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