The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-05-07

ADRIAN coNsT ANTINopLE AYsoN.
with his uppor lip after its hirsute appendage
had been harvested.l
| day and generation roofcdi What words
of irony and sharp rctort 1t looked down
upon as they few out at tho luokless VIC
timsl
And now II Is gone. There wasn't
much Of IL, but the little there was had
prominence because of tho plhoe where 10
grew. No explanation Is given why the
innocent looking dead grass colored mus
tache was sacrificed. 1t may have been pro-
nounood hoodoo. Possibly Uncle Adrian
thought that without mustache he would
aypear more boyish. III the lnttcr be the
truo explanation, will not be surprised
to hear that he has puttied up the cracks
In his neck and got new set of teeth.
strongly suspect, however, that the vet
eran's glass showed him fow white hairs
hero and there among tho scant hedge on
his upper lip, and that the condemnation
Of the many resulted for the sins Of the
few Anyhow 1t was and is not.
The club at the same time has concluded
20 star Anson. That Is wise. There Is
only one of his kind on the diamond. He
stands unique and alone. OF the hundreds
who battlod with and against him In 1875
not one Is left in service. Young blood is
well enough in its way, but there Is only
one Anson, and he should be cherished IL
Is right to make him the star. His club
has three sheet poster which pictures
him, sans mustache, clad I'm the uniform
which he has honored for score of years.
Wherever the team plays this poster, with
out n mustache, stares at rooters from the
fences and biliboards. The photographer
has done his work well too. Looking at
the "man in Armour" one would think,
if one did not know better, that it was
"nnd"-some young fellow just out of
school who had suddenly jumped into
prominence on the diamond.
All on account of the missing mustache.
And this sacrifice reminds me Of the pe-
culiar fact that for years no professional
baseball player has worn any beard except
upon his upper lip. In the sixties and
early seventies there were boards seen upon
tho diamond George Wright wore short
siders when he played with the famous
Red Stockings and Harry Wright sported
a regular English harp. Later on player
with any hair on bis face except a mus
tache would have been hooted from the
field.
And now Is tho mustache to go? Anson
Is to tho profession what tho Prince of
Wales is to the chappios, and i look for an
immediate general sacrifice of the mus
tache among baseball players Before 1
leave Anson I want TO say that III he wins
all the bets he is making this season his
tncome tax next year will be considerable.
In one week he tclegraphed three $500 bets
TO New York, and all were taken. He al
ways wagers on his Colts against some
other club, and when his book Is full it
generally turns out that IL is so arranged
that he can't lose much.
Now that Anson has cut off his mus
tache Prince Bismarck will probably do it
too. With Arson and Gladstone sporting
bare upper lips, Bis can't afford to keep
his German twist.
Tho National league season opens en-
couragingly. The Pittsburgs start off in
the lead, as they did last year and the
strong eastern clubs bunch together prior
10 their assault upon tho western circuit.
I am inclined TO believe that the eastern
clubs are comparatively stronger than last
year, and that the west has not, on the
whole, improved any. The most remark
able change In the whole circuit is the
great form Of Rusie, Meehin, German and
Stlyetts right at the start. Boston's big
pitcher never was In such fine fcttlc, and
Rusie, German and Meckin clearly show
the benefit Of their months training in the
south Every other pitcher In the country
Is being, on the average, hit hard.
should advise prospectors TO not underes-
timato tho work of Rusie and Meekin
when they begin 20 figure on pcnnant
chances. To hold the opposing side down
To from ono to six runs is half the battle.
That is what i expect TO see Rusie and
Mcckin do.
II Nichols rounds up in his 1893 form,
Boston will go TO the front prime favor
ite. But at present, as predicted few
weeks ago, It looks rs II Nichols is handi-
capped by that extra distance.
The resignation of Lynch from the Ma
tional leagues staff of umpires removes
tho ranking mnn In that business. He
las served the League since 1857 end was