Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-03-17
OUR BALL PLAYERS.
Brief Sketches Of the Men Who Will
Weld the Ash Here.
A GOOD TEAM OF YOUNGSTERS.
Some Are New at the Business, hut
All Are strong and Active-Im-
provements to the Grounds-Otber
Teams Getting I'm shape.

Now that Manager Wells has arrived
In the city and officially announced the
names OF the men who will play on anu
constitute the Richmond Baseball Ciuo
interest In the game has been revived
and the cranks are getting In training
for the sport.
AS has already been published. the team
will assemble about the 18th. They VIII
get down at once TO hard practice. ana
viii play their first exhibition game Aprh
ith. with Washington. They VIII be ac-
lively engaged in exhibition games unti
the opening Of the league season, on the
18th.
Ted Suilivan's team, from Houston
Tex. Of which Jim Gilman Is MEMBER
viii play here on the 5th. and great
game may be expected. The Phiiadei-
phias will be here the sth and 9th; the
Bostons the 10th, the Baltimores the lith
and 18TH and on the 18th the league VIII
open.
The schedule has not yet been arranged.
but tine committee from the Board OF
Managers IL at work on H. and they VIII
probably make IL public this week. Inc
impression now prevails that the hOile
team will open away from here. rms
| is erroneous. The 18th ia Easter- MONDAY
a holiday-and the arrangement IS ior
Richmond and Petersburg 70 play here
that day. IL the present idea is followed
| the clubs will move every nine days-thh'
! Is, they will remain home nine consecutive
| days and will be on the road the same
| length OF time.
TO HAVE NEW UNIFORMS.
Wells has decided TO discard the old
| black uniform worn by the club last year
! and is undecided what colored SUITS ne
! will adopt. He has number or samples
| from which to select. among Whlch are
| some very striking combinations, but ne
finds IL hard to decide. very DARK piue
!. for the shirt and pants, with gray ulrl-
+ mings. and gray stockings, VIII prooapIy
| be the uniform, as the manager appears
to favor this combination.
Wells is very much pleased with the I'M
! provements already put on the grounds.
! The grandstand has been lengthened ol
| feet. the aisles therein have been
| broadened, and the seats maze more
comfortable. The addition to the PARK
made for the football game Ihahks-
| giyjng-Day will not be interfered with
| The grounds are now 3sOX4lO rect arouhu
/ making 1900 square feet-almost as large
a park as any OF the National-League
| clubs use. The old fence will be made 10
| incline outwards. and against II VIII be
| erected a new fence, fifteen feet IL
height-three feet higher than was the
| case last year. The double fence viii
/ preclude the possibility OF the small boy
| finding a peep-hole. and the three ad'
ditlonal feet in height will operate to
keep the teamsters from using theii
| wagons as "A grandstand, from which &c
see the game. The telegraph-pole-climb
will be the only deadhead whose view
will be unobstructed.
PERSONNEL OF THE TEAM.
All of the cranks are. no doubt. anxious
| TO know something about the men VINO
| will battle for Richmond this year. Below
| is given brief sketch OF each, together
with some few notes of what may be
| expected of them
| AL Gibson, who will wear the lverpao
during a majority of the game, Is said
! TO be a first-class man. He halls from
! Columbus, Ga. and has played on q
number OF semi-professional teams. He
| is 5 feet II inches tall, 2G years old. and
weighs ls5 pounds. This will be his first
| year with an organized league club
! He Is an excellent backstop. a hard
| thrower to bases, and is considered q
| hard hitter.
Reddy Foster will play IN right-held
! but will relieve Gibson behind the bat
and Jake Wells. who will cover first, vii
also change positions with Gibson oc
casonally. Both Of these men are toe
| well known here to need any comment
! Suffice it to say that they will do gooC
| work wherever they play.
John G.. Knorr, who is considered to b'
the star pitcher, is from Covington, KY
| He Is only q years Of age. is feet
| inches in height. and weighs li5 pounds
lie started playing ball with the Bono
Hills, of Cincinnati, and played his frs
! professional engagement with the Pensa
cola Southern League Club in 1893. Th'
| next year he played with Mobile. wher,
! he did excellent work. He has lots o
| speed, fields his position eXcellently, Il
quick on his feet. and Is a good base
| runner. He is only an average batter
| however.
Jesse Tannehlll is left-handed twirler
He comes from Dayton. Ky, and frs
played ball with the Manhattans, of Gin
cinnati. lie is 20 years old. feet inche.
in height and weighs 80 pounds. Las
year he was given a trial on the Cincin
| natl National League club. and made ;
! good impression there. lie needed LITTLE
| more experience, however, to move will
such fast company. lie has lots of speed
good curves, and is u very steady MAJ
in the box
William II. Dinsmore will come her
with a record for striking out batter
that is almost phenomenal. He is from
Fayette City. Pa His age is 3 years. hi
height 3 feet 10 inches. and his weigh
16j pounds. This Is his first season II
professional ranks. although he has dom
great work on amateur clubs aroun,
Pittsburg Hereft was that he made hi
record for strike-outs. retiring anywher
from nine to twelve men each game on. al
average, on three strikes. ne Is a goo
hitter and a fast base-runner.
GOOD FOR OTHER PLACES.
James G.. Allen, while a good pitcher
is also a handy man 10 fill In vacancie
in the outfield. and will. no doubt. prov
a very useful man. He comes from
Springfield, o., is feet 6 inches tall
weighs 140 pounds. and is % years Of age
He has played with quincy. OF the Doubl
/ League with Ottawa, OF the sam
league, and Cedar Rapids. He has lots o
speed, is a fair hitter, and is goo
base-runner.
William c. Hall. who will cover secon
bag. halls from "Ole Kaintuck." He is
feet inches tall. weighs les pounds. an
is "a years old. He was with the Frank
Tort club in the Blue-Grass League las
year. and comes here highly recommend
ed He Is a good hitter, and first-clas
fielder, and Is expected to do good work
James McGOwan, who will play third
succeeds Pender, who was released I
Petersburg He is equally as good ma
as Petersburg's captain. and will. n
doubt soon become a popular favorit
in Richmond He is 5 feet inches tai
weighs l45 pounds. and is 25 years of age
He is a graduate OF the Bond Hills. o
Cincinnati. and played last season wit
Mobile There be proved himself to be
splendid utility-man. playing both the in
and outfield with equal ease. He is mos
at home on third base. He is a lively ma
on his feet, Is hard thrower and first
class hitter.
AT SHORT AND CENTRE.
The position Of short-stop is a mos
important one. and requires a first-clas
man. In Harry Berte Manager Well
thinks he has the very man for the pos
ton. He comes from Covington, KY.
5 feet 10 inches tall, weighs l60 pounds
and Is % years old. He first played ba
with the Manhattans. of Cincinnati, an
played professionally for the first tim
last year. with Mobile. when he demon
strated his ability as a hrst-class mar
He covers very large territory. rield
his position admirably. is said to be abl
to atop the hottest OF grounders. and is
first-class hitter
Cliff Groves, who will play out in centre
field. viii do good work. and Is said {
be equally as good fielder as Gttingel
who played that position here last yeal