Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-03-31
PLAY BALL THIS WEEK.
RichmOnd's Blue Birds to Go on the
nfou.nnd for tho Eirsf Time.

The Richmond League Club Will play
its first game of ball this year at West
End Park next Thursday afternoon, when
the Birds will cross bats with the
National League club from Washington.
Jake Weiss boys are in nrst-class con-
dition, having practiced daily now for a
week. They will continue TO improve
themselves, however. and when they step
| out on the field Thursday afternoon to do
| battle with the Senators they will, no
doubt. be in the pink of condition, and
II would not he at all surprising If they
walked off after the ninth inning easy
| victors.
Wells. who is an old Na,ional-League
player, and. by the way, is FAR better
| than many of those who are now in
the big league. is thorough judge OF a
| baseball player. and has wasted no en-
| ergy in getting his team together. His
| ability Is an assurance that the team
is a good one. but assurance has been
| made doubly sure during the past week
by the clever practice work Of the men
making up the club.
WHO WE WILL PLAY.
The Richmonds will meet the Dallas
Cfex) teap-Ted Sullivan's aggregation
Friday. This club was badly defeated by
the Norfolks last week, and II will be Il
sorry day for the cranks here If Weiss
boys fail to walk off with the Texans
scalps. also Saturday we have Billy Nash
ana his club of Bean Eaters here and on
Monday and Tuesday the Phillies play
in Richmond The Bostons play a return
engagement on Wednesday OF next week,
and OH Thursday and Friday Hanlon's
great Oriole club. from the Monumental
City, on the Chesapeake. will do battle
with the Richmond lads.
These Will be gamess between teams
anxious to win. and there can be but
little doubt that they will prove interest
ing and exciting.
THE LEAGUE SEASON.
On Easter Monday, only three days
| after the Baltimores conclude their en-
gagement here. the StaN League season
| will open, and then the Fans will be
| treated TO good ball playing almost con-
| tinuously until the middle of September.
| Reports of the work being done by the
| various clubs composing the league show
| that they are all more evenly matched
than was the case last year, and interest
| therefore bids fair to run high. Nor
| folks easy defeat OF Ted Sullivan's team
4 shows great ability on the part Of the
| club, and there is every reason to be.
| lieve that they will prove no mean adj
| versaries for the Richmond lads. II
| Norfolk plays good ball. it can be put
| down as fact that Portsmouth will
| do SO also. Brady is a hustler all over
| and he has cordial dislike for anything
that smacks OF Norfolk. He would rather
sacrifice all of the profits he expects tc
make this season than TO let Norfolk
beat him out and he will. If necessary
improve his team In order to avoid an,
such catastrophe. Mr.. Sommers vii
| have no second place If he can help A.
! and we all know that Wells is going tC
| take nothing but first place. so a livel,
contention for honors from start L
finish will be. the order Of things.
PETERSBURG WANTS IT, TOO.
Petersburg has some pride in getting a
| good place In the race also. For two con-
secutive seasons the pennant has gone
there, and the Farmers think there Is no
! reason why it should not float over the
| Cockade City for the third time. 1t may
do so. but those Agricuturists will have
| to hustle even more than they did last
year to put 1t there. Lynchburg and
| Roanoke who played last and next 10
| last respectively last year are ambitious
| TO wind up somewhere nearer the top this
year. and they propose to make fight
| for first place.
| Everything taken into consideration
this will be first-class season for base
ball. and interest will undoubtedly run
| higher than II ever has before in this
| State.
| The schedule. which was adopted las.
| week. is a most equitable one. Richmond
| has been given all of the choice dates,
| and the cranks will be permitted to see
more ball-playing than was accorded them
| last year
WestEnd Park has been wonderfully
| improved. ard the maniac who goes to
| the game will be made much more COM
| Portable than he ever dreamed that he
| would be in this city.
! All is ready now; let the game COM
| mence