The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-24

FIELDEN JONES.
champion batsman last years Eastern
league.
championship season Of 1896 opens with
prospects OF being the most prosperous year
of the professional sport in America. 1t
will be some weeks, however, before even
tho shrcwdcst observer will be able to ap-
ply the lessons of victory and defeat to
the relative strength of the different teams.
Last year tho Cincinnatis defeated tho
Clevclands in their first three games, but
the Clcvelands ended second in the race
and the CiDcinnatis eighth. a good start
is always desirable. but it isn't always the
best team which gets it.
Nearly oil the teams of the big League
were handicapped by unreasonable weather
In the last two weeks of their practice sen
son, and very few of them entered the
championship race in first class condition.
The champion Bnltmorcs arc probably the
worst sufferers, because they are compelled
to begin without the services of their great
third baseman, Mugsy McGraw. The alb.
sence of such player from any Line is a
greater loss than the public generally real.
ICES. McGraw's fever will probably leave
him too weak to play his c.c"re for several
months after h. ee,s out OK doors.
That reminds mo that McGraw is in
some respects workable DR. Jekyll and
Mr.. Hyde. Tho McGraw in everyday life
is DR. Jekyil ind the McGraw of the dia-
mond is tho Mr.. Hyde. OF the field he is
as agreeable, courteous, pleasant and intel
ligent young gentleman rs one may
meet 1t is only while he Is engaged in
game of ball that he sometimes becomes
metamorphosed into almost an irresponsi.
BILE person. John McGraw Is one of tho
farr L.
whole nervous system. The result has
been disastrous to the great little third
base man. He Il n victim of nervous pros
tration. The strain of two championship
seasons has shattered his nerves. That Is
the secret of his i'll health. The excitement
of his profession has broken him down,
and those who profess to know shy he will
never stand the strain again for any con-
siderable length of time.
1t may have been unfortunate for his
peculiar temperament TO be placed in such
an aggressive nine, where the love of q
scrap" prcdominates constantly. n man
like McGraw, thus surrounded, cannot
maintain placidity Of temper. Now that
Doyle has joined the Baltimore fighters he
more than makes up for McGraw's absence
from the team, as the Orioles recent ex-
pcricnce in Petersburg proves. McGraw
place on the team before midsummer if
then. Typhoid fever is great wcakencr
and recovery is discouragingly slow.
President Young's annual address to
his umpircs does not differ much from
that of other years. 1t is good advice, but
l doubt whether it will turn one of the
stuff from his mind as made up before he
received Nick's instructions. The older
members of the staff, Emslie, Hurst,
Lynch and Koefc, will go about their bust
ness, l think, much after their old prac-
tice, and the power of removal will not be
arbitrarily exercised
1t was certainly great surprise to hear
that William Sunday, Anson's old out
lcldcr, ana more recently q volunteer
evangelist, had applied to Mr.. Young for
an appointment as u National league um.
pire. Mr.. Sunday quit ball playing some
years ago because, as he announced, his
conscience urged him to leave such friv.
olous calling and turn his efforts toward
the saving of souls. Since that time Billy
has labored hard in the Christian harvest
field.
Now what has called him from tho
| evangelical field back to baseball, and OF
all things to umpiring, q vocation which
| develops more sinfulness on earth than any
otherf Possibly the Rev. Mr.. Sunday be.
lieves he can, by his kind words, Christian
fortitude and forbearance, do what brute
force, physical endurance ands expletive
language cannot 1t might not be a bad
plan to let him try his Christian science
| methods Oh the kicilcrs of the League. If
he lost his life in the attempt it would be
but ono more addition to the long list of
martyrs who die in efforts to evangclize
the world.
We hear considerable just now about
tho new style Of hit and run" playino
Baltimore has the credit of following tho
system, but tho Bostons really are the
pioneers who brought it out several wears
ago. 1t will be remembered that the nub
lie marvclcd over tho fact that the Bean
Eaters could make more runs with fewer
hits than any other team playing ball md
we heard great deal about "Boston
luck" IL was not luck but this system of
chit and run"
The Baltiinores took 1t up in 1894. and
lost year. This year Irwin has drilled his
Giants into the same kind of work. and
other teams will have 10 adopt it.
The plan is simple. Whenever n runner
reaches first the next batsman must work
with him. The runner signals to the hats.
man on what ball he will start for second
Until that ball Is pitched the batsman will
make no attempt to hit, though he be
tempted by one exactly where he likes IL.
On the contrary, when the ball is pitched,
an which the runner aQrees r. etor, 81 q