Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-19
DEPARTMENTAL LEAGUE MINES.
The Teams Appear Stronger Than
They Were Last Year.

The week just ended is the second one
Of the season for the Departmental Base
Ball League, and while no team, of course,
can be accurately sized up as winners yet
a close observer has been able to get line
on the general work of each club and to
compare their relative strength.
Last year the most noticeable defect in
all Of the clubs was the lack of outfielders,
but this season sees all of the clubs SUD-
Piled with men to guard the outer regions
VINO are in every way qualified. With the
Infantry Neugent, Klenschmidt and Brown;
with the District Commissioners, Jones,
Green and Harding; with the Bureau,
Flaher:y, Farrell and Leach; with the
Treasury, Buchanan and kellar, and with
the Fort Myer team, Beahr, Mahoney and
Higgs, are all players of the first-class, and
this addition to the general strength of the
league will make the games much more in
teresting and exciting. A ball knocked
anywhere in the outfeld, as a rule, last
year was safe, but this year it is different,
and batters are compelled to pick the good
places to send the balls to.
The lnfields, as rule, are much stronger
TOO, than last year. Bielaski, McCauley,
Madlgan and Sprigman make up an intield
for the Bureau that is veritabe stone
wall, while Wisner, Smith, Hager and
Chamberlin, for the Infantry, are not one
whit behind in fielding, and probably lit
also has a good infield in Nichols Bolway
Stockslager and Barrows, and will make
batterS hustle to ge. hits between them
The Fort Myer team is little weak in the
lnheld but the team is strong in batters
and should pull out of many a hole by good
stick work. The District office team is
strong in the nfield with Fuller, Harris.
Birney, McGrath and Dickinson and should
make an excellent showing with the stick
The pitchers and catchers are about the
same as they were last year, with a few
additions to some OF the clubs. Things are
becoming now that a pitcher in the de-
partmental knows the weakness of the bat
ter in front Of him, and is able to feed him
balls that he cannot hit. This Familiarity
If cultivated, will enable pitchers to keep
down the number of hits, and will make the
games correspondingly more Interesting.
All the teams are looked out for by cap
talns who are fine bail players and who
nave in addition to their natural abilities
good mead for keeping their men together
McCauley, on the Bureau team, while not
a sensational player, is steady, and has a
wonderful influence in keeping his men
working together on the field. The Bureau
team won majority of it's victories last
year simply through its ability to play to-
| gether under the guidance of strong head
| ana hand.
In Barrett the Fort Myer team is well
supplied, while kelar looks out for all the
wants of the Treasury club in every direc-
| ton.
Smith is captain of the Light Infantry
team, ana VIII make the team play for all
| 1t Is worth during the remainder of the
games. Smith is a steady player, and as
| soon as he gets mis- arm down a trifle ne
will probably be the surest shortstop in
the league. on account of his experience.
"Nympo' Jones Is captain of the District
| office team, and there is not more foxy
player, or one who knows more points on
! the amateur ball field. He will act as a
sort of slayer on the spirits of the young
blood of the team, and should land his men
| In good position at the finish.
The attendance, which was not very great
| at the beginning of the season, is begin
| ming to pick up, especially among the ladies',
and larger figures are recorded every day.
This is especially true when the Bureau or
Washington Light Infantry play, and the
Treasury and District Commissioners office
are making strong effort to secure sup
port, and are succeeding much better than
| they did last season. The soldiers from
Fort Myer, it goes without saying take an
interest in their team and support it in
every possible way.
Departmental League Notes.
One of the strongest batters in the league
| seems to be in the person of Hager. the
| second baseman of the W. L. I. team. He
| made two home runs and double in the
game with Fort Myer.
Happy Chamberln's catch ut first in
| the game between the D. c. O.'s and the
w. L. is was on the circus order. He
jumped up in the air, struck the ball with
| his init, knocking it straight up, and then
| caught it as it came down. 1t was a great
| play and he received his due Of applause.
Bielash will make one of the strongest
infielders the league has. His work at
| third is Of the star order all the time
| while he is as steady as one could wish.
He is batting in good shape, too.
Brown, the outf1elder on the Infantry
| team, 10 able to pitch with either hand
| and with almost as much speed with his
left as with his right. He intends to spring
| it upon his man some day when he is in
the box, and was repeatedly urged to try
1t the other day.