The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-04-05

A Raw Spring Has not Been Kind to
Some Of the Hoosier Ball-PIayers-
Baseball Notes.

with local teams are all right for practice.
but are invariably too one-sided to afford
any genuine sport. The Page Fence Giants
are scheduled here tomorrow. but it is on
Tuesday that the genuine fun begins, for
then the Cincinnati Reds will be the op-
posing team. They VIII put Chauncey Fish
er In the box for few innings If his arm
Is well enough. It has been very sore for
several weeks and he has done little work
in consequence. Wiley Davis. the Ken
lucky pitcher. will be used against the cham
pions in one OF the games here. and Frank
Foreman Will also take turn in the box.
AS Indianapolis was always q Jonah
for Billy Rhines, he may not want to pitch
here. Gray may be seen at second il Nc
Pieces finger is still out of shape. If not,
he will be in the outield or behind the bat.
for he is too big drawing card to be left
out Of the games. Manager Watkins will
put the regular team in the field against
the Reds. and will use either George Cross
or Monroe in the box to start with. Phillips
Is still under the weather. and may not
pitch this week. If Dick Buckley gets here
he will catch one Of the games. otherwise
Wood, Butler and Grim will alternate be-
hind the bat Four straight games with
Cincinnati will give the team plenty of hard
work. Two of the games take place here
Tuesday and Wednesday. and the other two
at Cincinnati Thursday and Friday.
Louisville is scheduled here next Satur-
day and Sunday, Pittsburg Monday and
Tuesday, April 10 and IA. and Chicago
Wednesday, April Is. 1t will thus be seen
that besides affording the rooters plenty
Of gilt-edged sport. the champions will get
enough good. solid practice to put them in
race-horse condition by the opening of the
championship season. April % always pro-
v'ded the weather is gracious.
On form Indianapolis should land the pen
nant again this season, or come very close
to it. st. Paul. Kansas City and Detroit
appear to be the most dangerous opponents
the champions will have to tackle. In hit
ting strength. base running and fielding
careful examination of the makeup of the
several teams fails to find a superior to In
dianapciis. The matter of pitching talent
is always puzzler. One season a pitcher
may be wonder. and the next year amount
to comparatively little. The work of Cross
and Phillips was substantial enough last
season to warrant the belief that this year
is going to be a red-letter~one for them.
Cross, especially. was never in such fine
He is down to playing weight and has more
speed than ever before, as any one who has
watched him work at the park can testify.
In Monroe Indianapolis has undoubtedly Sc
cured prize He has an old head on a
young pair OF shoulders. and almost perfect
command OF the ball. Careful judges who
have seen him In the box out at the grounds
agree that he is the most promising candi-
date for pitching honors ever brought to
Indianapolis. He mikes 'em up" as Jesse
Burkett, the National Leagues champion
ha a nd he Of v,loto
knows what to expect, a curve or straight
ball, slow or fast one. Monroe does not
rely on his catcher, but sizes his own men
up, and once they face him he never forgets
their weaknesses. OF course, with a vet
eran backstop like Buckley. he will be
guided partially by the latter's observations.
but he Is not dependent, as are so many
young pitchers, on his catcher's signs.
In Hansen Manager Watkins says Indian
apols has another pitcher very similar in
build, general appearance and playing abi-
ity to Monroe. When Hansen's contract ar
rived Watkins felt that his troubles were
over. and that he could sail right into the
championship season with every prospect of
outfooting the other seven clubs. This Peo-
ria pitcher is no experiment. He pitched
steadily all last season in the Western AS
ISOLATION, and was rarely ever hit safely
more than eight times in game. Hansen
is said to be as steady as clock and to
be able to successfully run the gauntlet of
all sorts of noisy coaching with the score a
last season, and 1t was, therefore, a mys-
terry that he preferred to continue in a
slower class. 1t seems, however, that he
was being prevailed upon by certain friends
and advisers to hold out in the hope of bet
tering his terms. Finding things were not
working just the way these friends had
promised, he sent in his contract so as to
get on a good. substantial pay roll by April
1. In addition to the four pitchers already
mentioned, indianapolis will carry. for
mon. One left-handed pitcher is enough for
a team, unless, as rarely, If ever, happens,
a manager is lucky enough to get hold Of
are so erratic. these left-handed youngsters,
that it is difficult TO get any steadily eff
fective work out of them. Once in long
time ''south-paw" wonder turns up. These
occurrences are rare, however.
Kansas City has big BilP' Killing. who
isn't such terror to the champions, and
Lucky Pete" Daniels, whose curves have
also been solved from time to time. They
are scarcely stand-off for Cross and Phil
lips. and Manning's crop of youngsters is
not as promising as Watkinss. st. Paul
has Johnston. Mullane and Pepper as vet
Grams to stack up against Indianapolis, and,
of the three, Johnston is the most effective.
Comiskey's pitching corps is more nearly
like that of Indianapolis in point of strength
than any of the others of the Western
League. Detroit has a small army of twirl-
ers, but of the entire lot Gayle Is the only
real dangerous one. Frank Pears has been
known to pitch good ball here, but then,
again, he has fallen over himself in the
box numerous occasions against the
champions. both at Detroit and on these
grounds. Minneapolis has Healy, Blackburn
and others of lesser note, none of them es-
pecially dangerous to Watkins's men. Mil
waukee has Stephens. Rettger, Baker and
others, who have all been touched up pretty
freely by the champions Stephens was the
most effective Of the three here last season
Columbus and Grand Rapids are without
any formidable pitchers. Jerry Nops of the
latter team, is the best Of Carneys force.
The champions are not in good shape to
tackle their hard job of holding Cincinnati
level this week. Stewart is suffering from
a severe cold. and was kept in bed two
days thereby Roat was almost as badly
off Friday, and it was for a time feared
he was in for siege of pneumonia. Phil
lips is still feeling wretchedly and doesn't
seem to get any better Cross hasn't pitched
for q week, owing to a lame arm. though
otherwise he Is in tip-top condition. Sore
arms are the rule not the exception. with
pitchers in this climate at this season of the
year. The proper sort OF weather Will work
the soreness out of Crosss arm. 1t will be
seen, however. that Indianapolis Is likely to