Evening star., 1897-02-13

cation. No player can be released from
that club without running the risk Of weak
ening 1t full 30 per cent. The idea Of re-
field in Cincinnati Is preposterous. Had
such q trade taken place 1t would have
been Q hard matter for the club to get In
the first division. As 1t is now. with Holli-
club win come nearer than It did last year
to carrying of the coveted trophy. One
thing Is cure, II a sensation develops in the
big league before the coming season opens
1t will come from the west. Everything Is
serene at the other end, but matters look
blue out around st. Louis. With a good
club in that city $50 would be cleared
while 80 is being made in Cleveland or
Sunday ball in the mound city Is all bosh.
The bill that recently passed the lower
house Of the state legislature has yet to
go through the senate. and then to the
governor. and there is little likelihood that
1t will ever again see the light of day.
Won der Abe is hustling like a good fellow
and 1t Is to be hoped that he will get what
he Is after.
Because 'Scrappy'' Joyce made. such a
wonderful finish with the New Yorks some
OF the enthusiastic followers of the club are
predicting championship honors the coming
season. The Giants played just as much
ahead Of their speed in the latter part of
the season as they did below their speed in
the early part OF the struggle. The Giants
at the best should come under the wire
next fall about fourth. unless they get
Rusie or man in exchange for him who
Is fully as good. II not better. than the big
hand batters and they would do well to have
a irst-class left-hand pitcher In getting
one they would not only strengthen the
team on the inside. but on the outside as
Well With a frst-class left-hander on the
team like Breftenstein they would not have
10 go against him with their long row of
left-handed hitters. What If the Rusie
thunderbolt for the authenticated left
handler? Stranger things have happened
Ihis might come to pass The bad feeling
between Freedman and Brush should not
enter into the question. Brush is willing
to certainty to make the trade. and IL
joyce can have his way Freedman will
settle an embarrassing problem for the
league by getting Rusie of his hands, and
also strengthen two clubs, the New Yorks
about Is per cent and the Cincinnatis about
25 per cent. Without at least one more
crackerjack fielder the New York aggrega-
ton with the best kind of luck will not be
very much inside the first division. They
need an outfielder badly. Stafford is out
classed by two such men as Ternan and
Val Haltren.
Our own Winnie Mercer has been talking
again. and has the following to say to a
western writer about his experience in the
pitchers position. Mercer says that a
young pitcher can get more valuable tips
on now to pitch effective ball by watching
the work of a seasoned pitcher in q game
OF ball than he can in throwing his arm out
of joint In an effort to perfect himself
through the medium of practice. The theory
may work well enough In "Winnie's' case,
Tor ne Is an observing and clever pitcher,
but In nine cases out of ten practice is the
only thing that will benefit a youngster 1t
Is easy enough to sit by and see how it Is
done, but 1t is decidedly another thing to
40 II yourself The stern reality knows a
theory for twisting ball. 1t might be
added that Mercer is expected to arrive in
Washington next week. and will doubtless
be one Of the ornaments of the league
meeting in Baltimore the week following
That Mercer is still single man will be
good news to hundreds OF his admirers of
the fair sex.
Notes of the Game.
Fred Clarke Of the Louisvilles refuses to
sign for less than s. 400, and the manager
Of that club talks of beginning the season
be case of not knowing a good thing
when they see it. A man rated as being
worth $4,000 is surely worth the limit.
One of the best posted base ball men in
the city made the prediction last Wednes-
day evening, while surrounded by several
fessional players. that the Boston club
would finish lower down this season than
last. He said that Manager Selee and
Pitcher 'Stivetts would have to be let go
tefore the club developed its full strength
Base ball Is rapidly growing in popularity
In Great Britain. There are two base ball
associations In London. one for seniors and
The best base ball grounds are located at
Derby. They were constructed at cost of
S5OOO. There are nearly twenty-five teams
in the vicinity of Derby. The college boys
as yet refuse to touch our national game.
sticking closely to cricket
A dispatch from Louisville denies that
George Miller, the catcher. has been re-
leased. About half dozen others are
n 90
The late Charley Radbourne's work of
pitching nearly fifty consecutive games,
with total of about eighty five during the
season. has never been eQualed, and is not
these days. Jim McGuire's record as a
catcher in 1895 will stand for many a long
year.
Ed. Hanion fills the shoes of that most
champion Baltimore team is complete for
the coming season. He wants no more or
no less than he has at present. He will
enter the field with the players he has at
has announced that he feels surer Of TAX
ing his fourth successive pennant than he
did any Of the other three.
With Eagle-eyed Beckley and Jake STEM
gel already gone, and Bierbauer and Lyons
on the cards for a trade. the Pittsburg
club will come on the field this season with
a badly mixed up team Perhaps the
change Is wise one. but 1t generally takes
men on team.
1t wouldn't surprise a great many fol-
lowers of individual averages If that grand
pair, Cy Young and George Cuppy. should
fall short of putting up the great game
they have been doing for Cleveland for the
past four or five years. Young and Cuppy
are the most liberal contributors on the
Cleveland team to the great record made
by the Spiders. Should either Of these
twirlers falter the Cleveland lads will have
a hard time getting inside or even near
that Temple cup money next fall
Harry Mace, the well-known local ex-
pitcte er and ball player. is negotiating with
President Ban johnson and Pat Powers
of the Western and Eastern leagues for
the position of umpire for the coming sea-
son. Mace has a record Of four consecu- %
tive sLccessful seasons in the minor
leagues. He has umpired in the Texas.
VirRtpia. Atlantic and Eastern leagues.
Andrew Picket, aged seventy-seven years.
a prominent retired merchant Of Easton.
Pa was TO md dead yesterday hanging to
a he'd post in his room. He had been IN Ill
health and respondent for a long time.