Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1897-07-01
FOR THE PENNANT.
Inc Championship Season Opens Here
With Demonstration. Music by
the City Band,

season opens up to-day, and for more
than two months the battle for the pen-
nant will wage fiercely and enthusiast
cally. The League comes before the
public this season with two new towns.
and this should add an interest that will
be good for the financial end of the
National game. Vineland and CLAYTON
are the now aspirants for championship
honors, and Salem will peg along alone,
playing exhibition games.
To-day. Manager Marshall will
bring his Vineland ball tossers here and
attempt to show US how the fine points
are played. Clayton will journey to
Millville and give that club the best pos
sible argument.
ln reviewing the League, charity begins
at home, and the PIONEER will speak of
the Brldgeton team, before all the writer's
choice stock of pleasant phrases are dis.
posed of.
Managers Westcoat and Yost are of the
opinion that the men gathered together
are the kind that will win games. Pretty
much a. are new men, and they have
been playing here sufficiently long for
| cranks to get a line on the boys. Of the
infield little can be made. The young
fellows along the lines certainly play 1897
ball, giving the pitchers strong support.
And everyone of the infield can hit, while
all but Stainsby are scientific bunters,
and with these three cardinal virtues,
l'should be able to make good impression
upon any diamond The outfield is
pretty nearly all right. Captain VOL.
sieffer always could field far and away
beyond anything we ever had here, and
| this year he is hitting the bal, hard, be
sides bunting and running bases to beat
the cars. To-day Roray will play on
the bench, and young Morris will guard
right field. This little fellow is a clever
| helder, pretty sure hitter, beside being
an excellent pitcher. But the weakest
hole on the team has been corked up,
tuesday wnen the boys come upon the
| T'eld for practice. little soggy, athletic
/ looking fellow with long blonde hair ap
! peared in left field, aud gave an exhibi-
ton OF how the game should be played.
/ HIS name is johnson, and he halls from
the University of Pennsylvania. He
came here from Atlantic City, where he
I'D gone to play with Ted Sullivan's
team, but the salt air did not agree with
him, and he fell victim to the wiles of
our popular Captain, Wolsieffer. John.
son looks like star. and has a splendid
reputation as ball player.
| AT present our lads are depending upon
one catcher. the redoubtable "Kid" Will
liams. Something pretty severe would
have to befall the kid" if he wasn't in
the game, and this season he is catching
and throwing to beat the band, while his
hitting is considerable over the 300 point.
That brings us to the critical part of the
team, the young gentlemen who occupy
the centre portion of the diamond, and
serve up the curves and shoots to the op-
posing batters. Posner, the latest acqui-
sitiop, is thick dusky fellow and de-
llvers the ball from his south side. He
has been pitching up in Pennsylvania,
ana has done good work. His left arm is
strong. and he has lots of speed with
quick sharp points in his curves. He
ought to do. We will know more about
II to-day when he goes up agains
Vlneland. Then Jamison, the big 1ndial.
will be here from Carlisle school. That
fellow they say, has great many puz
zhng things in his delivery, while his
speed is something terrific. Morris is
pretty successful, and while he may not
take his regular turn, he will be handy
IN emergencies. Then we must speak of
Mayhem, just now is question. He is,
and has been all along a puzzle to the
cranks. He has been doing effective
work against the light teams he Las been
up against, and has had great support.
He lobs up some balls that look as big as
bucket, but they are not hit hard. He
has some speed, but seldom uses it. The
most satisfactory conclusion the PIONEER
man has reached yet, is that Mayhem
is good heady pitcher, gets away with
his work without much effort, and is so
abominably lazy that he won't put on the
ordinary finish to his pitching, which
makes it appear that he is but fifth
rater. 1t would not be surprising to the
writer If the pitching of Mayhew won
many games.
Nlneland is an unknown quantity.
Nearly all of the men are new to this
burg, and they may be surprisingly fast
If there are weak spots, you can depend
upon Manager Marshall correcting all
his mistakes.
When you speak of Millville you
should do so with considerable respect.
1t looks very much to an outsider as if
Manager Doughty had corralled together
band OF scrappers that will win big
percentage more games than they will
lose. The fielding of the team will be
strong. and there should be no lack of
hitting.
Pierson is tower of strength behind
the bat but 1t is the pitchers box that
looks fearfully strong. The Southpaw
Seeds is good one, and he is liable to
worry all the big hitters in the business.
He has pitched bafOre and has axpar;onoa