The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-05-21


Under a drab sky, through which the
sun of May filtered an uncertain light,
and in the midst of an enterprising young
whirlwind which madly tossed the dust
about, the playing season of the Maine
State Baseball league was opened yester-
day afternoon on the Deering grounds.
The weather was most unauspicious for
ball playing, and for drawing out the
people, though four or five hundred en-
couraged the game by their presence, and
saw some good sport too, in spite of the
fact of the wind and the dust which
handicapped the young men who hustled
about the arena, very badly.
The game was not sensational for Port
land had the lead the most of the time,
but it was good, sharp ball playing just
the same, and most enjoyable to witness.
LII the State league games average as well
as yesterdays the people will have no
chance to complain that they are not pro-
vided just as good an article of ball as
they enjoyed when we vanquished or were
vanquished by, teams brought hither from
Narragansett bay or the wooded shores
of the Penobscot.
Another thing we learned and that was
that while we have team in Portland
which is going to win the pennant all
right, that is not to be except after the
very liveliest kind of moving about and
getting into the game. Manager Bacon
has got together pretty fast ball team.
The players are mostly young and am
bilious with veteran sprinkled in here
and there to give steadiness to the organi-
cation.
One of these veterans is Collopy, man
whose third base play is one of the ira
ditions of the New England league, and
whose work yesterday showed he hadn't
| forgotten the art since he was a member
Of Mr.. Bacon's Manchester team of ,91.
But the bright particular star of the
game as far as Belfast is concerned was
the little centre fielder by name of Kane
who comes from Rochester, N. H., and
who planked the ball like Lajoie, and
fie1ded with all the grace of McAleer. He
can run bases too like frightened hound
and all these baseball virtues are done up
in not over 1875 pounds of meat and bone
Yesterday may have been Kane's day,
but if he can play ball every day like unto
what he did yesterday he will be one of
the shining lights of this league all
right.
| Ped Webster plays right field for Bel
| fast, and took his one chance easily
He also nailed the ball for a couple of safe
hits. Hill a sometime member of Port
| lands '96 team looked after the same
garden for the visitors, but not entirely
| in creditable manner.
| The battery work of Carriveau and
| Gastongnay was first class. Except in the
fourth inning the hits Of the Portlands
| were kept well scattered, and that in
spite of the fact that the wind made it al
most impossible to control a ball.
If anywhere Manager Bacon is weak it
is at first base. Mr.. Ritchie did not field
his position at all well and failed to hit
at all spitefully. He may do better next
time, but certainly in yesterdays game
he bore none of the marks of first base
man. Tom McDermott played second
base like the splendid infelder that he is
and contributed one of the eleven hits
credited to his side.
The Portland team has already been in
troduced to the Portland public, and
| found favor therein.
Manager McQuirk picked out Miller to
open the season. and that young man did
not disappoint his friends. He was
handicapped by the wind, but kept the
hits well apart, and in the fourth and
fifth innings performed the rather un-
usual feat of retiring the side twice in
! succession on strike outs. Nichols caught
him we'll, as he never fails to do.
Houle played left field up to mark, and
his three base hit in the ninth was one of
| the prettiest drives imaginable.
| Dave Coughlin took hard chance in
right, and smashed the ball for couple
of singles.
McGuirk's first base play was a poem,
| and his coaching feature of the game,
as it is bound to be when the big chief
chooses to exercise his lungs.
| There was some remarkably fast work
on the part of the Portland players in the
| seventh. Kane was on third and McDer-
mott on first. The latter of course started
to run down on the pitch and Nichols
made II short throw to DIESEL to draw
Kane away from third base. The trick
worked
| In the sixth Portland was prevented
| from scoring, after the bases had been
| filed with no one out. Miller had singled
and Burns and DIESEL sent down on four
balls. Coughlin hit slow one to Richie
and Miller was stopped at the plate.
Nichols batted one on the ground to
Carriveau and Burns was forced out.
Houle hit to McDerrnott and the side was
retired
| These two We're, perhaps, the most in.
teresting plays of the game.
| Belfast was the first to register tally,
which came in the second. Hill singled,
took second ON wild pitch and scored on
| Websters single.
Portland evened that up in the third,
chiefly on a hit INV yitcba1 no on1 lila