Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-03-31
A STRONG BALL CLUB.
RIcHMOND's TEAM THE BEST THAT
EVER PLAYED HERE.
MANAGER WELLS IS ENTHUSIASTIC.
He Says lie Is Satisfied That He VIII
he Able to Hold His Own-Thc Men
Are Getting Into Condition, ana
Say They VIII Do Great Things.

The Blue Bells of Scotland have won
renown In song but no less renowned will
be the Bluebirds OF Richmond, when the
Atlantic League baseball season is over,
II they keep up the lick they have started
with.
The Bluebirds are on the home grounds
after practice season Of ten days spent
in Charlotte. n. c.. and yesterday after
noon they assembled at Broad-Street
Park for the purpose of having try at
the Richmond College Spiders. The ele-
ments, however. were against them. and
the game being declared off, the players
assembled in the clubhouse, where Man
ager Wells talked to them for an hour
or more. giving them a code of signals for
team work and instructing them in team
play.
The men are in the very best of condi-
| ton, considering the short time they have
had to practice in, and Manager Wells is
enthusiastic over them. Jake has never
had much to say for or against his teams
in the past. but he has no hesitancy in
claiming great things for this team, and
says he feels assured that he will start
the championship series with the best
club in the league, by long odds.
GOOD, ALL-'ROUND MEN.
His catchers. he says, are all that could
be desired, both as backstops, throwers,
and batters and are by long odds, the
best Richmond has ever had. His pitch
ing department, he claims is just as
good as ii has ever been, and he makes
the unqualified statement that, notwith-
standing the loss of Elberfed his infeld
this year is better and faster in every
particular than 1t was last year. The out
field there is no use of making any
claims for. 1t Is too apparent that the
change therein has been for the better
He considers that his club Is an evenly
balanced one throughout, and will put up
the best article of ball Richmond has
ever seen.
Leahy is doing wonderful work on Sc
cond bag, and it is apparent now that
he is a better baseman than he was a
shortstop and that is saying a great deal,
too, for he was one of the hest short
stops in the Atlantic League last season.
In Klopf, Dan has an excellent running
mate. Gus is a star shOrtstop. He goes
after everything in sight and does not
lose many, either. He covers as much
territory as any shortstop can. and is in
the game from start TO finish, keeping
up an incessant chatter to encourage the
pitcher.
ELBERFELD'S SUCCESSOR.
Dundon is not, of course. the all-around
man that his predecessor (Elberfeld) was,
but he will win laurels here He can run
further and faster after a fly ball than
Brownie could, and is about as good on
N htt ha
so well. When he first reported in Char
| lotte, he did some wonderful throwing.
| but he strained the muscles OF his arm
! somewhat on the first day. and II may be
| that this is what causes him to lack in
| this essential now He will probably
come out all right. Charlie Lutenburg.
| the handsome first-baseman, is a man
who is going to tickle the cranks, and
| cause trouble for the visiting teams. He
| covers the base like a soldier and II a
| ball is thrown anywhere in his neighbor-
| hood he can be counted on to get it, He
Is batter. too, of no mean ability, and
will prove a valuable man for the team.
In the outfield Hargrove is doing won
derful work He is in much better condi-
| ton than he was last year, and says he
| will play better ball this season than he
| ever did before. Kain, too, is doing first
| class work, and has improved wonder
| fully over last year. The third man I'm
the field Seybold, is a great player, and
| can be depended on TO take good care of
| the garden entrusted to him. He says
| he is rapidly getting into condition. and
| expects 20 play the game of his life this
| season.
THE PITCHERS DOING WELL.
OF the pitchers, little need be said now.
| Schmidt by the work he did against Bos-
los toI AL,
| to keep up with, and lead, if necessary.
the company he started with last season.
| Stocksdale is i'm good condition, too, as
is also Stimmell Stimm. says he never
felt better in his life. and he looks to be
all right. too. Chesbro is rapidly getting
| into condition. He is somewhat lighter
| than he was last year. and says he will
| do better than he has ever done before.
| Commit, the left-hander, has not had
much opportunity as yet for demonstrate
| ing what he can do. He has some excel
| lent curves, though, and puts them over
| good and fast when he wants to. He is
watchful of the bases, and altogether,
Wells is very much pleased with him. The
| last pitcher to report was Sparks, and he
| has not yet had on a uniform. He is a
| gentlemanly young man and has already
made many friends He looks like ball
| player. and says he hopes to demonstrate
! his worth to Richmond audience
The two catchers-Hess and Vigneaux-
| are making friends on all sides They
are both hard workers and hard hitters,
and the best testimonial given them
comes from the pitchers of the team. who
say they have absolute confidence in
them, and consider them to be excellent
| catchers.
| II the weather is such as to permit Of
it this afternoon. the Bluebrds will as
semble at Broad-Street Park and engage
| the McCabe School boys in battle.