Evening star., 1898-03-19

| the payers and persuadiEg them to give
| the club their best efforts. When one
| looks back on the Philadelphia club OF
| three years ago and contemplates fhe
haNos wrought by Stallings. IL is enough TO
nrlng tears to ,he eyes Of the enthusias-
| tic base bail fan. At that time the Ouak-
| ers were the stars OF the league. They
| we're not champions, but when they felt
Eke II they could lick the boots" on of
| any champs" that ever climbed into base
| ball uniforms. The old timers never v,or
! a game by the score of = to 1 or to o.
| ~ was always score OF they had
70, 10 overcome, and they generally turned
| the uick when they once got going Take
| ,he Phiilies of 1886. with the addition OF
| TWO Eocd pitchers TO help out Jack TAYLOR
ana .ney would come pretty near landing
| the nag The club has always been we,k
| In the box. This year the same yeakn.ss
| is IN evidence. but the great combination
| OF players in the other positions are miss
TX. ana me club will be lucky to ge; out
The Washington fans have lot TO hold
up against eN-Mar ager Schmelz hut no
| one bright particular move that the he
| wh:skered manager made that has pleased
a1d VIII continue to please the local na-
| rons; was when he secured Winfield Boag-
Icy Mercers name 20 a Senatorial contract
| Everybody acknowledges that Jim Nc
! Guire is the most popular man on the
| team. but Win" Mercer is so close 10
1 MN IN this respect that II is hard 10 dis
| tinguish the separating percentage Mer-
| Ger VIII undoubtedly pitch the first game
| OF ball against the Baltimore club ApriI
| L., tne opening OF the season. as he has
| always Done in years past, IL his health
and arm are In condition. No more will
| ne go up against that aggregation of eagle
| eyes with mis- slow hall. but instead that
| speedy bender will be on tan and a cuess-
| ing match On the part of rha Rir,ls uiu
| ne the result. One Of the most remarkable
| Things about Mercer's ability as a pltch,r
Is tnat ne Is as good in the spring as any
| time IN the year. and the batters that 60
against him the first month of the So ason
| nnd MIN almost invincible. That slow ball
| ior which he is noted, has been improved
| upon ana. with the additional experience
| of last year. Mercer's winnings should in
| c. ease fully 20 per cent the coming sea-
| son. This will be Wins fifth season
| with the Senators. and as he has conttn-
| uaiiy improved season after season II will
be q hard matter to place a limit to his
| dpiiity the coming season. His health has
peen OF the best the past winter. and at the
| present time he is fit fiddle" ALWAYS
a willing worker. Mercer has endeared
| himself TO he Washington public and TO
| ar. wagner The latter. in speaking Of
| Mercer recently to the writer said:
| That boy is credit to the game as well
| as 10 himself. l have always paid him
| the limit and bonus besides No matter
| how many games he has pitched he n
| three or -FOUR week. 1 have yet TO ask
| him TO go into the box that he has re-
| fused. but insteasi has replied with a cheer
iul smile that he was willing to go in. and
/ woulc DO his best. He has never given
me any trouble whatever: is a thorough
gentleman. and I consider him the star
iwirier Of the National League"
big Bill Lange has abdicated in favor
OF VIII Dahlen for the captaincy OF the
Chicago club. Lange steps down and out
| IN favor of Dahlen because the star center
| fielder is of the impression that President
Hart and Manager Burns both favor the
| appointment OF the latter. The great field
F suomissively sacrifices himself for the
sake OF harmony and Of peace. Dahlen is
| pushed torward by Hart and Burns be-
| cause of the presidents rather elastic
notion that. with added responsibility and
| nonors upon his shoulders. the erratic short
| stop might be induced TO work harder and
more often perhaps. If Lange were less Of
/ man than he is, and We're to follow the
| advice of some of his more radical friends
| there would be all manner of ''knockings''
| and chickering's within the confines of that
ball tossing aggregation before the close
OF the coming season. But the manlness
OF Lange. his good heart and his love for
| the club stifie his ambition. and Bill Lange
captain or plain center fielder, will play
| all the play that there is in his robust
| frame the coming season.
One of the first moves that Manager-Cap-
| tain Brown will make after the local play
| ers have signed their contracts will be the
| drilling of the Senators into a strict OBJ
| seryance of the new rules against kicking
| and rowdyism on the bah field, 50 that
when the regular season opens they will
| have nothing further to learn remember
l about attending to their part of the game
and allowing the umpire to direct his part
| of ii without remonstrance. Captain Brown
| will tell his players that the rules We're
made to be obeyed. and that he has enough
| faith in the other club mama gers to believe
| that the regulations will be observed
| throughout the season. That may or may
1 not prove to be the case. There are many
| who doubt it, but an observance by such
| men as Captain Brown will put some of
| the others on record in pointed way If
| they attempt to evade the rules Captain
| Brown is the man to keep his own men i'm
| line in decency. and Just the man who
viii not permit the captains or players OF
| any other league teams to come TO Wash
| fngton and give offence to the people of
| this city who support the club at home
Some OF them may not know it, but they
| Will get into trouble If there is any more
| of the exhibitions at National Park that
| were seen last season and seasons before
| that. Brown himself is Just the man to
| obey and see TO it that others do the same
Gossip.
| The Poston players will gather in this
| city tomorrow before setting sail for their
| southern practice grounds. Everybody is
| in line, and Captain Duffy says the cham
| p!onship race is all over but the shouting.
The players dressing room at National
Park has been greatly improved by Phil.
Wagner. A double floor has been put in
| The ceiling and sides lined with heavy pa
per and the lockers conveniently decorated
with hooks and locks.
The Philadelphia club will have trouble
with the big Frenchman, Da1oie, before
| the season opens. He was fined 500 last
| season for not taking good care of him.
self. and he wants this fine returned before
| signing a contract this year.
Bert Myers. Milwaukee's third baseman,
| is getting himself in fine shape out at Ma
| tional Park. Bert says the reduction in
salary is too much for his understanding.
| He says he can make a living i'm WASH
| irgton and that will be all he can do IL
he goes to Milwaukee under the new con-
tract. Fully 50 per cent of the players in
| the Western League are holding out
against the reduction, and it looks as
though President johnson will have to alb
dicate.
Manager Barnie is too shrewd a base ball
man to be taken in by Manager Hanlon's
| offer TO trade Kelley for either Griffin or
jones. Kelley may be the better man OF
the three, but if he should be dissatisfied
with Brooklyn, and the chances are that
he would. his worth would be nullified.
Harry Davis has already fallen into the
Utility role for the Pittsburg club, and. as
usual can do anything well. DAVIS Is a
natural-born ball player, aggressive ener-
getic and gentleman. and President Wat