The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-01-10
SENATOR'S WEAK SPOTS
Pitchers Box and Third Base
Are the Pregnable Points.
SEASONED TWIRLERS NEEDED
Wagner Said TO Be After a Tried
Man to Keep Mercer Company.
The Team as 1t Stands Today.
Throw-Down OF Tucker-Why
Gettman Fell OF in Batung.

The problem which is engrcssing the
attention Of the management of the
Washington Baseball club at the pres
ent time is the whereabouts of sea-
soned pitcher who can be obtained in
exchange for a job lot of players and
few simoleons, if the latter is alb
solutely necessary as an inducement
to some magnate of the "sell-anything-
in sight stripe To part with the one
thing necessary, in the opinion of the
owners OF the team. to make the SEN
atorial aggregation strong enough to
eat up about eleven other clubs in the
National League.
From all indications. however, the
Wagners will be compelled-to give ii
up as there is not a manager in pos
session of high-Class twirling talent
but who is holding on To it with te-
nacity which precludes the possibility
of anybody getting il with anything
less than a large-sized stack of the
coin of the realm
J. Earl Wagner has given it out that
he is after an Al pitcher and that
he is going to land him, although it
will probably require a big 'wad' to do
SO. The fans in this city sincerely nope
he will be successful, although II Is
hard matter to see where the afore-
said twirler is to come from. III the
efforts to corral a tried and steady
pitcher should prove futile. Mercer viii
have to go il alone, as he Is the
only man in the pitching department
who can be counted on with any de-
gree of confidence. the rest of the box
artists being practically unknown
quantities. "a
4 peculiar state Of affairs has de-
Veloped in the manipulation of the To-
ronto farm players of aast year. Aft
er the fake deal whereby Wagner took
as many of the Canucks as he wan
ted, paying for them in stage money.
several others were released, among
them Harvey Smith. who played third
for Washington the latter part of the
season of SO Wagner claimed Smith,
but as Little Boy Blue" objects Ia
playing Sunday ball he has not signed
as vet. and unless he does come to
terms Wagner viii probably be put ON
third With such fast men as Doyle.
Reitz and Wrigley in the infield II viii
be necessary to have "A man on third
who can keep up with the procession.
Wagner will make hts debut the com
ing season In the upper crust Of ball
dom and may or may not nh the bill
When the list of the available mater
iaI Tor positions on the Washington
team Of 1SsS is considered. the pitcher e
box and third base are the two positions
which must be- admitted to be- weak.
and unless plugged up With proper stun
many n game viii slip through them
and Washington viii again Do among
the also rams al the Wind-up.
This Is the team as lt looks az pres
eut. Catchers. Farrell. Mcclure. Dixon.
SNYDER. pitchers. Mercer. Amole
swain Rr-snehan. Mock. Donovan.
and pinneen. infieIders. Doyle. Reitz,
Wrigley and Wagner. outfielders. Sell
bach. Brown. Gettman and McHaie.
The surplus players viii probably b.
turned over to the Toronto farm out
fielder White and Catcher Casey have
already been returned To Manager Ir-
win