The times., 1899-03-25
BASEBALL GOSSIP.

With the arrival of Gus weyhing at the
Senator'S training grounds at Soldiers
Home, Va, yesterday morning, the Wash
ington team for the coming season was
completed. In practice the boys are all
showing up in excellent form. There is no
gainsaying the fact that Irwin's aggrega
tion is good. Take the pitching depart
ment. There's Mercer, Weyhing. and Kill
len, trio of known quantity, with Dineen.
Dunkle. and Baker giving daily evidence
of future usefulness in the twirler's box.
The first base will be covered by Harry
Davis. who is rated as a first-class initial
sack guardian; then comes Dick Padden,
on second, who played in major league
form with the Pittsburgs last season. At
the short field Billy Hulen will attend TO
the grounders and line drives. He is we'll
thought of by many old leaguers. AS for
third base, discussion of the merits OF
the man to cover that position will not be
made at this writing In the outfield.
Slagle, O'Brien, and Freeman constitute
one of the fastest outer garden trios in the
country. There is no need of talk over the
backstop department of the Washington
club. Its value is too well known to all
baseball patrons. AS for stick work the
Senators are by no means deficient in heavy
hitters. Altogether the prospects for
good ball team in this city the coming
season are excellent, and The Times feels
confident that the fans of the National
Capital will have cause to be proud of
their baseball club before the curtain is
rrng down on the playing season of the
last year of the nineteenth century
Much of this talk about automatic ball
playing is very amusing" writes Jack
Morse in Sporting Life" IF the man on
the bench is a man of brains and has Sill
peror baseball talent there is every rea-
SOB why he should direct his men and tell
them the campaign he is running and there
is no reason why this sort of thing should
handicap his players. Some men think
they know more than their manager, and
some are restive about being directed by
anybody, and this hampers a club a great
deal more than any bench direction. Other
players see that their comrades do not
cheerfully carry out instructions. Here is
the absence of the altogether necessary
for success in baseball. You do not see
any friction in the Boston crowd. The or
ders of the manager and captain are fol-
lowed without murmur and a question.
and If anyone makes a break he gets a
calldown, no matter who he isl
President Kerr, OF the Pittsburg Base
ball Club, holds pronounced views on
syndicate baseball" He is opposed to it,
Kerr says: 'If the people who are jump
ing en- Freedman for iniuring the game
would turn their attention to the owners
of the Cleveland-St. Louis and Baltimore
Brooklyn combinations think they would
find more cause for alarm. To have these
four clubs owned and controlled by two
sets of men will do more toward injuring
baseball than all Mr.. Freedman can do or
say. l must say that in his efforts to get
even with certain club owners with whom
he is not friendly Mr.. Freedman has caus-
ed his warmest friends and supporters
much trouble and no end of financial loss.
Freedman is not doing the game one-half
the injury that is bound to result from the
so-called syndicate baseball. II the lat
ter gentlemen really want to see the good
old game flourish as in days of yore they
will let go of Baltimore and Cleveland be-
fore the season opens"
If the plans of number of BROOKLYN
ties are consummated-an there seems to
be no present reason why they should not
be-the opening of the baseball season of
1899 will be marked by an event which will
Brooklyn team throughout the season. The
persons in question are arranging for
huge testimonial TO William Keeler, the
only Brooklyn player on the Oriogrooms.
the programme of which includes the at
tendance of a vast body of rooters at the
opening game, banquet in the evening
with Keeler the guest of honor and
the presentation of some token which will
make it memorable incident to all those
who attend.