Evening star., 1899-04-03
SENATORS IMPROVING
Players BegiM Mings to Realize the
Value Of aUle7er Manager.
TEAM WORK. gBE OBJECTIVE
Gettman, DAVIS, Dmkle and Dinneen
t-E
All in Fine Form.
-as.-. yss..-- ..-ys-.---4-
SATURDAYS CLOSE GAME
SATURDAYS CLOSE GAME
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.


SOLDIERS HOME, Va. April 1. 1899.
Yesterday afternoon was the warmest or
the season in this locality The boys got
thorough warming up and perspired freely
The pitchers unlimbered their salary arms
and gave their. first exhibition of curve
pitching. Dunkle showed wonderful speed
and CONTROL; his, swift, straight ball is as
cyclonic as anything ever accomplished by
Rusie, in that line and he promises to be
as good a batter. Irwin thinks he has
jewel in Dunkle. Dinneen is doing beauti-
full work and will doubtless show up among
the top notchers. His batting and base
running are some of. the surprises of the
season. He can get to first base almost as
quickly as the fast ones Harry Davis
never hit the ball as he is doing now. In
yesterdays game he made a triple, two
bagger and a single; today he made dou-
BILE and sing.e. He is practicing right field
hitting and bunting, and when he masters
these accomplishments he will be one of the
best batters in the league. He is fast and
brainy on the bases.
The fans need have no fear of Hulen; he
will prove one of lne fastest and most skill
full shortStopS the club has known Tor
years. On account of his recent illness he
is little under weight, but is rapidly re-
cuperating.
1t is to be regretted that OBrien is not
getting daily practice. In making a quick
turn he strained one of the tendons of his
leg and while he did not feel it at the time,
it became very painful, requiring medical
attention. 1t is all right now and gives him
no pain, but the surgeon advises that he do
no sprinting for several days, when there
will be no risk from recurrence OF the
trouble.
The talk about Latham's bad arm is
greatly exaggerated. While it is not so
strong as it formerly was, he can still shoot
the balls across the diamond with his old
time precision. He has not degenerated
i,,I Il has O va
first base quickly as ever, and when
once on the bases is a hard man TO put out
Strong Batting Team.
One of the most distinguishing features
of the team is its batting strength. Free
man, O'Brien, Davis, Slagle, Hulen, Mer-
Ger, Casey and Gettman are in the premier
class, all hard hitters and expert at bunt-
ing. When this gang start a batting streak
they are liable to run the game out in one
inning. Look at the reserve forces-Mc-
Guire, Farrell Padden, to say nothing
about our hard-hitting pitchers. What
club in the leaguesis bester or as well fixed?
Another feature that promises well for
the club is the confidence that all the play
ers have of standing well up in the race.
All the men are ambitious to make
good record. and they play with vim that
should result in success.
There are few persons who understand
the difficulties which manager encounters
in getting a team in good playing order
particularly as Hdmafa gers play differ
ent system. A bah payer who has been
playing a system to which he has been
accustomed finds lit difficult to change his
style, as it is harder to '"unlearn' than it
is to learn, a certain style of play. No
manager who relies upUn code of signals
to maintain team work can succeed 1t is
a handicap to players, and when the oppes-
ing nine learns thems as they invariably
do, the team becofnes thoroughly democrat
iZed. =. 80, '-.-'''
+ Irwin Has No Bench Signals a.
Arthur Irwin hssssno bench signals, nor
does he allow his players to have any fixed
signs by which play is to be governed.
The system he plays provides the play to
be made under any and all circumstances.
Therefore it be seen that it requires
patient and persistent perseverance to ac-
compiish certain style of play. A player
is Otter heard to say to him: Arthur, [
don't know how to make that play
r. II know YOU don't" says Arthur: that
Is why | want you to play and learn it, as
1t VIII greatly assist in winning games.'
When ball player understands that his
managers knows more about playing the
game than he does-and it does not
take him long to find that out-he plays
with confidence, and results are always sat
7 lsfactory. Where team is controlled by
an incompetent head 1t will play according
TO ITS own ideas, and as there are several
varieties of opinions among nine men, it is
easily seen that success is impossible A
team is better off without a manager than
with an incompetent one. 1t is easy for
manager to sit on the bench and crticise a
bad play. What he should be prepared to
do Is to have a system of play in force that
VIII, as rule, prevent bad play.
one OF the new players said to me last
night: Il have learned more about batting
and base running since L have been with
the Senators than L ever knew before
Harry Davis was never a right field hit
ter He would hit the ball hard on the
trade mark and take chances with the
nelders. He Is now becoming an expert
right field hitter
An Interesting Contest.
One of the prettiest contests of the season
came off this afternoon between the Reg
ulars and the Yannigans. The batting and
fielding of both mines were of the highest
order Gettman for the Regulars. made a
single and home run. HuIen had double
and single; Mcclure, two singles; Deneen.
a single; Davis, a single and double For
the 1annigans, Casey made two doubles:
y Brlen two singles; Baker, a single; Dun
k!e, double and single, and Weyhing
single. Gettman and Freeman cut off many
two-baggers by splendid fielding.
The following is the score: