Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-03-20
THE VIRGINIA
BASEBALL LEAGUE
Important Meeting to be Held in
Richmond To-day
Lynchburg and Roanoke VIII Probably DO
Admitted to tho League Schedule of
Games- Views of Manager Smith, of
Norfolk Tho Ham ton Club.

Mr.. II. II. Cunningham, president of
the Virginia State League, left for
Richmond yesterday afternoon to at
tend the league meeting there to-day.
He said before leaving that he would
also attend meeting of a committee
last night at which the schedule would
be arranged.
1t was decided at the last meeting
Of the league. at Newport News that
the season would open April 3Oth. Nor
folk and Portsmouth will play in this
city on that date.
There is a probability of an eight
club league. Roanoke and Lynchburg
will have representatives at the Rich
anond meeting to-day and will proba-
bly, be ready to sign the contract in
order to obtain admission to the
league.
A reporter of the Virginian-Pilot saw
Manager ]. It. Smith, of the Norfolk
club. at the baseball park yesterday,
where he has been some days oversee
Ing the work of putting the ground in
condition. About five hundred feet of
the fence and portions of the bleachers
had to be rebuilt, as persons with scant
regard for the property rights of others
used the planks for fuel during the
winter. Manager Smith has had drain
age bitches dug so as to keep the
ground in good order during rainy
weather. Speaking of the ground, he
said to the reporter that 1t was equal
TO any minor league ground he had
ever seen anywhere in the United
States.
Manager Smith takes an optimistic
view of the baseball outlook He
thinks great pride will be taken by the
people of Norfolk in their team from
the outset. and expects the games here
TO be well patronized. He has become
imbued with that spirit of rivalry ex-
isting between Norfolk and Portsmouth
and is anxious to learn who the play
ers of the latter city are to be. They
Will be made known ut Richmond to-
day in all probability. Mr.. Smith is
confident he has the winning team. He
has never managed n team that came
out below third in percentages. and
won the pennant in the New England
Leauge last season with the Portland.
Me-, team.
MATCH GAMES HERE.
The Norfolk players will report here
April I'd. and will have four weeks in
which to practice. Manager Smith
says that 1t is very probable that mr.
| rangements will be made for games
between some college teams and the
Norfolk team, and the latter will prob
ably play several games with scout
mines.
The Norfolk players will have a
chance to test their skill with two
National League teams during the ear
ly part OF April Both the Boston and
Brooklyn National League will play the
Virginia circuit on their way back
from the South before the opening of
the National League season. about the
middle of April. Manager Seely's team
tboston) also plays the Yale College
team here April 18th. This will be an
interesting game. Both teams have
been doing great deal of practicIng.
THE HAMPTON CLUB.
A Newport News special to the Rich
mond Dispatch of Sunday says:
Edward Ashenback, of Cincinnati.
who will have the Hampton franchise
In the Virginia State Baseball League,
| arrived in Hampton to-day. The
league of six clubs is now complete.
the other cities being Richmond. New
port News, Norfolk Portsmouth and
Petersburg. The league magnates will
meet in Richmond Tuesday. and then
the Hampton franchise will be awarded
to Ashenback. who is well known as n
manager in the Atlantic and Southern
leagues. He says he will have his full
team signed up in two weeks. He al
ready has several men.an among them
Is an ex-National League catcher. who
played last year with Baltimore He
would not give his name