Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-12-27
BASEBALL TALK.
To-morrow's Sporting Life Will
Have a Warm Norfolk Letter.
Ashenbaok Talks About tho Crack Team
Ho VIII Have For 1eoi-NatIonal
League Games In the Preliminary Sea-
son.

Tomorrow's issue of Sporting Life
ter in which the sale of Matthewson to
New York will be reviewed in a most
interesting manner, as also will Mr..
Freedman's attempt to head off his Ii
ability to the Norfolk baseball mana
gers In the sum of $1,000. Toronto
wanted Matthewson and was ready to
pay $1,000 for him. Matthewson's re-
lease by New York ard his practically
simultaneous drafting by a Western
club are so suspiciously close in point
OF time as to raise the suspicion OF col
fusion between the drafting club and
the New York management.
Mr.. Cunningham, however, is keenly
alive to the situation and 1t Is more
than likely that New York will hear
something drop when she is least ex-
pecting 1t.
ASHENBACK ON THE SEASON OF
1901.
Edward NJ. Ashenback, who owns the
| Newport News Hampton franchise in
the Virginia-North Carolina League, Is
out In a letter, stating his plans for the
coming baseball season. His letter is
as follows:
II see Mr.. r. Hunter Harvey is out
with statement saying it will take
| S2,O00 to complete the season of 1901
Well. perhaps 1t will. but that will not
stand in the way of my putting q team
IN the field TO represent Newport News
Hampton in the coming season, as
have the utmost confidence in the peo-
pie on the Peninsula TO support good,
clean baseball. The trouble last season
was tile clubs at the beginning of the
season were unfortunately very unev
emily matched, Petersburg and Newport
| News being way below the standard of
the other four cities composing the
league.
MIR. Harvey, being comparatively
new in the business, placed the utmost
confidence in the team his manager,
j. S. Ray. selected and only found out
his team was outclassed when 1t was
too late. Mr.. Harvey, although severe
ly handicapped as he was by not hav-
ing an experienced baseball manager
TO select his team spared no expense
in his efforts to have n winning team
and finally succeeded but too late; the
interest died just as soon as the people
of Newport News saw the team rep.
resenting their city at the rear of the
championship race.
Another drawback to the league
was the fact that there were no Ma.
ttonal League games scheduled before
the Virginia League season, thu:
causing great financial loss to the
owners. TO say nothing OF the enthu-
siasm such contests would create in
Virginia League circles.
That the people of Newport News
Will patronize good baseball was shown
last season by the large number OF
| Newport News people who patronized
the games at Riverview Park. The
railroads TO North Carolina cities have
promised MS a very reasonable rate.
and with but one club on the PENN
sula the outlook does not look quite,
as bad as my friend Mr.. Harvey sees
! It,
Great care will be taken I'm the
signing OF players the coming season
The rowdy ball player will have n hard
time securing positions in the Virginia
North Carolina League. have turned
down several applications from AL ball
players just because they have reputa-
lions as rowdies.
The baseball loving public of New
port News Hampton can rest assured
of seeing good. clean baseball the com
Ing season. a competent president will
be engaged at the next meeting of the
league, January 10th. and If the gen
tleman the club owners of this league
have in view Is engaged ] can assure
you there will be blessed little rowdy-
ism in this league in 1901.
There is a probability of several
National League clubs playing the
Newport News Hampton club early in
April. I am exercising great care In
selecting the team that is to represent
the Peninsula the coming season.
as yet am not at liberty to divulGe
their names. l might add several play
ers who are prime favorites with the
1 NQy.nnrt n will H.,