Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-05-16
TWAS THE SAME
OLD CHESTNUT.
No Excuses To Offer Ragged
Playing Did It.
PERSONS TO PITCH TO-DAY.
Portsmouth Has slgued Pitcher NIorrisoy.
or Baltimore-The Difference In The
Style OfPlnyIng Between Hampton And
Portsmouth Very Much In Favor OF Tho
Former High Pitched Worry Fine Ball.

The Hampton Crabs" got six hits,
yet made ten runs. Portsmouth got
five hits and no runs. Yes, that was
what happened to the "Boers" yester-
day afternoon, and thereby hangs a
tale. and one of woe at that
The umpire story is threadbare now,
and hard luck, fairy tales and "hoodoo''
spells have all been worked to the
Queens taste in upholding the Ports
mouth team in their poor ball playing.
The public has been patient long-suf-
fering and forbearing, and the Vir-
ginian-Pilot has jollied the team, in the
hopes OF helping it on to that degree of
perfection which the members claim
for 1t. But matters have been going
from bad to worse. and it is now time to
call a halt, for yesterdays game was
the straw that broke the camels back,
and made the people, who are the cam
els. fgurativly speaking. groan in utter
despair. they feeling that they are fol-
lowing forlorn hope in waiting for the
Beers" to take a brace.
Just think of that ragged fielding Of
the day previous-sevene errors. Is that
the result of experience in fast COM
pany? Once in q while such things
will happen. but this clumsy work has
been done so repeatedly by the team
representing Portsmouth that 1t has got
to be fashionable to be asked first how
many STToTS were maze.
That same old seven errors were with
them yesterday. Just think a moment
and see how miserably the home team
did play ball-Hampton making six
scattering hits. two being the most In
any one inning, and they piled up a total
of ten runs. Now there Is no excuse
in the world for this. none in the least,
aud 1t seems. at least for the kind and
considerate treatment these men have
M ~ ~ ha
of the club. Messrs. Butt and Brady,
that they would make a lively attempt
to play ball.
If they won't brace up there should
be a shaking up among them. They are
being Paid a salary to play ball, and
If they won't attempt to earn 1t there
are men who will.
Yesterdays game was a "cinch" for
Hampton. High pitching magnificent
ball and he got very fair fielding sup
port and II his team had hit behind
him there is no telling what the score
would have been. 1t Is true that a
home boy. William Russ, was put in to
pitch. and 1t is also true that he was
taken out IN the third after he had
given two men bases on balls and had
allowed the Grabs" to make six runs
in the first two innings through his
wildness in the box and his costly
errors in fielding the ball; but this did
not make the balance of the team, or
at least several of them, turn jugglers.
nor should it have made them lay down
like lambs to the slaughter. as they ap-
parently did. Nor should 1t have kept
them from hitting the ball hard.
Luitich went in TO pitch. after pitching
the day previous. and the Grabs" bit
off four runs and four hits off him.
Now. this team has demonstra ted the
fact to the satisfaction of everybody
that 1t can play good ball, and just here
the old adage that "a bird that can
sing and won't sing should be made to
sing" and failing to do so, should be
displaced and another put in its place
Five hits seven errors, no runs agains,
SIX hits. three errors. ten runs-that Is
the record of the season. See the score: