Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-05-20
The BALL SEASON
Will Open in This City, Today,
Augusta VS.. HaverhiII.
Augusta Has Made Remarkably GOOD
Showing Under Circumstances.
Manager Leighton Says Il Is Strong and vii
Soon Be Stronger.

| The Augusta base ball team of the
New England League. will play the
| nrSt game of the season on the home
grounds at +. NJ. today. weather
permitting, with Havcrhill, and per-
haps it would be well to say something
of the team and the showing it made
| or its trip. This is no apology because
the Augusta team did not come back
| victorious, for when we come to see
| what Manager Leighton and the team
have had to contend with it would
| seem marvellous if they had come back
with a record of having beaten these
| teams who have been praCticng for a
month with a green team without any
practice.
| Manager Leighton at the beginning
of the season was placed in Il position
| where he must engage Il team within
six days. in order to start on the
schedule which had been arranged.
The difficulties can scarcely be imag-
ined by man who has not had some
| such an experience. The other teams
| had been in practice for weeks and
| had been combing over the field for
| available men. while Mr.. Leighton
| must not only sign his men but give
| them their practice and start on the
first trip all inside of week. This was
not all. The team was taken to Port
| land for practice and four out of the
five days before the practice game
with Portland it raincd.
Here was the position Of the team.
With one day of practice they must
play an exhibition game and then start
at once on the regular league games.
The men did not know each other and
| their capabilities and of course defeat
| was inevitable but one thing was es-
| tablished, that there was material in
| The Augusta team which could be de-
| VelOpcd into n winning team.
Three different pitchers were given a
trial and the work of Dupee of
! Westbrook was something remarkable.
He is a tall. loose jointed fellow with
phenomenal speed. and his work in the
box showed that he cap be depended
on to help win his share of the games.
He will probably pitch the game here,
| today.
The team started on the Massachu-
sets trip with five pitchers and four
catchers. At Lowell the story of the
loss of the game is told by the fact
that eight runs We're made off Bur-
|
Conroy was then placed in the box
ana from that time to the end Of the
game no fault could be found with the
work of the Augusta team.
The game at HaNerhil was very
pretty exhibition of base ball. and the
score of ; to 8 shows that the teams
were evenly matched. but when we
consider that the Haverhll team had
e.;.- lie.
while our team had had only two days
work must convince any one that the
Augusta team must be the stronger OF
the two teams when the men get set
tied down to good hard work and learn
how they can depend on each other.
| The score of ia at Manchester
would seem to indicate that the work
of the Manchester team was superior,
but when we come to see that there
| were seven runs made in the second
inning on account of the failure or
MackIin to do the work behind the bat
that was expected of him and that
| after another catcher was substituted
the remaining seven innings were play
cd with a score of A. we see that 1t
was the individual work OF one man
that lost the game.
The team was obliged to start into the
} race without practice and it was una
yodable that new men must be tried
in the regular games, but the men who
lcol,d not play the game have been
| reIoa Sod and new men added until now
tho team stands on a fOtinE of equal
ity with the other teams in men. and
+: the practice on the home grounds
should develop team that VIII win Il
ma ioritv Of the games on the local
grounds. this week.
: The work of most of the men now
n on the team has been such as to justify
- Manager Leighton in keeping them'
p .houcb naturally some changes may be
i made later. .
Jouis Metz of Cumberland. Md. is
| nov, on his Way to the city to act as
+ catcher and reports show him to be a
$ star behind the bat.
;. ,rherc is a possibility that JOpe OF
Z p,npor who has shown up very finely
nav bo engaged for the local team
Tho infield has played good ball and
ehown ND very well in comparison with
tho inficlds of the other cities.
Al ross. Bushey, Cross and COnrOy arc
NOW on the list of pitchers. Ross is
good pitcher and hard hitter and is
q r.ckoned as valuable man. He pitch
:. ed the last part of the Manchester
: game and showed up finely.
8 Hushey has not been tried as yet
;. but he played in the Connecticut
v League last year. and made very
y good record. =,
# Gilday. who played outfield on thu
c Portland team. is here and will NJ
r. doubt prove to be valuable man.
4 AS has been said before. the games
C lost on the trip were lost who'll!
= through lack of practice and tryin,
II now men who were unknown. The team
II will start in on the home ground at
: o'clock today. with a determination t
~ Tin and they will Undoubtedly show ;
- nretty exhibition Of base ball. 1t j
~ axnected that Dupee will show the PEG
y nIe more speed than they have seen TO
Io,,u time il he is put in the box