Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-06
Veteran Base Ball Writer Speaks Kind
Words for Manning,
A CREDIT TO PROFESSIONAL RANKS
Four New Stars Signed for the
American League Forces.
PORTS IN GEN Err A L

Henry Chadwick, Pop" left for his
home in Brooklyn this morning after
spending several days with his friends in
this city. Mr.. Chadwick has rightly been
named the father of base ball. his
writings about the national game date
back to the days when the sport was in its
infancy. He is about seventy-seven years
old and his faculties are as bright and
alert today as when he was in his prime
Manager Manning of the Washington base
ball club had Mr.. Chadwick his guest
yesterday, and when seen this morning by
the sporting editor of The Star, the veteran
said:
II accompanied Manager Manning out to
his new ball grounds yesterday morning,
and l was agreeably surprised to find that
he had secured such an advanta geous site
for his new field of operations. There is, of
course, a considerable amount of work to
be done before the grounds can be open to
the public, but from the rapid progress
made in the heavy grading to be done, it
looks if the energetic contractor would
have all in readiness for laying out the
diamond field within contract time. With
width of $50 feet and a length of $50 feet
ample space is afforded for the liveliest
kind of home-run hit ting and that too,
without any such handicapping as the Bos-
ton club grounds give their club fielders.
Work on the buildings is to be commenced
next week, and each week from now on
ward will see the new Washington club
grounds approaching nearer to completion,
and by the oath proximo Manager Manning
feels sanguine of beginning his inaugural
campaign in Washington.
4 have closely watched Mr.. Manning's
managerial career in his work of running
the Kansas City club in the Western
League for the past four years, and know
ing him as | do as a credit to the profess
sional fraternity in every respect, alike as
a veteran player and still more as a sue
cesSful manager, | have no hesitation in
congratulating the patrons of professional
base ball in this city on the fact of his I'M
dertaklng to manage a representative pro-
fessiOnal team for Washington. He has the
requisite integrity of character, the manag-
er1al experience and the full confidence of
men financially responsible for such a ven
ture as he has undertaken in his effort to
establish a permanent professional club in
this city. Washington merits just such a
club as L hope to see Mr.. Manning inaugu-
rate this year, and his marked executive
ability in the managerial position which he
has occupied for the past five years to my
knowledge, IS warrant for the confidence
his hundreds of friends in the professional
base ball world repose in him
Il want to see the Washington patrons
OF the game have a frst-class professional
club and team to represent them, and I
have never known any enterprise of the
kind start out with such promise of de-
served success as the club now under Mr.
Manning's sole control. He has invested
i-S O"i hiOhcS III tile CIuu, has mace " ASH
ington his future home, and his idea of
permanent occupancy is shown in the fact
of his having paid for a ten years lease
of his ground.
One great advantage he has in the new
location lies in the ready access to the
grounds at command I rode out from 18th
street and New York avenue direct to the
grounds near the end of the route on 14tn
street. in just thirteen minutes, and l UNI
derstand the schedule time from the treas
ury 10 the grounds on match days will be
fifteen minutes. I wish the veteran all the
success he so well merits and shall be hap
py to aid him all l can. as he is a profess
sional player who is a credit to the frater-
nifty ana this class, l regret to say. is not
as numerous as 1t should be-