The times., 1901-04-21

club, a policy that cannot help but prove
disastrous, as the Cohoes player Is very
unpopular with his men.
If there is any one particular depart
ment of the game in which the Senators
: may be looked to excel it is in it's bat
teries, for with Grady and Clarke in the
receiving end and Mercer, Lee. Gear,
Patton, and Carrick in the box the locals
are very strong. and while The Times does
not believe in the anteseason predictions,
it does venture the assertion that the
batteries will prove to be IL tower of help
in winning many close games. There is
hardly "A team in the league-if indeed,
there is oEe-that is as well supplied with
pitchers as is Manning.
Mercer is a known quantity to local
admirers of the game. Gear stood second
in the list of pitchers in the American AS
SOciation last year, and the men who
played on the same team with him claim
that he will astonish some of the batterS
who have been up against the old-time
twirlers of the National League. Patton
made an enViable reputation with the
/ WilFeSbarre team in the Eastern League
last summer, and so great was his re-
nOwn exceedingly likely man that
Manning purchased the entire Wilkes
barre club principally To get the services
of Patton.
In Lee. Manning believes ne has one of
the pitching prizes of recent years. lie
picked him up at Kansas City last spring.
Inc young teiIOW nd0 been playing on the
sand lots of his native city, and one day
during the early practice of the team APP
piled for a place. Manning thought he
might have some good stuff in him and
asked him to try his hand in a practice
game in the afternoon. Lee was logged
out with some cast-Off clothes of the team
and when he marched on the field ne pre-
Sented curious appearance. Notwith-
standing the fact that the April weather
was unusually cold, Lee was attired in a
shirt that had no sleeves. while his long,
black hair showed that it's owner was
down on the BARRIERS union, for It reached
down to his shoulders, giving him the
appearance of a Comanche. The other
members of the team guyed him mildly
at firSt, but when he struck out the first
three men that faced him they suddenly
became very quiet and made no further
remarks about his appea rance and the
questions as to how the old people down
on the farm were getting on were quickly
SquelChed. Lee won his game right
handily and was signed for the club. Last
season he won more than half of the
games which he pitched aud says he is
going TO do even better this year. 1t will
be well to keep an eye on the Washington
batteries.
Another man who gives great promise
is Billy Coughlin. the coal miner from
Scranton, where the strikes come from.
COughlin had a short experience in Wash
ington two seasons ago, but he had alb
solutely no chance TO show the sort of
stuff he is made of, and only asks another
chance.
Manning touts him as one OF the most
promising third basemeu in the business,
and has all sorts of faith in his abilities
to cover the third bag in fine style
Coughlin has developed into a heavy hit
ter, too. and during the practice games
lined the ball out with great regularity
They say. in local baseball circles. that
Joe Quinn, who will hold down the second
pillow. has discovered the secret of eternal
youth. and that this year he will show