Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-27
SENATORS VICTORY
&c
Washington Wins First Game of the
Season From Athletics,
IMMENSE CROWD IN ATTENDANCE
Fine Work of Pitcher Carrick and
the Other Players.
GENERAL SPORTING NEWS

The formal opening of the American
League season In Philadelphia was happily
consummated yesterday afternoon, when
in the presence of over $4,000 mildly-man-
nered persons, the Athletics, with one Ma
poleon Lajoie at their head, had the eternal
stuffing knocked out of them by the Wash
ington team-and the score was to l. says
the Philadelphia Press.
1t took the weather man three DAYS to
prepare for the event. The grass in the
infield and the gravel in the outfield had
been soaked persistently, and the sun had
been vigorously forbidden to obtrude his
presence. Thousands Of enthusiasts had
grown weary of waiting, for a game defer
red maketh the fan sick. But the end justi-
fled the means. Connie Mack knowing he
must do the National Leagues local open
ing better, ordered a day the direct
opposite of that which fell out of the calen-
dar on Colonel Rogers opening festivities
There was sunshine yesterday for the
American League, where the National
League had clouds; there We're soft April
zephyrs for Connie Mack, where Colonel
Rogers was served with the keen, cool stab
of an east wind. The dissimilarity ended
there for the Phillies were trounced on
their opening game-and so were the Ath-
letics. Napoleon Lajoie, the elongated
mooted question, took part in yesterdays
banner Of his cohorts.
The Crowd Feature.
The crowd, no less than Lajoie, the band
and the game itself, was a feature 1t filled
every seat very early in the proceedings,
and then 1t OVERLOOKED into the field. Behind
ropes stood this human fringe six and seven
deep, completely encompassing the field.
Then it crawled and clambered on the fence,
did this crowd, until 1t out-fringed the
rope-held multitude, awed into silence the
tumultuous band, and like crane, first on
one leg. then on the other, 1t stood impa-
tent for the gong that told the games be-
ginning.
raising ceremony. OF course, the mayor
threw the new ball into the diamond but
as he had done the same thing for Col.
Rodgers he couldn't we'll refuse to officiate
for Connie Mack. Anyhow, 1t made no
difference in the score
There were flowers for the players,
Lajoie receiving an immense horseshoe.
Fraser a basket Of posies; Hayden, two
flowers cut no more figure in the scoring
than did the mayors graceful muscle
bound throwing Of the ball.
For almost two hours this big, seated,
rope held and fence fringing crowd waited
for something to happen that would cause
1t to let loose the bottled-up energy and
enthusiasm with which It was laden. But
alas, nothing occurred. 1t saw the team it
and walk back to the bench-saw seven
large, beautiful, glaring errors scrawl
their black marks all over the new da-
n,ond and mar the beauty Of springtime
day They saw. did these 1900 patient
persons, seven Its made by the home
team, and when a benighted ball team
makes many errors as hits then the
band may as we'll play the dead march.
hang crepe on the knocker and fall to
waiting and gnasths of teeth.
1T wasn't because they were whip
ped" said the young woman In the red
hat, as the crowd filed out the gates, that
makes me feel so badly. 1t is because they
made but seven hits and then added insult
to injury by making seven errors. can't
root for Connie Mack until | forget these
unlucky seVens
Capt. Everitt Benched.
But amid ALL this woe there was one
CLEAN of sunshine His name is Haskell
and he's an umpire. When he first made
his appearance he called balls and strikes
in such a lingering fashion that the crowd
started to laugh. "One bal-l-l-l-l," he
drawled-"one strik k-ke"-as II he hated
nightly TO allow his intonation to fade
into history But when Mr.. Everitt,
who covers first base for the Washington
team, objected to something that Haskell
said then the drawing umpire pointed
distatoral finger at dissenting Mr.. Everitt,
and instead Of requesting the first baSeman
to leave the game he actually commanded
him to do so. Everitt wasn't quite sure
If he heard Alright, for he really had just
begun to tell the umpire a few candid
truths and had ever many more things
to say. But the umpire couldn't wait to
hear them, and Everitt went to the bench
and one Michael Angelo Grady, as mild a
hammered player as ever threw bat at an
umpire, was called in to fill Everitt's
place.
The crowd chcered that umpire then. He
might be a drawler when it came to balls
and strikes. but when 1t came to Ques-
ton of backbone-well, Mr.. Haskell show
ed he had as much vertebrae as the tooth
some shad.
The one lone run of the CAMERON the
Athletics standpoint-came in the seventh
inning, and Iajoie, captain, and according
to discerning Mr.. Shettsline, the expert"
gathered it. Lajoie also made three of the
seven hits credited to his side, and only
one of the seven errors.
1t was a listless, disappointing game,
and even the hoarse-voiced rooter who all
last year coached the Philie from the left
field bleachers, and told them to line EN-
OUT and 'eat EN- up''-even this sanguine
rcoter, who for the nonce had left the
Phillies in the lurch and had come out
to spur the Athletics on to deep shouting
victory-even he of the hopeful face and
leather lungs relapsed into funereal silence
after the fifth inning, and let the feature
less game drag itself out and eventually
die of inanition.
1t was a sad, sad story!
Following is the score: