The Washington times., 1902-04-09
Season to Be Inaugurated
by Local Club This
Afternoon.
PLAYERS VISIT BENNING
Rain Knocked Out Practice Yesterday
Manager Reilly and His jersey City
Bunch Will Be Guests of Senators for
Three Days-Batting Order.

| The Senators will open their playing
season this afternoon at i:30 o'clock.
/ Jupiter Pluvius willing. The arbiter OF
| the rain spigot worked overtime yester-
/ day. but it is hoped that he will be con-
| tent with interrupting the local clubs
practice and will not veto it's programme
for today. Manager Lotus said last night
that unless the grounds were in too soft
condition the game would surely be
played and provided it clears of before
noon there is not much doubt but what
the Senatorial aggregation will do their
! expected stunts on schedule time.
| Manager REILLY and his bunch of Jersey
ties are expected in this morning and it
is hoped the weather man will see fit to
extend a bright and smiling welcome to
the balltossers from Jersey City The
Jersey team has been at work for over
three weeks and Manager REILLY expects
his wards to give good account of them
selves. He has a fast aggregation and
they can be depended upon to do their
prettiest against the major leaguers- The
visitors will play a series of three games
at the National Capital
The roulette wheel that is decorated
with sunshine and rain, instead OF the
familiar red and black divisions. was given
another whirl night before last, and as a
consequence Washington was treated to
a drenching that precluded any possibil
ity of outdoor work 1t came at bad
time, as the Senators were just getting
the soreness worn off and were beginning
~. tHafr tt-irh
twinges of pain every time they stopped
Tor the leather.
Ball Tossers VS.. Bookies.
When the rain prevented work there
was disgusted lot of ballplayers at Bar
toms yesterday morning They stood
around and swapped yarns for a while.
but this soon grew monotonous. and fin
ally the entire bunch adjourned to the
part of the lobby where the racing form
card was displayed. \ study OF the en-
tries soon determined the uneasy fellows.
and it was unanimously decided to visit
Benning in the afternoon.
Shortly before o'clock Delehanty,
Ryan Orth and several others boarded a
car for the racetrack. On the way out
careful study of several different brands
of dope" books was made and list of
selections carefully marked Off When
the bunch returned. three hours later,
while there were no admissions made re-
garding the number OF bookies put out of
business, still none of the Senators
looked like losers, and after it had been
generally agreed that lit wasn't such
bad day after ALL a person could draw
his own inferenccs.
Their luck with the ponies. however, has
not interfered with the desire to return
to the emerald diamond, and the entire
bunch is more than anxious to get at the
New Jersey delegation this afternoon.
They are all in fine shape and are of the
opinion that Manager Rielly's team is just
about what they need for little practice.
The Senators believe that they can make
ii extremely interesting for the Eastern
leaguers, and they are going to do their
best along that line, anyway
Ryan VIII Lead Of.
Manager Lotus has not as yet definitely
decided upon the man who will direct the
movements OF the Senators when they
are in the field. He said last night that
he would appoint a captain about the
first of next week. 1t will probably be
Delehanty. however. and the big fellow
is about the best one for the position.
Del is a thorough ballplayer. one who
knows the game from to z. He has
been in the business long enough to know
how to handle men and should be a great
success as the head OF the Senators.
The batting order of the local team
today will be as follows: Ryan. right
field: Keister. centre field; WolvertOn,
third base; Delehanty left field; Cough
lin, second base; Carey. first base; Ely.
shortstop; Clarke, catcher; Orth. Towns
end. Carrick. Lee. and Patten, pitchers.
This arrangement OF the men is only
temporary and will doubtless be changed
before the regular season opens. Ryan.
Keister. and Wolyerton are good men
to lead off as one of them is nearly GER
tain to reach first. II any or all OF them
are successful in this attempt, there Is
Big Ed" Delehanty next in order, and
with him at the bat there is liable to be
something doing.
Carey is rather far down, but he VIII
be advanced toward the top as soon as
he begins TO show his ability as sticker-
1t is not a bad idea, however. to have a
man well toward the lower end of the list
who can whale out a grasscutter every
once in awhile. Many a time game
may be won or lost by the hitting OF the
last half of the batting order, and it is
a good thing to have a dependable man
there or thereabouts.