The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-04-20

walter. He will also i~naugurate the season
by tossing the first ball over the plate. In
VitatiOns have been sent 10 Governor Dur
bin and staff. Mayor BOOkwalter, city and
county officials. The teams Will leave the
Grand Hotel at 1:30 Wednesday afternoon,
headed by a platoon of police and the In
dianapolis Military Band. The umpire will
ride i'll the first carriage. The milwaukee,
team will occupy the next carriages. 10 be
followed by the home team. club officials
and sporting writer's of the indianapolis
and Milwaukee papers. The line OF parade
From the Grand Hotel south on Illinois
street 10 Georgia street, east to Meridian,
north and around the west side of the mon
ument to Ohio street, east to Pennsylvania,
south to Washington, southeast on Virginia
avenue to Maryland, west 10 Illinois, north
TO Ohio, west TO Senate avenue, south 10
Washington and east on Washington TO
Washington Park. There will be a band
concert at the park at 2:30, and the game
will be called at 1880.
The indianapolis players will appear in
their new uniforms, the p%rettiest that have
ever been selected for the Indianapolis
team. Fhe home uniforms are white, with
black trimmings, scarlet stockings with a
black stripe and white coats. The travel
ing uniforms are gray with black trim
minSs and same stockings as the at-home
uniforms.
A novel advertising device will appear on
Washington street every afternoon of the
season when there is a game at Washing
ton Park. a huge bail. four feet high. will
be hung across the street in front of Fertig
& Kevers's. The ball is made of galvanized
iron and will hang on a cable. Ii is painted
red and on il is painted. Baseball to-day
Should there be any question about the
weather not permitting a game 1t will only
be necessary for fans to look and see if
the ball is hanging across the street to
know II there is a game.
x xS
NJ. II. Sexton has been elected president
of the Western League, to succeed James
Whitfield. who recently committed suicide.
The selection of Mr.. Sexton is not at all
surprising. as it was known that he was
slated for the presidency Of that organiza-
ton before Mr.. Whitfield took his own
life. 1t is believed in many circles that Mr..
Whitfield did not meet the requirements Of
the position and he knew that efforts were
being made TO place Mr.. Sexton in his place
some time ago. A few of the Western mag
mates were in favor of making the change
some weeks ago, but others believed 1T
would be unwise to depOse Mr.. Whitfield
because OF his connection with a EanSaS
City paper, and the league could not at
ford to antagOnize him on account OF the
fight 10 be waged in that city against the
American Association. Many S,-.1ve that
Whitfield got vino of the proposed change
and this probably preyed upon his mind
and was no doubt one of the causes for
him TO end his existence.
Sexton has been more or less successful
as leader of the Three ] League, but how
successful he will be with the Western
League awaits ~ ~ II - no. =
lieved that any man can make a great sue
cess out of that organization under exist
ing circumstances 1t has an unbalanced
circuit that will be its greatest handicap.
The two largest cities-Kansas City and
M-lwaukee-are occupied by American As
ISOLATION clubs. and the opposition Will be
strong enough TO wreck the Western
League clubs, or, at least, to cause the loss
of thousands of dollars in those two cities
alone. Other cities in the circuit will not
support the league sufficiently 10 pay the
1890 md nv TrlV 4 tho death knn1 Of
the organization may be sounded. or a
change in the circuit made. Sexton has
been a party TO Stallings's scheme TO in
duce players to jump American ASSOCIATION
contracts. As president of the Three L
League he helped solicit the 500 from each
Of the clubs TO increase the fund 10 pay
salaries in the Eastern and Western
League. He may now try TO get some OF the
PLAYERS for Western League clubs. He Will
find a hard battle to fight in the Western
League on account of the censure that has
been brought against that organization,
owing to the signing OF contract Jumpers.
There is another obstacle for him in the
person of James Manning, who has, up to
date. been the chief dictator of the West
ern. and through whose pernicious methods
the league finds itself in stormy seas. Sex
ton has a hard row TO hoe In an organlza-
zion composed of men who are in baseball
for a purpose of settling an alleged griev-
ance and who have thus far stopped to
things that should never be recognised by
organized baseball. Players who jumped
10 the Kansas City Western League club
hove been enjoined from playing with that
club. and others who have ignored con-
fairy tales will, no doubt, wish they had
shown better judgment
s
The launching of the National League
championship season last week was the
most suspicious in the history of that or
canization in recent years. The old craft
was repaired and made seaworthy in a few
weeks after having been tossed about in the
storm of discomfort during the winter and
it glided into the smooth sea OF public
confidence with the grace or a Prince hen
The opening game in New York and 10000
seeing the games in other cities And the
star 20 players of the old organization ali
gone tool Does il look as II the puolc had
lost confidence in the major league? Judg-
ing from the reports OF attendance SO Iar
in National League cities II looks as II the
public wanted To see new faces IN that or
eanization and the youngsters who promise
10 be fast and give good oaseball 10 the
public may attract as many people as the
old faces would. The American League
bas many of the b~est-knOwn players and
they will have 10 pay dearly Tor them.
whether there will be enough money taken
i'm at the gates TO pay the enormous sal
aries can be told later in the season Inc
National may rest on its oars and many OF
the men who deserted the old League may
he only too anxious TO get back into its
ranks.
John T.. Brush was as happy after re-
turning from Cincinnati last Thursday,
where he witnessed the opening OF the
League season, as he was on returning
rom the recent New York meeting when
he and Andrew Freedman won the day.
and he was made chairman OF the execu-
tive of the major organization.