The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-01-08
Yeager, are on the Minneapolis re-
serve list still.

81
Watkins expresses the greatest
confidence in Minneapolis as base
ball town. TO show you how good
I think the town Isl he said last night,
Il offered to make a bet with one of
the owners Of the Columbus club that
Minneapolis would draw more people
in 1904 than any other city in the as
think the same way do, however, for
none of them is willing to accept my
proposition. Minneapolis has shown
it's standing by it's support of losing
teams. particularly in 1900 and 1903.
In 1900, up to the first Of July, Min
neapolis drew better than any town in
the American league, altho such good
cities as Detroit, Cleveland and Chi
cago were in the circuit.
While Mr.. Watkins was unwilling to
make any predictions in regard to the
position of the millers at the close of
the season. he promised that he would
give the city as good a baseball team
as it had ever seen, and his long and
successful record as manager is a
guarantee that he will keep his word.
Il have deals on for number of good
men," he said, land I am satisfied that
I will get enough of them to insure
the town fast baseball. I will not
who does not do his best all the
time. They must play baseball ac-
cording to my ideas, and play it to
the best of their ability, or I will get
| others. Baseball is a business prop
osition, and sentiment doesn't CO."
President Watkins has already made
some dates for exhibition games pre-
ceding the opening of the regular sea-
son, April 20. The team will play at
Fort Wayne, Ind, with the Fort
Wayne team of the Central Indiana
league, April l6, IT, Is and 10. Wat
kins has not yet decided where he
will hold the spring practice. He
will! return to Indianapolis to-mor-
| row to close up his business affairs
there, and next month he will bring
his family to Minneapolis. Presi-
dent Watkins and the sporting editors
of the Minneapolis papers were the
guests Of former President Johnston
at the National hotel last evening.
Several discrepancies have been dis
covered in the official 1903 averages
of the American association sent out
by eX-President Hickey recently. For
| instance, Geier of st. Paul is credited
with a batting average of 1854. The
official figures, however, show that he
was at bat 56S times and secured 1877
hits. Reckoning Geler's average from
| these figures in the usual way, by
dividing the base hits by the times
at bat, the result is .312 instead Of
1854. Again, Dunleavy Of Milwaukee
is credited with playing in LAT games,
whereas the complete schedule only
contained lao games, and the Milwau-
kee team played but 1873. Players
who were connected with several
! teams during the season are given
separate averages for their work with
each club. Thus Elmer Smith, who
played with Kansas City, 'Minneapo-
lis and Columbus, is given three dis
tlnct batting averages Altogether the
records are decidedly "balled up"
DR.. =. C. Reisling, last year man
ager CT Toledo in the American asso-
citation, and said to be the best all
around player in the league, has
been signed by Pittsburg to pitch for
the thrice champions next season. DR..
Reisling, who is a Toledo dentist
played in every position on his weak
1'O,edo team last season. He took
part in seventy-three games and
pitched twenty-three. He was highly
recommended to President Dreyfuss,
VINO sent Secretary Locke to Toledo
to complete the deal some days ago.