The Savannah morning news., 1904-04-17
BUT TEN DAYS MORE
BEFORE SOUTH ATLANTIC
LEAGUE SEASON OPENS
CITIZEN WILL PITCH THE FIRST
BALL IN SAVANNAH.
ASHENBACK WILL BRING
SEA GULLS HERE FIRST.
PARK WILL BE GAILY DECORATED
AND BANDS WILL PLAY.

Line Up of the Pathnnders on
Opening Day Has Not Yet Been
Decided On-Savannah ROOter.
WIN BE Loyal when the ReRE
Campaign Opens-IIing Kelly VIII
Put Eddie Persons on the Firing
Line When He Goes to Macon
to Tackle the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
tn and Columbia are Yet Unknown
Quantities.
Just ten days from to-day the
trademark on the first ball that viii
be pitched in Savannah opening the
league season of 1904 will be soiled.
The big show starts simultaneous
ly in Macon and Augusta In Savan-
nah Ed Ashenback and his flock OF
Sea Gulls will come in for their part
of the roast, while the stirring notes
Of the best band obtainable will set
the pin feathers of the fans in their
first futter.
Owner Boyer has arranged to have
the opening day one long to be re-
membered in Savannah. The park will
be gaily decorated in bunting and
American flags. The players will be
dressed in their best. The band will
play its most inspiring airs, and the
battle for the pennant in this section
will commence on fresh fields, and
new champions will be made and old
idols dethroned.
savannah Will be Loyal.
Savannah rooters Will be loyal to the
supporters of the colors of the Forest
city. No one doubts this, despite the
fact that Gin the exhibition games the
nome players have been the ones en-
couraged from blsachers and grand
stand But these were only friendly
battles, and when Dad and his band
start out to fight for blood from the
other five cities who will make 1t their
chief aim to down Savannah. the fan
Will not be dumb, nor will he be idle.
Inc opening game here will be with
Charleston They are our sworn ene-
mics In all sports. We have beaten
them often. We will beat them again.
so far, Ashenback has shown little
OF the speed with his team that will
De necessary to defeat the bunch that
Dad will line up against him. But
Ed is foxy. All know that he has
something up his sleeve, and realizing
that much depends on the first Show
ing made, he viii fight to the last ditch
90 OiAiy ELu can IRnt.
The Jays in Macon.
The tribe of Kel will Journey Macon-
ward on the eve of battle, landing
there in time to get accustomed to a
| battlefield, where the sun ia at the
right angle, and where they are NOT
beneath the sheltering wings of theip
| own beloved fans.
Kelly may win the first. He will
| make every effort to do so, and will
| put in Eddie Persons, the idol of all
Jaytown. Persons is still the goods,
| and will give the Highlanders some
new ideas in batting problems. And.
| too. Kel will have had ample time ia
| stop up all the holes in his team, and
put little more weight In the bat
ting average. According to report he
Will have team of heavy hitters to
go against, and the outcome Of the
contest will be watched with interest.
Columbia Mt Augusta.
Two unknown quantities will meet
when Jack Grim takes the Skyscrapers
from Columbia across the Great Mud
dy. Grim has given his team some
light games, which have not shown
the metal of the youngsters he has put
down for their meal tickets.
Strouthers has signed some of the
grandfathers of the business, and as
is always the case, he may not make
the showing the first few weeks that
will be expected by the Augusta fans.
Con said while on his last visit to Sa-
vannah that he intended to get all old
players. They don't go so fast at
FIRST" he said, "and the youngsters
may outsprint them for the first quar-
ter, but you will find that they are al
ways coming, and will gradually forga
to the 'front.'"
Cross-Fire Delivery Legal.
Following the example of big league
moguls President Boyer has express
ed himself on the cross-fire delivery
that has been the subject of much
speculation as to its legality accord
ing to the new rules.
LAS I see it, the cross-fire delivery
has not been affected by the new
CODE" President Boyer said. AS
long as a pitcher keeps one foot in
front of any part of the rubber he
can step in any direction he chooses
when he pitches the ball.
I'm the past the balk rule might as
we'll have been torn out Of the book.
Nobody enforced them. In the in
terest of better base running these
old rules will be alive this season. I
do not think 1t will injure any pitch
err. The code will take from very
few the advantage of balk like body
movements poorly initiated by 9TH
ers."
snvidge Uses Cross-Fire.
Arthur Savidge depends largely on
his cross-fire delivery, and the rulings
in this case are of especial interest to
him.
There are two more pitchers in the
league known to use this delivery eff
fectively, Chapel OF Jacksonville and
Sechrist, the new twirler signed by
LaRocque.