Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-25
TEAMS HAD BAD START
Cold Weather Played Dickens
With Fans.
STOPPED MANY GAMES
"I TOLD YOU sos" HAD THEIR IN
MING.
Reason for Delaying Start Of Regular
Professional Season-Com-
ment of Interest.
BY ]. G MORSE.


Special Correspondence OF The Star.
BOSTON, April %, 1905.
The cold weather played the dickens with
the base ball people the past week and
caused several postponements and kept the
attendance down considerably. OF course,
the I-told- you-sos had their inning. At the
same time it must be confessed that it
would be far better If the openings were
delayed week at least. The time before
the opening of the championship campaign
could be used to advantage to play other
teams of other strong leagues and clubs
would be in better trim for the opening of
the regular seasons.
The New York National League team
opened immensely strong and will be sure
to make a grand showing in the contests
to be played this year, The aggregation is
stronger in pitchers. Devlin, the only new
man on the infeld, will be better by far
this year than he was last and is very
fast workman. The outfield is without that
fast player Browne, who is on the hospital
list yet the team has shown to advantage
without his services. New York will gain
a decided advantage in having good start
on its own grounds. The Giants will not
be seen in this city until the first of May,
and by June ;, unless weather will prevent.
will nave played nine of the eleven sched-
until September is, when double-header
will be played.
The loss of Pitcher Willis and Delehanty
told much upon the Boston Nationals.
Willis is one of the best pitchers in the
country, and it not to be expected that
pitchers new to major leaguedom could go
in and do the work against a team like
the champions that the old chaps could.
Doubtless Willis would have made a first
class stand against the New York Nationals
had he been with the team, while Delehan-
ty would have helped appreciably in bat
ting way. 1t is almost impossible to Sc
cure a pitcher of the Willis caliber today.
1t is very rare indeed for even one of a
batch of a half dozen experiments to turn
out satisfactorily. OF the bunch that Fred
Tenney secured Young the left-hander was
the only one that secured his unqualified ap-
prevail. The Boston Americans found in
Josslyn, formerly of New Bedford. a very
good man, but there was not one man who
was any Improvement upon the quintet of
last season, and the champions will be
obliged to rely upon its array of talent of
last season. With the New York High
landers it is the veteran Albert Orth who
will be used as often as permissible, and
Chesbro will be the standby, as he was
last season. Powell will again do business
for the club and Doc" Newton and Wal
ter ClarksOn may prove accessions to the
team, but the other timber secured by Grif-
fifth does not seem to be of much use. So
one might go down the line and find the
same old story. Duffys team is doing fine
ly this spring, but it is the veteran timber
of the team that is enabling his club to
make the excellent stand it has made. Han
Ion landed a numerous array of pitchers
but there seems to be none IN the lot that
will astound the base ball world Coms-
key will depend upon his old pitchers, so
will Cleveland. Detroit will try some new
ones.
AS it Is with pitchers, so with other star
players. Lose a tried man and it is no
easy matter to fill the shoes. Delehanty
got out of the game early and Boston had
to place a sick man in his stead. A good
batsman was lost in Cooley, but he was no
team player, and the owners of the club
wanted more of him. 1t was handicap
enough to lose the services of either Willis
or Delehanty, but to lose both was little
short of disheartening.
Manager Connie Mack had his troubles
very early. He lost a commanding position
in the race last season by the terrible mis-
hap that befell Outfielder Hoffman, and
now the veteran Monte Cross is laid up for
some time with a broken hand.
Monte is one of the veterans of the league,
but Manager Mack has found it impossible
to secure a man to take his place Mack
came very near being crippled by the In
jury to Cross, for had not young Knight.
the high school boy, made good what would
he have done? He allowed Soffel to go to
Toronto and Mullen to go to Washington,
and had to use kid when he got into
trouble.
ne bOSLOn aneLlCd0S ndQ lnelr DlC OIL
hard luck in the failure of the veteran
Criger to report in first-class shape, for this
man is in class by himself compared with
the other catchers in the team, but there
come around all right in short time. The
stay of the Americans in the local field
will be decidedly short, for with the play
ing of the schedule of the present week
and a series with the New York High
landers little later they will be away
the entire month Of May. So the Ma
tionals VIII have the field to themselves
almost the entire month of May and it
VIII be surprising if they do not at least
hold their own, every club playing here in
that month, except Brooklyn, which had
the opening.
The American race will keep every one
guessing New York is the favorfte with
many. and 1t Is the general opinion it will
be this club, If any, which VIII beat the
champions. Cleveland is expected to make
the pace warm for while, but may find it
too warm when the crucial period arrives.
Chicago has a team that is bound to play
good ball all the time, for 1T is well bal
anced in every respect, and probably has as
good a pair of backstops as can be found
in any team. 1t has team of good base
runners, too, and these are very rare and
the men are not afraid to take chances
when on the bases. Washington was up
against one of the toughest propositions in
the race in the New Yorks at the very
start, but can be expected tic get down to
good work when the men get 90 playing to-
gether more.
Stahrs men have nothing to lose and
| everything to gain, and VIII play with a
| dash and go that will surprise many by
| and by There is some very good material
| in that club, and it is bound to come to the
| front Westinghouse appeared under bet
| ter auspices than at the present time, an6
with all hands cooperating to bring about
| success a happy result can be anticipated
| There Is every reason 20 believe the club
| will make money this season, no matter
where it finishes. The expenses are by
| no means what they were in past sea
sons. The Athletics have shown agair
| and again in the American League that Il
| by no means follows because a club has one
| of the lowest salary lists in the organiza
| ton with which it is connected that it viii
! fail to finish near the top. Manager Mach
| has had a faculty of getting some very
| clever young ball tossers, who have played
| pennant ball, and in young Hoffman Sc
| cured one of the most promising players
| the game has seen for some time. He tool
| hold of Dan Murphy when the latter was 6
| New York National cast-off and Dan is now
| one of the best on the diamond. 1t is 6
great combination that Mack has. Some
| of his veterans are very dangerous Thai
| wonderful player Lave Cross banged out