The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-03-25
1T WAS TIRESOME.
No Enthusiasm Wasted Over First
Ball Game of Season.

If Mr.. Charles Arthur Nichols. who
subscribes himself St. Louis on the
hotel registers, expects to hang the
National league bunting in his back
yard this fall, it is up to him to gather
together a stronger aggregation than
the one which cavorted around at the
baseball park on Friday afternoon to
the ennui of about 400 Topeka fans.
OF course it is to be admitted that
there was no comparative standard.
Had Manager Spencer Arthur Abbott
measured over the strength of the
Topeka western association team
against Nichols bunch, it would have
made the ordinary fan feel that st.
Louis is pretty hot stuff
Watching a National league team
play against itself is very much like
seeing a fast horse breaking a track
record without a contestant going
fast ball all right, but there was no
slower ball right along with it to show
up its real quality
Wish some of our boys showed
their bats into the ball the way those
fellows do remarked one of the reg
ular fans from the grandstand- Well,
if any of Sheard's pets did punch the
sphere in the nose as the red
stOckinged players do, they Wouldn t
be playing in a league with a $1,000
limit.
The sixth inning was about the
most spectacular thing in a clOuting
Topeka diamond. Farrell, Grady and
Dunleavy all made home runs. Far
relIs hit rolled between Josh Clark's
legs out in center field and never
stopped until it struck the fence
Grady smashed his over the left field
fence the first ball knocked over the
fence on the Topeka grounds. Dun
leavy hammered one out to the right
field. where Campbell was taking care
of the sun garden The ball got lost
in the dazzling effulgence of Old Sol
and Dummy went the circuit before
Campbell could get his binders ad-
justed.
Grady's hit comes pretty close to
being the record for the park Last
summer one day August Persch, of
Springfield, hammered one towards
long as a walk from South Topeka to
Garfield park seems at night Grady
is something of slugger. Last sea-
son he led the National league for
the other day he made ground
record by hammering the ball farther
than it had ever been clouted by any
one there before.
Manager Abbott of the Topeka
team played in the game. He repre-
scented the Colts in the left field and
did little harm out there beyond boot
ing a bingle. At the bat he showed
up good and strong, poking the ball
for a hard punch every time. He got
but one hit, which however is enough,
! taking things all round
Naturally one would suppose that
there was a score attached to the con-
test. Well there was-17 to s. The
regulars of course won. They had the
heavy hitters on their side and Jack
Taylor in the box to do their pitching
The try-outs were composed entirely
of new men, who were playing in
other company last year.
Taylor, over whom such a fuss has
been raised because of an alleged
throwing of games and who has been
cleared of all charges, started to pitch
the game for the regulars He stayed
through five innings. when Skinny
Eag gan, last year with Louisville sup
planted him. Kellum, who gained his
reputation with indianapolis. and
was with Cincinnati last year, started
the game for the scrubs. Mckinley
handled the last three innings. He
was with the Cardinals last season.
Two players in which Topeka fans
have more or less personal interest
are Hill and Butler. last year with
the Kansas City Blues. Hill played
second base yesterday for the Colts
and Butler did the backstop work for
the regulars.
Score by innings: r. II. E.
Regulars III 0 0 5 ~=17 20 6
Colts ...-.O O 0 o O. 3 4
Batteries Taylor. Eagan and But
! Ter; Kellam, Mckinley and Zearfuss.
Umpire. Mcfarland.