The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-04-22
City Sends Its Many Thousands
TO Wiedenmayer's Park to
Root Lustily.
The Hating order.
BY WILLIAM I. MACINTYRE.


Tiger meets Bison today in the New
ark jungle, and there is joy in the
heart of baseball fandon.
Again rescunds the crack of the long
! hit, the swish of the saliva-coated sphe-
roid and She jump of the newly il-
vented "knuckle" curve, devised TO en-
trap the unwary batsman. 4
Thousands of ordinarily staid and
quiet members of the community
crowded into the enclosure where the
ball tossers of Newark and Buffalo
fought it out to a rousing finish today.
Beauty, too, made Wiedenmayer' S
Park blossom like a huge rose garden.
the sure enough male fan there was
added the feminine babbIe and blissful
inability to understand why "any man
could be so cruel as to hurl that ball
at that man with the stick"
Pre-BattIc Prophecies.
Before the game big Tige Stalings
said to me today; 'rhe Tigers are
bound to win."
George Smith, manager of the Buffalo
team, said: 1.-THE Bisons can't lose"
Jolly, rubicumd Pat Powers. president
of the Eastern League. said: May the
best team win.'
But, who really cared Spring was in
truth here at last. for the Eastern
League baseball season was an actual-
ity. On the bleachers are the men and
boys who know the records of every
live wire" and dead one" in the
league. They know baseball as she is
played, and woe to the Tiger who fails
to live up to their high requirements Of
what's what in the game of hit and run,
of resounding whacks and sizzling field
ing stunts.
Fort Opens the BAH.
Just to make the opening bout be-
tween the cracks of Stallings and
George Smith a matter of genuine i'm
mort, Governor ]. Franklin Fort APP
peared as the chief guest of honor.
The Governor in the old days used TO
be no small shakes himself in the art
of run getting and hurting the sphere.
Ceremonies that interested all New
ark preceded tho beginning of the con-
test on the l-massaged diamond
Most of the city massed about the
motor cars that proudly bore the base
ball heroes from the Continental Hotel
to the scene of the fray.
Strawberries and his bulldog Tige,
THE EVENING STARS mascot,
gained rounds of applause as they
walked about the field.
Z 'Strawherries," for some reason or
other, not caring for the umpire, and
yofcing the general suspicion of the
baseball public, drawled out amid gen.
eral laughter:
"who's the empire? Looks like a
thief"
"Strawberries" was somewhat abashed
when he discovered later that the UNI
pire was all right.
what a roar of joy there was when
the band struck up ''See, the Conquer
ing Heroes Come" and out of one cor
mar of their jungle bounded the Tigers
and their Bison opponents. Amid the
blares of the band. the two teams
marched proudly across the field thirty
man abreast in those nice new ball togs
thnt will soon be properly soiled with
the sweat and dirt of baseball combat.
Many NotnbIes Attend.
Among the notables invited to the
aame are: p. 7. Powers. president OF
the Eastern League; Harry Fuinall'
president of the National League; Ban
croft B. johnson, president of the
American League; Governor ]. Franklin
Fort, Mayor Jacob Haussling, Sheriff
Frank II. Sommer and host of base
bali celebrities from other Eastern
League clubs.
The Jersey City team attended in
body chaperoned by Manager Joe
Pean. 1t had been planned to have
Henry Chadwick. the father OF base
balI,,s among those present, but death
ended the career of that veteran Mon
dag.