Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-19
SEASON OPENS MAY 4.
Departmental Base Ball League
Teams Preparing for the Race.

The Departmental Base Ball League will
hold a special meeting Tuesday evening
when all the unfinished preliminary work
necessary for the success of the season
will be attended to and the decks cleared
for the opening game. May 4.
At this meeting the name of the addi-
tional umpire needed to assist Mr.. Belts
on the days when two games are sched-
u!ed to be played will be presented by
President Chance and 1t is expected that
the selection will be ratified by the board
of governors, as we'll as all the other
minor officers to be named at the same
time.
make quite a splurge on its opening day.
1t is expected that Secretary Taft will be
present. When the Secretary was in col
lego life he was quite base ballist. and
even yet the delight of the sport lures
him to the games whenever the oppor-
tunity presents itself. 1t may be that he
will be induced to pitch the first ball that
will set the machinery of the league in
working order, and II he does 1t is said
that Secretary Metcalf of the navy viii
do tho catching. thus presenting a real
old time Yale battery, as both of the dis
tinguished gentlemen hold Yale as their
alma mater. President Roosevelt and
other members of the cabinet may be
present at the opening game to see the
cabinet battery at work.
The several teams are all working over
time in order to perfect themselves in
ury's success in this branch last season.
is devoting nearly all of its training
stunts to ''inside'' work. Coach Watts
of the Treasury has his champions out
every day and the big fellow" is drilling
his squad into all kinds of plays. and
they will be better by 80 per cent than
last year. Coach Watts will miss DON
aldson. his star pitcher. but he expects to
develop one of his new men into just as
fine firing artist
entered the league has awakened
lively interest among the officials and
employees of the department and the
rooters are getting their squads in order
for the season. Mr.. Henry Wilson. son
of the Secretary, will act as chief of this
important division of fans. and is person
ally working up the clerks to come out
and root for the success of the team.
Coach Jim Sprigman of the Post Office
forces is devoting all the spare time pos
sible to getting his candidates in form
and sizing up the best ones for the nine
positions he has to I'LL from among the
players now fighting for the places HIS
greatest trouble so far is in finding some
rary absence from the rolls of Lefty
Herring the Office is deprived of player
who would fill in most acceptably. He
has plenty of good men. as Callahan. for
merly of Lowell, Mass, will be star
shortstop. Barnes of Philippine fame
a find for second base. while Dick Covert
is good enough to fill in any old place.
Manager Kondrup has arranged plenty Of
practice games for this week and next.
Restricting the uniforms Of the Depart
mental League to games played only by
the teams in the league does not strike
some of the players as just right. but they
have been given to understand by the
managers of their teams that it is an
ukase that has to be lived up to strictly.