The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-04-28
The Western Baseball Assecia.
ton Opens in Topeka.
There Will Be q Parade and q
Band on Kansas Avenue.
NO PENNANT RAISING.
Webb City Will Furnish the
First Victims for the Locals.
Next to Topeka Hutchinson and
Wichita Look Pretty Good.

The opening Of the Western Associa-
ton season in Topeka next Thursday
afternoon will be attended by all the
usual functions Of such an occasion.
Manager Cooley is a great believer in
having something out of the ordinary
as a drawing card for the opening
games and has arranged for several
big attractions.
A parade on Kansas avenue in the
afternoon before the game is one Of
the features. The parade will be head
ed by the big tallyho Of w. T. Lawless
and In it will be placed a band to make
music for the occasion. The players Of
the Topeka and Webb City team viii
be carried in hacks and a long parade
will take place. 1t is not expected that
there will be any automobiles in the
tain a certain speed which is too fast
for parade Of this kind.
The parade will start from some CEN
trail location and will cross the river to
Gordon street. after which they will
cross back again and then go to the
ball park. There will be no pennant
raising at the park this year and the
teams will arrive in time for a little
workout before the umpire's PLAY
BalP' announces the opening of the
season at $3.50 p. m. All week day
games will be called at this time and
Mayor Green will pitch the first ball
over the plate. Charles Holiday may
be persuaded to catch the ball, but if
he is not game enough Eddie Brennan
will do the stunt. Mayor Green a year
ago when he presided on a similar oc-
casion was off in his control. 1t was
suggested to Manager Cooley this sea-
son that Dreaming should pitch the
first ball and Chief Eaton should
catch 1t. Dreaming however baked on
this arrangement, claiming that
baseball was not a deadly enough
weapon for him to use. He wanted
six shooter but Cooley did not want to
stand for this. aHit
Similar openings will take place in
three OF the other towns of the league.
This Is the time of the season when
every team is claiming the pennant.
To the sporting writer's all over the
circuit the Topeka team looks good and
none has had the temerity to place our
bunch in the second division. The To-
peka team Is undoubtedly the best bal
anced team in the league. Other teams
will doubtless prove stronger in some
departments but none will balance bet
ter than the locals. Topeka is fairly
strong in the catching department.
Brennan is one Of the corners in the
league while -Boles was topnotcher
pitching department Pollard, Forces
ter and Arnold will undoubtedly be
winners. Craig is good man and
with his headwork he will be able to
win a majority of his games. Hager-
man is youngster but he has lot In
his salary arm and with little exper-
fence will justify the faith that Cooley
now has in his ability. The inf1eld
with Cooley, Kahl. Olson and Ragan
will be the fastest in the league In field
ing. Cooley and Kahl will both hit
around the 800 mark and Raglan and
Olson both hit in the neighborhood of
.250 last season. No team can boast
of a better outf1eld than the locals
with Wooley, Kennedy and Davis. 1t
is the best outfield Topeka has ever
had both in hitting and fielding.
Hutchinson at the present time looks
pretty strong. Their strongest point
will be the infield composed of link.
Casey, Olson and Andrews. 1t will be
the best hitting infield in the league
and good fielding aggregation Not
ers. McNeeley last season with Oma-
ha, Happy Westcott, Jimmy Cravens
and Barber are the ones upon whom
Jay is depending the most, and none of
them look terrible.
In the pitching department with
Dick. Speer and Scott, Wichita will
have the best twirling staff in the
league. They will miss Milan, Becker
and Bayless in the outf1eld however
and Weaver who furnished the brains
for the Jobbers last season Will DO
badly missed.
Oklahoma City has lost Gill and Pen
dry on the inf1eld. Rapps is taking
Gill's place and is but fair first base
man while an unknown quantity is
working on third. In the outf1eld Goes
is the only one Of last seasons bunch
left Bandy, McClintock and Hotter OF
last seasons pitching staff are left ana
will make trouble for some of the bat
tiers.
Joplin is not doped very high. They
have an entirely new team who seem
to be good hitters and felders but the
Miners are shy on pitching material