Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-05-08
SURPRISES FOR
BALL |. PLAYERS
Flowers for All With a Big
Bunch for Manager Tighe
on the Side.
ALSO A PRETTY STICK PIN
Opening of Season i'm Rock Island
Marked by Usual Ceremonies
and Few Extras.
:
ALSO A PRETTY STICK PIN

Some surprises were sprung before
the game today and as a result all the
ball players have a flower OF some
Kind by which to remember The open
| ing game of the 1909 season at the
Island City park.
The first surprise came when the
teams were coming in from the fieiG
after aiding Mayor George W. Me
Caskrin to lower the championship
| pennant won in 1907 and raising in
Its place the new American flag pur-
chased Tor this year. just as the
parade, which was led by the band,
reached the diamond, II. II. Hensley,
the florist, marched out and presented
| he Islanders with beautiful floral
horseshoe made of red carnations ana
bearing the inscription, Success to
Rapids players was given a carnation
| also.
| Present for Tighe.
| After the Islanders had conveyed
their horseshoes to their bench, Pres
ident +. o. Van Calder of the Rock
| Island Baseball association. intro
duced Mayor George w. McCaskrin
las the new pitcher who had been
signed mp to pitch the opening game
for the home team. He said that the
signing of Mr. McCaskrin had occa-
tsiOned considerable COMMENT and that
he was afraid Manager Tighe had not
been convinced that he was the
proper man to pitch against the Cedar
Rapids team.
For this reason and mainly to either
lconfirm this opinion or to disprove it.
he called upon Manager Tighe t.
fcatch the first ball which the new
Itwirler tossed up and decide from il
whether the pitcher should be allowed
to continue the game. Jack consented
land donned the catcher's glove and
took his place behind the bat Mayor
tMcCaskrin delivered the first ball
\ Tighe had nothing to say about Nc
lCaskrin's ability as a pitcher. he was
too busy examining the ball which he
had caught. He found that il had
been tempered with and upon a fur
Their examination the second surprise
of the day was sprung. The ball had
been split into two parts and a beau
tiful stick pin had been inserted by
1.-THE mayor as a personal present tC
Tighe.
String on the Contract.
| Probably because of the gift, Jacl
refused to give his opinion of Mr.. Nc
tCaskrin as a pitcher and so it wa.
Iup to President Van Calder 10 an
tnounce that the directors had takef
ut into their, own hands TO hand hin
back his contract calling for 81 ,00t
"a month. He said, however, that a:
they had arrived at the conclusion tina
he was pretty valuable man, they
would not let him go Internationally
He therefore handed Mayor McCask
rim his contract and attached to it wa.
a long string. That was surprise fo
the mayor.
| The game then started in earnes
land the next surprise came when Jacl
lTighe appeared on the coaching lin,
for the first time. He was presented
|
a present from the four of the base
ball directors. They were Presiden
F. o. Van Calder, Warren H. Reck, J.
M. Casteel and o. L. Bruner.
AS preliminary to the game there
was a concert by Stroehle's bant
which earlier in the day had made
tour of the three cities in a decorated
lstreet car.
Bubptes Are Tanned.
The Islanders arrived from CeGt.
Rapids late last night after defeatin;
the Rabbits in the second game O
the season. They had the Bunnies S,
completely tanned that they were Ell
abled to bring them here without hay
ing to put them in a cage and thi
Iafternoon the Islanders have them on
at the park on exhibition
n Just who was in line for the heav
work today had not been decided unit
just before the game and then Nea
was the selection, with Eng behin
the bat. is' t'''
NOtabIcs In Boxes.
The boxes in the grandstand wer
, filed with such notables as the Roc
Island city council, Mayor George "
McCaskrin, Mayor Andrew Olson Q
Moline, States Attorney Larry Nj. Ma
gill, the officers OF the local baseball
association, several of the magnate
, from Davenport, including james Z
t Hayes and President NJ H. Sexton Q