The Washington herald., 1909-04-19
FOURTH LEAGUE RACE
Virginia Ball Clubs to Start
on Thursday.
TEAMS STRONGER THAN EVER
Richmond Champions Retain Their
Entire Team Except the Pitchers,
Each Club Has "A Player Manager
Billy Hnnnan, OF Norfolk, Turns
Loose Good MathevvsoD story.
SPECIAL to Tie washington HcTald.

Special 70 The Washington Herald
Lynchburg, Va. April 1&-The fourth
championship race Of the present Vir-
ginia League viii begin on Thursday Of
this week, with opening games in Rich
mond. Lynchburg. and Norfolk. Roanoke
playing here, Danville in Richmond, and
Portsmouth in Norfolk. The season
closes September s. A profitable season
appears 10 be ahead.
All of the teams are greatly strength
ened over last year. and the prospects
are for a good season financially. Rich
mond the champions. starts the race
with nearly all OF East years team, with
the exception OF the pitchers Quinn,
Mckenzie, and Sparks viii not be there,
and they viii De missed.
The team VIII be pnoted by PLAYER
managers. as followers:
Lynchburg. Orth. Richmond. Lipe;
Portsmouth. Zearfoss, Norfolk Clarke;
Danville, stafford; Roanoke. Shaughnes-
sey.
Martin Walsh. who pitched cor Dan
vile in 1907 and 1905 and who was draft
ed last fan by the Chicago White SOx
has been turned over the Pueblo team
Of the Western League Walsh Is q
brother OF Ed Walsh. who has long been
the mainstay Of the White Sox IN the
box.
Framed in the Office Of William Han
nan. former secretary OF the NorfoIk
team. is a contract which IS shown q
every young PLAYER who strikes the clul
/ for more salary before he has a chance
20 earn H.
One clause reads as follows: I hereby
consent and agree 10 give my services
as a baseball PLAYER 20 the Norfolk cluf
of the Virginia League for the sum OF
+ $40 per month. 20 be paid IN bl-monthly
T installmeuts.' Then follows the usua
verbiage OF a baseball contract. and al
the bottom is The signature. "Chrlsu
/ Mathewson. Lewisbuvg. Pa
II anybody could pull "a contract lik-
that on Matty now. he would clean up Z
few thousand dollars every season. Blu
I they all have 20 start that way. Mathew
son drew the munincent sun Of S560 =
finish the season in Norfolk in lSe. H'
pulls Down considerably more than tha
every 80 weeks during the playing sea
son
( THAT contract saved the club a Tot o.
D money.
! for whenever a youugster would com
20 me with threat 20 quit unless he re
ceIved al least So a month. 1 would pOin
20 Mattys contract and show him tha
4 Christy was not TOO good 20 work for
small salary until he could show hi
WORTH.
The New York club bought Mathewson'
! release that fan. but turned him back s.
. that Concinnau could repurchase him
4 Cincinnati wanted Amos Rusie but dh
not care 70 pay him a big salary =,
trading Mathewson TO New York for RU
sic the Cincinnati club cut Rusit out O
/ a chance to demand 4 share OF any puT
/ chase money. and made him work for
much smaller salary.
I II John T. Brush. then owner Of III
/ Cincinnati club, had known what he wa
doing. ne probably would never have mad
the deal. and Matty might never hsv
I become as famous as he has as a mem
Der Of the Giants. Matty had never re
visited Norfolk until recently. when b
pitched a few innings against Yale.
Big Six. who now weighs exactly q
pounds. was a tall. thin. pale youngste
OF nineteen when he reported 70 the Nor
folk club. The previous season he ha
/ been let out by the Taunton club. Of In
New England League. for losing a bi
bunch Of games.
] IN never forget my first game IN Nor
folk" said Matty. I passed the frs
three men. and the fourth batter hit 70
three bases. SO did the next man. The
scored five runs. and the fans yelled mur
der But I got away with the game 6 z
5. and won something ike eighteen out O
twenty games that season. In fact. W
broke up the league that year by gettin
too biz a lead