The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1910-04-08
PLAYERS NEARLY READY
FOR SEASONS OPENING
WEATHER GOOD FOR BASEBALL
PRACTICE THIS SPRING AND
MEN SHOW FINE CONDITION.

PRAC ICE His SPHING AMI
MEN SHOW FINE CONDITION.
baseball players should start this
season on pretty even terms. There
never has been a spring when the ele-
ments treated the players in practice
better. From the various training
camps have come reports mostly OF
sunshine and very few of the training
games have had to be postponed.
With the opening of the season now
only few days off interest in the
great national pastime has about
reached the fever stage. On April IA
when the National and American
leagues start their 1910 warfare there
will be more dead grandmothers. great
aunts and uncles than ever heard Of
before, judging from the early interest
taken by the fans. Everybody will
want to get off to see the first game
and the old excuses for getting away
from work will be used along with
the new.
OF course no man can tell what the
weather will be on April IA, but If it
is clear day in the eight cities COM
posing the big leagues more than 200.-
600 persons will be in the grand
stands and bleachers cheering for
their favorites.
From the reports sent from the
training camps every team should be
right on edge and the players eager
for the fray. The Chicago Sox have
had the worst luck. losing the serv-
ices of the veteran catcher and last
seasons manager, Billy Sullivan. The
great catcher had the misfortune to
step on a rusty nail and the wound
came near causing lockjaw.
The same old question is raised,
ton shown by the players is any in
dication of the true ability of a team.
Tim Murnane. in discussing the ques-
ton, says:
In 1897 the Boston club lost every
exhibition game played with minor
league clubs. with the exception Of
one tie, and yet put up remarkable
baseball from start to finish, finally
beating out the great Baltimore team
for the championship, by winning two
out of three games on the OrYole
grounds.
Fred Tenney and William Keller
alone of those two great teams are
to-day in major league company, as
ball players. Keller questionable
quantity. and Tenney on the guessing
list Joe Kelley, Jimmie Collins and
Billy Hamilton are playing in the
minor association. with Jennings, Nc
Graw and Duffy managing major
league teams.
THE great difficulty in getting a
good line on the big teams during the
exhibition games, is the fact that
youngsters are being tried out. and
the best pitchers refuse to take
chances in curving the ball to the
batsmen. The veteran players are
slow in coming to the firing line,
while the young players are working
their heads off to hold their places.
THE great ball teams seldom reach
their best work until after going the
rounds with series with each club,
after which they settle down to steady
ball playing. working along plans
mapped out after looking each other
over.
"a poor start means very little to a
veteran team, but has the reverse eff
feet on team made up of young
blood. l think that Pittsburg is the
best-trained team to-day in the coun-
try. take it year in and year out. Fred
Clarke starts out with less men than
any other manager, giving those men
he has with the club a chance to
work out carefully, taking no chances
of injury by playing practice games
while his men are tender and unfit for
their best work.
THE Pittsburg manager works
along the old lines of gradually build
ing up to a point where the boys can
play fair article of ball when they
do meet minor league clubs. just be-
fore the season opens, and you sell
dom hear of the champions lowering
their colors before the regular season
begins. For this reason Pittsburg is
able to retain players longer than the
other clubs, at the same time keeping
its men in good form. and poor form
will beat any club"