The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-04-16
Shift in In fl eld Adds
Strength to Defen-
slve Play.
HALL "A GUTTER,
A N d SENT HOME
Sullivan Giving Much Time to
MATHS, and He Shows Results.
Barker the Find Of the Sea-
son-Tid ewa ter Affair
Should Be Fought
Tooth and Nail.
NJ GUS ,IALpEI,.r.

Gazing quietly through the murHy
atmosphere of gamelesE Saturday
afternoon, and contemplating the hap
pcnings OF the past week. one finds
little OF a startling nature to engAs
the attention. The Colts. from an i'm
partial standpoint. have shown steady
and consistent Improvement. and many
OF the faults which were noticee BILE
+ in the early stages have either dis
appeared or are less slarinSly appar-
emit.
sullivan must have realized his
weakness at irst and second, for on
Tuesday he made a shift which has
improved his defensive play fully 50
per cent. Egan was shifted from first
TO second. and George Cowan Went
to the initial bag.
While there has been nothing sensa-
tional about Egan's work at second, he
has played consistent game. accept
Ing twenty one chances with but one
error. True. his error was costly, but
ans OF them will make errors at times.
So Ions as a ball player is going as
good as that. there is no room TO criti-
cize. regardless OF what popular opin-
Ion may be.
Cownn Made Good.
\ great deal was expected of Geogre
cowan. and he has lived UP 10 eNpcc-
tations In all. he rad forty one
J,
which is goin. pro,ty good. II he
can improve In ms stick work. nc
should MAKE rs good 4 first baseman
as there is In this league.
Ralph MATHS, favored OF Jimmie Sui
Ivan. is developing fast. ais chief
asset Is the fact that he is willing 10
take Instructions. something which a
few OF t.: other youngsters would
do wed 10 ponder over hen Sulii-
van is sparlng neither effort nor time
in telling the hoy what to do because
OF his belief IN his ability as ball
player. Unquestionably this coaching
is going to tell.
Somehow or other feel a great
disappointment in Hall, the big boy
from Baltimore. He looked mighty
good at first but in the second game
with Toronto, he actually quit, showed
streak OF yellow about a mile wide,
and was looking at the bench contin-
ually, asking for help. Sullivan was
exactuly right in keeping him in the
game. The box is the only place for a.
u pitcher TO learn. and he must work
out his own salvation. Anything can
he forgiven In II baseball game. but
quitting. and Hall was "a gutter. lie
IS gone now. for which ;hanks should
be given. M
Barker a Find.
From the way IT looks now Barker
will prove the sensa ton OF the year.
The boy doesn't look like he had much.
but what he has got he uses with the
brains of a veteran lie can work this
corners. has perfect control, anu when
II is necessary can put them over in
the groove without trouble. sullivan
Is tickled to death with the boy, and
believes that he Will be a star Nat
urally. 1t will take some time to .et-
nitely determine. but when one oon-
siders that - Young attributes all OF
his success to being able TO put them
over and that Mathewson's phenome-
nal record is largely due to the same
Z cause 1t gives hope that Barker may
develop along similar lines
The Bunting bubble has exploded.
and there is now no hope that the
youngster will wear a Richmond uni
form. lie would have been valuable,
and would have made a great running
mate for Dobson. but si.goo
salary limit Is not very elastic, and
there is limit % the amount of money
TO be spent. Bussey was out OF the
question:. lie has the big top bee in
his bonnet, and Virginia League Sal
aries look like cigar money to him
How Team VIII Start.
IT is safe conclusion that Rich
mond will start the league season next
Thursday Just as the line up has been
Al lhc pdol Nceh. sSQlfltHn ana Lodge
Will do the backstop work. The pitch-
ers will be selected from WORKOUT
Pierce. Barker, Ward. Mcdonald. Boyce
and Lothrop, Cowan will be at first.
!, Exam at second. Martin at short, Baker
ssht third. and MATHS. Walker and Nc
Cabe will be in the garden
nh There isNabsolutely nothing go on
SO far $ predictions are concerned. az
to the pennant winner. II all of the
owners and managers are toting fair
THE teams should start out on equal
terms. with about the same number
y ofigyoungsters and the same number
of old men. It Is really the crucial
period of the Virginia Lea que Scoffers
4 TO the contrary those WHO have studied
conditions believe that good article
of ball will be the resu-. Of the lower
salary limit. iH.l. VI 3t
Experienced Leaders.
Every club in the league has an old
& experienced ball player at tho helm to
s guido matters. Most of the managers
have had their men on the ground long
enough now to get a fair estimate Of
what they are worth. The days of prac-
tlce are. nearly over, and when the bell
/: taps next Thnrsdnyti+a race win be on.
e s. Down III in Norfolk the Virginia
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