Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-02
VIRGINIA LEAGUERS.
Players of All the Teams Re-
port Early for Practice.
GOOD MANAGERS AT HEAD
Tidewater League to Start With Six
Clubs-Notes of Interest About
the Different Players.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch TO The Star.
LYNCHBGRG, Va. April 1.-The six
teams Of the Virginia League are busy
now with the preliminary practice work,
and all of the teams will be down to
ditions will permit. Nearly all of the
teams reported from a week to ten days
earlier this year than is usually the case
in this circuit. and this condition will
mean that the men will start the cham
pionship games April 20 i'm better condi-
ton than has been the case heretofore.
The teams have squads ranging from
twenty to thirty men, and already some
OF them have done some wedding out.
but more releases will come by the last
OF next week than were given this week.
The Virginia League this season will be
almost new organization. for 1t starts
off with an active president and with a
salary limit down to $1,000. the figure
fixed for the 1897 season. This reduction
for it was $500 a month, has caused a
vast majority of the old men to be sold
or turned loose. ard the majority Of the
players on the several teams will be from
mi-professional and amateur ranks.
The larger cities have been raked over
as if by a fine tooth COMO Philadelphia,
4 n.
land and Cincinnati furnishing large
quota of men who are now trying for
positions. Roanoke Will be the only team
with its old manager, for Frank Shaugh-
messy is entering upon his third season
with the Tigers having Won the pennant
in 1909 and finished second last year. Otis
Stochsdale for many years a star pitcher
in the Southern Association. is leading
the locals. Heine Busch, Cincinnati
player. who played two seasons at short
60, FILL 1o,, fIa toy t,r@ u
Coolers. Charles Babb who was at the
helm for Memphis, in the Southern Asso-
citation several years. is the new skipper
FOR the Norfolk Tars. Joe Laughlin, who
was with St Paul. in the American Asso-
citation in 1879 and who did the most
catching for the Danville champions last
year. will handle the Danville Red SoX.
James Sullivan, for a number OF seasons
catcher on the Lincoln Western League
club. will show The Richmond Colts how
20 cantcr.
There seems little doubt but the teams.
especially when taken as a whole, are
better off for managers this year than
ever before. but which of them will cor
raj the much coveted rag next September
no one can even make guess. The rel
ative strength of the teams is purely
speculative. Indeed, it might not be out
of the way to say that luck will figure
in the race as much as i'm some OF the
games, for the manager who is lucky
enough to get a good team will be in
the race. All of the clubs will be made
up of unknown material and all OF them
may be slow in getting started. Roanoke,
with six or seven old men. is feared by
some of the clubs. but whether the team
minus Spratt. Newton. Powell, Doane.
Doyle and Schmidt can make race
around at the top will remain to be seen.
During the exhibition season divisions
of the New York and Philadelphia Amer
leans and the Philadelphia. Boston and
Brooklyn Nationals. we'll as Toronto
and Buffalo. of the Eastern League, will
play over this circuit. About the best
practice these teams will get out of
these games Will be for their wind and
sprintinS abilities. The teams here, of
course, cannot be expected to make any