Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-23
|DLENESS|SNOT
HELPING NATIONALS
Team Has Played Only One
Game In Four Days and
McAIeer Is Worried.
INFIELD IMPRESSES
THE GOTHAM SCRIBES
Streets Catching Friday Con-
sidered Best Performance
Ever Seen in New York.
By John B. Foster,
Editor Spaldlng's Guide.
Special Disnafch 10 The Star


NEW YORK. April 22.-When the
weather man ceases to work at cross pur-
poses with the base ball fans and the
base ball club promoters there will be a
real opening for the season in the east.
Bill Devery the best chief of police that
New York ever had" says there has not
been as much as a half opening. Right
for William On the first day when
the Washinstons were to have played
they were unable to get on the field The
morning of the second day dawned like
q May girl in new spring gown and fin
ished as cold and soggy a Cape Cod
oyster, and on the third day there was no
dawn. 1t raned when the Broadway
lights were turned out, and they had to
turn them on again to wake folks up, for
1t was still raining. 1t rained all day,
. and, although a clear Sunday was prom
Used, there was none who would take
any stock in the prediction. for the
weather chap has fooled New York too
often this spring
1t hit the Washington club to the tune
OF at least 1000 paid admissions to have
these bad days come one after the other.
OF course New York suffered in the same
ratio, but neither club feels like buying
diamonds when the certain receipts are
chopped more than in half by the uncer-
tain weather
If the teams had been able to play
Thursday and the temperature had been
pleasant there would have been a sure
crowd of 1900 perhaps more. That
game was lost for good and all. Friday
the attendance was cut down at least
b.WU because a very unpleasant afternoon
followed a very brilliant morning. More
than that, a great many who had ar
ranged to go to the opening Thursday
were unable to make it Friday. Today
there would have been 1900 again, per-
haps more. notwithstanding the defeat Of
the Hghlanders Friday, for there were
folks who had made up their minds to
see the Saturday game at any cost, es-
pecially those who can get away Satur
rainfall simply wiped the clubs out of a
tremendous chunk Of revenue. It's gone
where the woodbine twineth, and there
- no getting away from it.
Washington Players Sore.
The Washington players may be con-
cerned about the loss Of gate receipts. |
for there are few players. except the |
boneheads, who are not anxious that
their clubs shall prosper financially, but |
they were a lot more put out because
they lost two chances to meet the High
landers. They think that they can beat |
this New York team 1T is not any
goat. or any jinx." said Elberfeld Its
not about as good as they are. and when !
the game is breaking even we have just
as much license to win from them as
they have from us. I'm looking at the !
teams man for man, and while they may |
nave little on us in one or two posi-
tons, II Will not count for so very much |
When both teams are getting through |
with their pitchers working well. Any |
time that we play the Highlanders and |
our pitcher can keep the batters of the
New York team inside of seven hits
we've as good chance to beat them as
they have to beat U.S. They can all figure
out as far as they like that the High |
landers overtop us in speed, but can't
see 1t that way, and 1 know that most
OF the Washington players have similar
notion IN regard to the ability of Chase's |
nine"
Elberfeld can bring up a pretty strong
argument TO show that the Washingtons
are good travellers. and it may be that
MS estimate OF the team Will prove to be |
more accurate than that of some of the
base ball enthusiasts who have been SO
accustomed to slip Washington into the
second division that they can't get il out
OF their heads that the team must always |
finish below the dividing mark.
In connection with what Elberfeld
thinks of the Washington team it may
not be out Of place to state that on the
very first day here the left side of the
Washington infield appeared to be strong
er than the left field side Of the High
laQQSTS anu more comment than one was
made on that fact. Possibly the New
York players were a little nervous and
did not handle themselves with the easy
grace which will come later. but nervous
or no nervous. they did not cover any
more ground and did not go after the ball
with any more assurance than tine Wash
tngton infielders- Not so much IN fact
Take all the Washington infield collec-
lively and It shines brighter in New York
than any tnfield which has played for
Washington team since the American
League came into the big city.
Infeld Looks Strong.
In the first game had there been any
disposition on the part OF the players to
wobble. it would have been easy enough
Tor the Highlanders to have tied the
score, for 1t would not have taken much
OF q mistake to shift one or two plays SO
that the Highlanders could have scored
the winning run. But Washington play
ed as steadily as a rock and there was
more than one fan who commented on
the Improvement In the team over other
years. Not all the throws which came
to Henry, for instance, We're right In hts
glove. He had to reach for some. Had
he dropped one how easily 1t would have
been for New York to clip through and
push a runner over the plate But he
played first base as II he had been there
all Of his life and If that is the kind Of
ball that he will play for Washington all
Of the season the Senators will have to
go far TO find man who will pick I'D
much on him.
The manager says that the only thing
which he doesn't do is to bat quite hard
enough to suit him. But l think that
he's getting better all of the time" add
ed McAleer. In the game Friday he did
not make hit, but he hitNthe ball on
the nose every time that he walked to
the plate. His first drive was q long fly
20 center field, and If that had been made
by one OF the other players at the right
tina n hn fret inn . h0 800
would have had another run. He wrap
bed one down to knight which made that