Evening star., 1912-09-02
ASK INVESTIGATION
Portsmouth Manager Appeals
to Va. League Directors.
TROUBLE WITH PRESIDENT
Owner Accused Men of Playing In
different Ball-0ther Gossip
Of the League.
TROUBLE WITH PRESIDENT

RICHMOND, September 2.--"Count" Cas-.
tro Of the Portsmouth team has asked for
q full investigation of the charges made
last week by Charles T. Bland. president
Of the team, in which the majority of the
players on the club are charged with
playing Indifferent ball. Castro denies
that the team has been guilty as charged
entering a plea OF not guilty to the whole
thing. and in this he is sustained by the
Richmond press. where the Truckers
were playing for three days at the time
the charge was made by President Bland
The trouble in the Portsmouth camp i:
something akin to what Charley Moss
experienced when he was managing the
Truckers several years before Ports
mouth fell down on the league and the
franchise had to be transferred to Peters
burg. Moss claimed that he could not
get winning aggregation because of the
interference of the management. but
President Bland entered a stout denial
to the claim of his manager and Moss
walked the plank.
In this present trouble all Of the players
have signed statement in which they
take a decided stand with Manager Cas-
tro. and in which they deny there has
been any Indifferent playing by any OF
the men.
The appeal Of Manager Castro for him
self and his men to the Virginia League
directors for full investigation to obtain
vindication would, 1t would seem, put II
squarely up to the league at its fall meet
ing to go into the charges and put the
blame where it belongs.
This row, along with q number OF
others Of an unnecessary nature. has
h,pr 1,ol ev.< y1.6s r
by reason of the internal strife in the
league the attendance has not been what
it would have been had the magnates
been at peace among themselves. The in
tegrity Of the game In the state is at
stake and something should be done to
prevent such troubles in the future.
Although the Norfolk team is drawing
meager crowds. President McCrary OF
the Tars is already In quest Of material
for next year-a condition made possi-
BILE. without digging down in the jeans,
by the sale OF Ffnneran and Dodge
to the Phillies for. the modest little sum
Of $500 being quite suf1cient. it is
thought, to reimburse the association
for losses during the season with a little
sum on the right side Of the ledger.
Pitcher Henry Miller of the Newport
News team 10 still out OF the game and
on the sick list. 1t is doubtful IL Miller
can get back in the game again this sea-
son.
All of the Newport News players. with
the exception Of Deacon Morrtsey, have
been fined IS by President Boatwright
for their participation in the strike
Richmond has given trial to Billy
Hay, a local amateur. and he gave fine
account of himself. 1t is expected that
next year he will wear a. Colt uniform.
This would give the Colts, IL Strain re-
mains another year, capable home bat
terry, for Strain has given fine account
of himself during the 1912 season.
II ;s understood the Portsmouth team
made an effort recently to land Jim
Kelly, who managed the Lynchburg team
in June. and who is still playing with the
Winston-Salem team of the Carolina AS
sociatiOn.
w. B. Bradley. the power behind the
throne at Richmond, has made an en-
phatic denial OF report that Lou cas-
tro has been signed as manager for the
Richmond team next season Inc report
started in Norfolk. being due. evidently
to the present internal troubles OF the
Portsmouth team, where Castro is man
aging Coupled with this denial comes
the statement that Steve Griffin VIII
again be in charge OF the Richmond Colts
next season.
The proposition OF President Smith of
the Anderson (Caroiina Association) club
for a post-season series with the win
ner Of the Virginia League pennant is
one that ought to be q money maker.
Either Petersburg or Richmond will win
the Virginia championship. and either OF
them would draw large crowds for such
a series of games. A good many dollars
would be garnered In Petersburg. but
the ducats would be more numerous IL
the pennant should go to Richmond.
Should Roanoke win. ii would be well to
call the series off, because the patronage
in the Magic city would hardly be sufh-
cient to pay railway fares.
Newport News is to have Dollar day
next Tuesday. when at least 800 fans are
expected to cough up a dollar TO help
keep the team going the last week of
the race.
Andy Bruckmiller. pitching for New
port News, had a finger broken Tuesday
in the eleventh inning. up to which time
Richmond had not scored on him; Brown:
Richmond scored twice in the twelfth.
winning by the score of to u.
George Cowan, who was the target OF a
number Of severe roasts when he started
umpir.ng, seems to have rounded into an
umpire far above the average His work
lately has been good, Cowan In his day
was a hard player on the indicator man.
and for that reason he should have lots
Of patience with umpire baiters.
Carl Braun. the big Texan who was
with Lynchburg in the spring. is being
worked every day behind the bat for the
Norfolk Tars and despite this handicap.
during the month OF August he has hit at
.3O1.
Although 1t was freely predicted over
the Virginia circuit when the league clip
ped It's circuit to six clubs in June that
Roanoke would be dropped before the
season was over. the Tigers are still in