Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-03
ARE WITHIN LIMIT
Viruinja Clubs Reserve Less
Than Allowed Number.
GETS A new PITCHER
Richmond Signs Another Giant
Finger on Recommendation
Of Ayres.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
RICHMOND, Va, January 3.-The
recent order of the national commission
relative to the observation of the player
limit by the teams will make no difference
to the six teams forming the Virginia
League. for none of the clubs reserved
anywhere near the maximum number of
men allowed Although twenty-four men
are permitted by the present-day regula-
tons. Roanoke, if the suspended players
are included. tops the list with seventeen.
Petersburg and Richmond stand next.
with sixteen each. Norfolk has reserved
fifteen, Newport News thirteen and Ports
mouth only nine.
That Portsmouth is carrying only nine
players on the reserve list is accounted
for by the fact that the team was shot
to pieces late in the season by sales and
a draft. Erskine Mayer went to Pitts
burgh and Nixon and Heating to Atlanta
by sale, while Murphy played such a
good game at short that he goes next
year to the coast for a trial in the spring.
This leaves only Manager Count Castro
and eight of his Pirates to be held over
for 1913.
Reference to the reserve list brings to
mind that Jack Grim is going to lose
title next week to the players reserved
this year for Newport News. One Of the
agreements before Jack let the Ship
building franchise slide was that he
should retain title to the players until
January l. That's how he got the draft
money for Bates, and it also explains
why Jack has been busy trying to dis
pose of some tailenders at almost any
old price for the past month or two. 1t
has good player to two in the bunch,
but as a general proposition it proved it
self a rather sorry lot by the perform
ance in 1872
Manager Steve Griffin has rOped
other southwestern pitching giant for the
Richmond club next year. The new man
is J. c. Phipps. a protege of Doc Ayres,
the Washington recruit who pitched such
good ball last year for Richmond. Phipps
halls from Grayston county, and. like
Ayres, is a student at the Medical Coli
lege of Virginia. The youth stands six
feet one and weighs 30 pounds Last sea-
son Phipps pitched for a strong semi
professional team at Pulaski, Va, with
which he is credited with having pitched
thirteen games, winning eleven. and two
Of them ending in a tie Phipps has
signed with the understanding that he is
not to report until after the close Of his
school work. in April or May.
1t is stated that work will be started on
the new grounds for the Richmond club
shortly after the beginning OF the new
year. for no trouble is expected from
people living in the vicinity of the new
park The character of the grandstand,
etc. will depend on the length of the
lease the association can get the grounds
under 1t is expected that some of the
timbers to be used will come from the old
Broad street grounds. where organized
ball was played for two decades, and
from Lee Park, the home of the United
States outlaws as long as they abided
with the Richmond fans last spring.
There is no doubt that the Richmond
fans will see the game next season on a
new lot, which promises to be better than
the old grounds.
Manager Joe Kelley has booked exhibit
ton games with Richmond April and 8,
these contests boosting the Richmond
ante-season schedule to about the best
the fans in Richmond have ever enjoyed,
and there are yet more than four months
to look about for few more
While reports have come from all parts
of the country about major league mana
gers and umpires taking their annual
hunt AL Orth. one of the National
in a nearby Virginia county for his fall
hunt. Orth happened to arrive in the
country right on the heels of a drought.
The dust was inches deep when Orth got
his first supper. and then 1t rained until
he quit in disgust and left for home.
of Orth's slaughter of Buckingham county
deer.
Hedgepeth, a member of the Petersburg
pitching staff. has been signed to coach
the Medical College of Virginia nine at
Richmond next spring
Harvey Brooks, who. finished last sea-