THE COURIER
if
THE NATIONAL) GAME
News of the Week Among the Ball Players.
The following official figures show tho difference between the
team of last season and the one signed to play h.-ro next season.
Last season tho fielding average of tho infield was .890; this season
it will be .922 which is 2G points better. Tho batting arerago of the
infield was .287; this season it will bo JJ1G 29 points better. The
fielding average of tho outfield last season was .912; this season it
will be .923 11 points better. Tho batting average of the outfield
was .231; this season it will bo .334, a gain of 103 points.
t
Up to the present time Mr. Ebright has tho following players
feigned: Catcher, Speer; pitchers, Meyers, Gragg, Barnes, Kimerer
and Simon; first base, Sullivan; second base, Ebright; shortstop,
Hollingsworth; third base, Hill; outfielders, Van Buren, Cole and
Taylor.
t
Lincoln will open tho season better fixed for pitchers than last
season. When the club came from the coast last season McGreavy
was the only pitcher wo
had. Later on we got John
son, Baltz and Barnes. This
year we will have seven
pitchers when the exhibi
tion season opens, and when
tho first pay day comes
around there will be three of
them left The Courier
predicts that the thieo will
be Barnes, Kimerer and
Gragg.
t
So far as arranged, the
Now York will train in New
Orleans, the Baltimore's at
Macon, Ga.; the Chicagoans
at Galveston, Tex.; the Phil
adelphia at Charlotte, Va.,
the Brooklyns in South Car
olina, and the St Louis
Browns at Hot Springs.
Every league club except
the Clevelands have made
some arrangements for a
southern training trip.
Jeweler This cup costs two dolla
r armer Waycross ler don t hav
Archhie Colo who cap
tained the St. Joe team in
the early part of last season has affixed his signature to a Lincoln
contract and will play center field next season . Cole is not a large
man but he is a good hitter having an average of .336 last season
and it was an off year for him, that is, he was sick h large part of
the season. In a game at St. Joe with Lincoln Ebright was on sec
ond base and a fly was hit to center. Cole ran for it and Ebright
thought he had got too far under it and started for third base when
Cole threw up one hand and pulled down the ball and threw Ebright
out at second. This is only one of tho many tricks he is capable of
and the management is to be congratulated on securing so valuable
a man.
t
With a very fast infield and also an outfield that can hit tho ball
Lincoln had ought to show some of the cities how to play the game
next year.
t
Manager H. E. Ebright and Secretary T. J. Hickey left Tuesday
to attend the annual meeting of tho Western Association at Pes
Moines.
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Lincoln is having an encounter with the national agreement the
outcome of which will be watched with considerable interest by the
local fans. The first time Lincoln got the "dinky dink'" was when
McCloeky jumped this city after he had accepted terms. The next
case was that of Carney Flynn, the Cincinnati pitcher, and now the
case of Jakey Strauss. About the middle of December Strauss
wrote Manager Ebright a letter and said he would play in Lincoln
for stccu dollars per month and would wait five days for an answer
before beginning negotiations with any other club. The letter
reached tho city the third day after it had been written and within
an hour after its arrival Manager Ebright accepted his terms by
wire. Nothing more was heard fron Jakey until the 7th of January
when the contract, like the cat, came back, but it did not have tho
signature of Jakey Strauss. Instead was a note saying he had ac
cepted the terms of the Minneapolis club and would play there the
coming season. Manager Ebright should and probably will try and
find out how these players can trifle with this city. The Bee inti
mated a few weeks ago that we were liable to have trouble in get
ting Taylor, but as his contract has been received there is no reason
to believe that he will not report here on tho first day ot April.
T
Manager McVittie of Omaha has signed seven men for next year.
They are Grasshopper Ulrich, third baseman; Frank Donnelly,
pitcher and right fielder; Eddie Miles, second baseman; James F.
Slagle, middle fielder; Charlie Shaffer, left fielder; M. P. Dwyer,
third baseman; and Con
Whalen, catcher. Besides
these, Manager McVittie is
negotiating with eight or
ten additim.al men and ex
pects to have tho contracts
of no less than seventeen or
eighteen men by March!.
From these the regular
team will be drawn and tho
surplusage left out. The
team will report April 1st.
Ulrich, who is now in Phila
delphia, was with Omaha
last year. Donnelly was
with Quincy in the latter
past of last season. He is
in Springfield, III. Eddie
Miles was in the Pennsyl
vania league last season
and made a fine record in
the infield. His batting
average last year reached
tho JJG1 notch. He resides
at Deboise, Pa. James F.
Slagle was with the Oil
City team last season. He
has a batting average of
3S4 and is a great runner
and a great fielder. Slagle
comes from Harrisburg. Shaeffer, who was with Peoria last season
is well known. Shaf. is wintering in Scranton. M. P. Dwyer is
from Btitte. He is a protege of Joe Wherrichs, who pronounces him
a coming man on third. Con Whalen also comes from the Montana
league. He is a big, strong, young fellow, a splendid backstop,
hardy and accurate thrower and a good man in any position.
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Archie Cole has a batting average of 532 and a fielding average of
.920.
rs extra on account of the chasing.
e ter chase me I pay cash.
Tho young man who is continually looking for a soft thing will
find it under his hat,
The young man who is looking for the best place in the city to
have his clothes made will find it at
L H. MEYER
1144 O STREET.
Don't revenge yourself on your pocket book by paying more el6e
where.