THE COURIER
Y
THE NATIONAb GAME
News of the Week Among the Ball Players.
Thoro is nothing to wait for hut May 21.
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It is reported that Joo Cantillion has signed with Jacksonville.
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Ed Cline. who umpired in this league last year will play first baso
in the Virginia state league
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Hugh Nieol just owns Rockford. Tho lieyisler-Gazclte prints
his picture in a different pose every day and the dry goods stores
have bulletin boards where tho female enthusiasts can learn who
has signed for next year. Whenever Nichol appears on the streets
he is followed by a crowd of admiring 6mall boys.
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Contrary to tho expectations of Omaha, Sioux City and Rvok Is
land the circuit of tho Western Association was not changed at tho
meeting in Quincy on Tuesday. The schedule made up .y Mr.
Hickey was adopted and Lincoln will open the season at home with
Peoria. On the Fourth of July wo will have Hugh Nicol and his
Rockford team and we finish the season at St. Joe on Sept 2."ith.
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Tho strongest clubs, on paper, in the Association up to the pres
ent time are Lincoln, Omaha, Peoria and Des Moines in the order
named. The Omaha and Peoria clubs are both tilled up with play
efs who can hit the ball. The Lincoln team is composed of gentle
manly players, all of whom are easy to control and when the mana
ger lays his head on his pillow to sleep he can do so happy with the
thought that the players are not at some saloon. The team this
season will bat much better than last year and in fielding they are
much faster.
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One who did something to gain the title of '"Old Sport.' has just
passed away in Mr. Joseph Elliott, who was lirst sporting editor of
tho New York Herald. Tho paper was not such a large affair at its
start in 1815, and Mr. Elliot, who was a printer, was madesuperiten
dent of tho building, and did the sporting department in addition.
Later on he did sporting work exclusively and remained connected
with the Herald to the day of his death. How much personal en
joyment Mr. Elliott accumulated cannot be known, but he witnessed
a great deal of fun in tho aggregate as enjoyed by others.
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One of the best things the magnates of the Western Association
did at the Des Moines meeting was to pick the colors for each club,
having no two alike. Last season when Jacksonville or Peoria
played here it was a difficult matter for people to pick the playeis
of tho different clubs there being a sameness in their uniforms. This
year Lincoln will wear a grey uniform with white caps, belts and
stockings, which is one of the very neatest uniforms that could bo
selected. Of course navy blue did not show the dirt, but Manager
Ebright will see that the uniforms are kept clean and the players
will make a very neat appearance.
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TiiKCouKiEicisin receipt of the following from an Omaha crank
"If consistent with your views, will you kindly use tho following:
'Says an Omaha "Fan" in a letter to the papers in that city: 'Are wo
going to have a baso ball park this season?" This is a question we
hear asked nearly every day now, and perhaps it is not the wrong
time to call attention to the fact, that should the management
attempt to force tho public into witnessing tho game the coming
season on their cigar box grounds at 10th and Charles streets, they
will surely receive anything but the encouragement they got last
season. Complaint was almost, if not universally, bitter, among tho
patrons last year on this score, but owing to many obstacles the
management had to contend with censure was comparatively mild.
The base ball patrons will demand to see baso ball the coming sea
son and it is useless to claim that the national game can be pro
duced on the Charles street grounds. To a casual observer and ar
dent admirer of the game this appears a good subject for Messrs.
Rowa and McVittie to give sound consideration. "Hew."
All of tho National league clubs aro now in the south and are get
ting limbered up and in shape to begin the seasons work. None of
tho minor league clubs have tho necessary to make a southern trip
hence each club will get in condition on their own grounds. Ah yot
Manager Ebright has not notified the players to rejort but it is
thought they will bo here between the 1st and nth of April. Several
exhibition games have been arranged and if the weather is good tho
team will be in excellent shape to open the season. Some of tho
National league teams will probably return via Lincoln and if they
do wo shall have the pleasure of seeing our pets pitted against a
National league club. There will be sixteen players without Strauss
who will report here. At present there is nothing new in tho Strains
matter but it is hoped that ho will bo awarded to Lincoln. Manager
Ebright desorvee credit for tho great team that he has got together
to represent Lincoln tho coming season. Never before has baso
ball enthusiasm run so high; tho daily papers, with one exception aro
running a base ball department and lending their suport to tho
team. Wo will have a number of small men on tho team this year
and some good sized ones. Tho small men are Speer, Ilollingworth,
Kennedy, Colo and Taylor; the big boys are Ebright, Maloney, Si
mons, Gragg and 1 1 1 II. Tho balance of tho players aro medium
sized. When the team arrived from the coast last season wo boast
ed of but one pitcher, McGroavy; this yoar wo have seven and it is
a sure thing that four of them will be winners. It is too early to say
who tho four'willjhe but Kimercr and I Jar nes will be two of them.
Manager Ebright will carry four pitchers tho lirst month after
which time tho force will bo reduced to three. Tho park will under
go considerable changes, one of which will be important, that of
swinging the diamond more toward left field, the right field fence
will be broutrht in as there are few balls hit over it.
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St. Louis is agitated over the action of the lower house of Miss,
ouri's legislature in passing an anti-Sunday baso ball bill. Tho St.
Louis Star-Sayings has printed a variety of letters from profession
al and business men, and the following is one from tho ministerial
rank: 1 he Rev. D. S. Phelan, pastor of the Church of Our Lady of
Good Council and editor of tho Sunday Watchman The lower
house of tho legislature of Missouri has passed a Puritan Sunday
law. It does honor to tho sturdy Christian men. We can truly say
and what wo say is tho result of thirty-three years" experience with
the youth of this city, wo regard Sunday baso ball as one of tho
greatest mortl agencies Providence has prorided for the young men
of largo cities. It is healthy for mind and body. And we havo no
faith in any civilization that does not care for the public health.
Tho young men of our large cities havo no parlor in summer but
the green sward of our suburbs and tho bluo vault of heaven over
head. W'ho will deny them entrance? When upon the green,
breathing the pure air of the country, with a bright sky overhead,
who will prevent them from being frisky? It is inhuman to make a
healthy boy look solemn in such circumstances. Let them play by
all means. Our legislators from tho country do not know what a
blessing to our young men a whitr of country air is. They are used
to it seven days in the week. The young men of our large cities en
joy it only a few hours in one day of the week. Tho other days they
arc in a dark and dingy factory, breathing dust and peering in tho
twilight. The change from the work shops to the green fields is to
them a healthy intoxication and to bid them to be still were a cruel
ty and an inhumanity. Will our friends from tho interior stop to
consider that the denizens or large citie3 are human beings? We
never see each other in Sk. Louis except when wo meet on the Rial
to on business anu filthy lucre bent. We havo no time for even a
friendly salutation. The only day in the seven which permits us to
:hake each others hand at.il exchange a word of human greeting is
Sunday, and we do it by means of a call or social gathering. The
thousands of young men of our city, as human as the heart beat by
which wo live, exchange their greetings on the green, in the envir
ons of our cities, and spend a few hours in rollicking recreation and
social converso. Who will say them nay?"
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The National league meeting was held in New York Wednesday,
and one of tho first things they did va- to award Jakoy Strauss to
Minneapolis.
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The Couriki: will print the schedule of the Western Association
next week.
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