Saturday, Friday 18, 2016 Last Update: 3:38 AM ET
Palm Beach, FL
"Manager Clarence J. Taylor, of the Royal Poinciana nine, has strengthened his team considerably by annexing the services of J.W. Donaldson, the Missouri pitcher, who holds all records for strike outs. Last season he registered no less than twenty-three in nine innings against the Chicago Unions.
Palm Beach, FL
"John Donaldson, batting 9th."
Palm Beach, FL
"John Donaldson, batting 9th. One put out."
Palm Beach, FL
"After his defeat at the opening game by a slip of bad luck, the mighty Donaldson, pitcher of the Poinciana team, tried to come back at Friday's game, but again met defeat by bad fielding on the part of C.I. Taylor's A.B.C. team. Donaldson is from the west and has gained the respect of every batter on the Breaker's team from the slugging Poles on down. He has caused them all to throw their bats to the ground in disgust. But why can't he win his games? That's what everyone wants to know. Jeffries, the regular pitcher on the A.B.C. team won his game with a walk away. The team hit and fielded behind him. Jeffries is a splendid pitcher, but his game was not nearly as well pitched as either one of the other three that Donaldson pitched and lost. But I guess we will have to take the optimistic view and say "That's baseball."
Every game that Donaldson pitched has been by bone headed errors apparently caused by over anxiousness on the part of the fielders. Bad base running also spoiled several chances for Poinciana to score. The Breakers seem to be particularly anxious to spoil Donaldson's reputation as a pitcher, but so far have been unable to solve his delivery. He has held them at his mercy at critical times, but some error has allowed him to be cheated out of the game. But his strike out record and low percentage of hits stamps him as peerless. It is to be hoped Taylor's men will always show the form that they did behind Jeffries when they batted all three of the Breakers team's pitchers to all corners of the field with a final score of 12 to 1 in favor of the Poincianas. Struck out - by Donaldson 6, by Langford 6.
Palm Beach, FL
"Breakers, 4; Poinanciana 12."
Palm Beach, FL
"Donaldson, batting 9th."
Palm Beach, FL
"PALM BEACH WEEKLY REVIEW - Royal Poinciana and Breakers Hotels Open With Full Crew of Colored Waiters, Bell Boys, Maids and Entertainers - Opening Ball Game Between the Indianapolis A. B. C.'s, Representing Royal Poinciana, and An All Star Colored Team of the Breakers - Five Hundred of the Wealthiest Society People of the World Witness Opening Contest - Pitchers' Battle Between Donaldson and Poinciana and Williams of Breakers. - (By Noble Sissie.) - Palm Beach, Florida - The world's famous Royal Poinciana Hotel and Breakers have opened for the 1916 season and from present indications it looks like the some 800 colored employees are going to have the best season in the history of the famous winter resort."
Palm Beach, FL
PALM BEACH WEEKLY REVIEW - (By Noble Sissler) - Breakers win fourth and drop fifth in series with Poinciana. Head Waiter McLane, of Poinciana, has to send for fifteen more waiters from Atlanta on account of great crowd. Palm Beach, Florida, February 13. - The Breakers' strong team, under the leadership of Cyclone Williams, the peerless hurler, is making the race for the pennant hot for the Poinciana team. In fact, it is almost terminating into a one-sided affair. Manager C.I. Taylor, of the Poinciana team, although he gave his team a severe shaking up by shifting the lineup, has not been able to stop the terrible onslaught of the Breakers. Notwithstanding the mighty Donaldson from Kansas City, has been doing some great pitching, the Poinciana team has only been able to win two out of five games.
Johnson won his game Tuesday, the 8th, from the Breakers and the Poinciana team outdid itself at batting and fielding.
McLane Sends for More Waiters - Mr. McLane, head waiter of the Poinciana, had to send to Atlanta for more waiters as the business is so rushing this week. There are more guests in the house at this time of year than ever before in the history of the hotel. The cake walks are drawing large crowds. Kid Cole won the last cake walk at the Breakers Hotel. The sextet of the Hotel Poinciana and the Elks Band and Kelley's Band are all doing big business. The entertainers at the Breakers Hotel are also making good. The Friday and Tuesday dances give the colored employees chance to have a celebration at their quarters of which every team was victorious as the games are played in these days.
Off the Bat - Ben Taylor is creating quire a sensation with the bat in the games. Three sackers are common for him. Wallace of the breaker team is the greatest tagger in the business. He does it so quick that even the umpire has difficulty in seeing whether he touches his man or not. He is supposed to be the only player of any race who can tag Ty Cobb coming to second base. Pierce is a good catcher, only he has trouble, at the wrong time, in locating the second sack. The Breakers are a fighting team. It's common to see the catcher out settling the second base men's arguments, which looks very amateurish. The colored players here in Palm Beach have a chance to do more for Negroes in the sporting world than any place else in the universe. Such families as the Astors, Vanderbilts, Morgans and hundreds of others, who never go to see a ball game outside of Palm Beach, are seen at every game rooting hard for their favorite team. Each player should at all times govern himself in the way he talks and acts, so as to establish a high standard of sportsmanship before these people of wealth and influence. These people come to the games and contribute heavily and they expect to see an honest, hard fought game. We, as a race, have too much to our discredit now in the way of unmanly principles than to ever be guilty of ever making the slightest move that would look suspicious, especially before these people who are our friends and who have made it possible that we can stay in this country with the few privileges we now enjoy. They won't tolerate off us what they don't off of their own. Let us hope that none of our boys will ever display an unsportsmanlike conduct before these philanthropists."
Palm Beach, FL
"Breakers 1; Poinciana 3."
Palm Beach, FL
"Donaldson, Pitcher. Donaldson, 1 hit."
Palm Beach, FL
"The Breakers Baseball Club is in the lead of the series of games played, having won four games, while the Poinciana team has only won two games of the six played. Sunday's game was won by the Poinciana team, the score being 3 to 1. Tom Johnson pitched a great game for the winner, while Lankford pitched good ball for the losers. Ben Taylor's hitting was the feature of the game, as he got five hits in as many times at bat."
Palm Beach, FL
"Breakers, 7; Poinciana 2."
Palm Beach, FL
"Breakers, 2; Poinciana, 1."
Palm Beach, FL
"Breakers 1; Poinciana 2."
Palm Beach, FL
"Breakers 2; Poinciana 1."
Palm Beach, FL
"All sorts of things happened this baseball season but yesterday's game will probably put an end to all the arguments that have been going on between the members of the two teams for Umpire Connie Lewis ordered Webster, the right fielder, out of the game, and when he refused to go and his captain refused to remove him after the customary two minutes had elapsed, which is the legal time, in baseball law, for this to happen, Lewis forfeited the game to the Poinciana team 9 to 0.
Lewis was perfectly within his rights and had warned Webster the previous inning that his remarks would be cut out, removed and hidden for the balance of the afternoon. This decision and rupture were almost bound to come, and in fact it was the second time during the afternoon that trouble threatened. The first dispute was between Poles and Wallace of the Breakers team, which got to such a point that Poles refused to play. Exit Poles and Webster then went to right field from catcher, Santop catching. This wasn't all in the way of substitution either, as Thomas the heavy hitting center fielder of the Breakers was not feeling well and Williams was to take his place.
The game was a righty one so far as it lasted as Donaldson was back in the box for Poinciana and pitching gilt-edged ball. His opponents were not doing anything of merit with his delivery, whereas the Poinciana team had tallied two runs off Wade and were in a fair way of taking the game by actual play when Webster got mixed up with the umpire."
Palm Beach, FL
"Thirteenth game, March 3 - Breakers 1, Poinciana 0."
Palm Beach, FL
"Fourteenth game, March 6 - Breakers 6; Poinciana 4. Batteries Lankford & Santop; Donaldson and Powell."
Palm Beach, FL
"Fifteenth game, March 9 - Breakers 1; Poinciana 9."
Palm Beach, FL
"Sixteenth game, March 11 - Breakers 3; Poinciana 15."
Palm Beach, FL
"Seventeenth game, March 13 - Breakers 7; Poinciana 1."