The Record published another version of the Athletics roster for the coming season that showed a few differences from previous versions, including the absence of infielder Clyde Robinson, pitchers Bill Duggleby and Snake Wiltse, and outfielders Matty McIntyre and Socks Seybold and the addition of pitcher Jack Townsend.

The complete list was: pitchers Chick Fraser, Bill Bernhard, Eddie Plank, and Townsend, catchers Doc Powers and Farmer Steelman, first baseman Harry Davis, second baseman Nap Lajoie, third baseman Lave Cross, shortstop Monte Cross, left fielder Topsy Hartsel, center fielder Dave Fultz, and right fielder Elmer Flick.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court heard arguments in the Phillies' appeal of last year's decision by the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas that allowed Nap Lajoie, Bill Bernhard, and Chick Fraser play for the Athletics.

Francis Richter of Sporting Life reported that manager Connie Mack planned to send his pitching staff south in the spring to get ready for the season, but that his position players could all be relied upon to keep themselves in shape during the winter and did not need the extra work.

The Times published the official roster of the Athletics as released by American League president Ban Johnson.

To wit: pitchers Snake Wiltse, Chick Fraser, Bill Bernhard, Eddie Plank, and Bill Duggleby, catchers Farmer Steelman and Doc Powers, infielders Harry Davis, Nap Lajoie, Lave Cross, and Monte Cross, and outfielders Socks Seybold, Topsy Hartsel, Dave Fultz, and Elmer Flick.

Business manager Billy Sharsig died of stomach cancer at his Philadelphia home at the age of 47.

The Record reported that manager Connie Mack had offered outfielder Socks Seybold to St Louis in exchange for right-handed pitcher Bill Reidy, but no deal had yet been consummated.

Among the attendees at the funeral of the team’s business manager, Billy Sharsig, was a man named Charles Goodfellow, who was identified only as a “club employee”. Other than this note in the Times, Goodfellow’s connection to the team doesn’t seem to have been mentioned in the press.

Sporting Life reported that the team was trying to acquire Baltimore catcher Roger Bresnahan.

According to the Record, third baseman Lave Cross told manager Connie Mack that the knee he injured late in the 1901 campaign was fully healed and that he would be ready to go when the team got back together in April.

President Ben Shibe and manager Connie Mack were off to Buffalo to attend American League meetings. While there Mack planned to suggest a rule allowing a team to substitute another hitter for the pitcher in the batting lineup – a designated hitter, if you will. His argument was two-fold: first, that most pitchers were bad hitters and, second, that games were unnecessarily delayed while a pitcher recovered his wind between innings after having exerted himself on the basepaths in the previous half-inning.

The Record reported that the team’s pitchers would convene for spring training on March 1 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, while the position players would “limber up on the home grounds.”

As an outgrowth of an existing and unresolved schism among National League owners a rumor was making the rounds that the Phillies and Athletics might merge with Connie Mack managing the team and Phillies manager Bill Shettsline taking over as business manager. Both Shettsline and Mack scoffed at the idea with Mack calling it “presposterous”.

The Record reported more specifics about manager Connie Mack’s plan to send his pitchers to North Carolina next month for spring training. Scheduled to go were pitchers Bill Bernhard, Eddie Plank, Bill Duggleby, and Snake Wiltse, along with catcher Farmer Steelman. Chick Fraser was excused from attending but would work out in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The remaining position players would begin training in Philadelphia on April 1.

Contradicting earlier reports that the team’s position players would train in Philadelphia, Sporting Life reported they would instead train in Newport News, Virginia.

Work had begun on an upgrade to the left-field bleachers at Columbia Park that would double the seating capacity of the area and move the fence 25 feet closer to home plate. Total capacity of the park would be 16,500 when the work was complete. The work also included raising the infield five feet and laying down a new soil composition that was expected to improve drainage. The team expected construction to be done by April 1.

Pitchers Eddie Plank and Bill Duggleby reported to the team in Philadelphia

Pitchers Eddie Plank and Bill Duggleby were joined by catcher Farmer Steelman aboard a train bound for Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where they would begin spring training. The players planned to spend the entire month there. Pitcher Bill Bernhard and utility infielder Clyde Robinson had planned to be on the same train, but their transportation to Philadelphia had been delayed. Pitcher Snake Wiltse was expected to join them on the 6th and outfielder Dave Fultz would travel to North Carolina directly from Leadville, Colorado where he was working as a miner. Second baseman Nap Lajoie and first baseman Harry Davis were in Philadelphia and were reported to be in good shape already.

The team hired a new groundskeeper: Joe Schroeder.

President Ben Shibe and manager Connie Mack were en route to Detroit for the American League schedule meeting. The Times reported that Mack had reached out to the New York Giants to arrange a pair of exhibitions at the Polo Grounds, but hadn’t received a response so far.

The American League released their official 140-game 1902 schedule. The Athletics were set to open the season on April 23 at Baltimore and would close on September 29 at Washington.

The Record reported that manager Connie Mack had offered Georgetown University shortstop Charles Moran a $3,000 contract before signing Monte Cross.

The players at Chapel Hill planned to get their first workout in today, but weather forced them to move inside to a gym on the University of North Carolina campus. Bill Duggleby, Eddie Plank, and Bill Bernhard spent the day tossing easily to catcher Farmer Steelman, just to work out the arm kinks.

The players in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, worked on their endurance with a five-mile run.

The team released outfielder Matty McIntyre.

The Times reported that the team’s exhibition schedule would open on April 3 with a game against a squad of Athletics second-stringers leavened by a number of local players and captained by third baseman Lave Cross. Other opponents on the spring schedule were Yale University, Jersey City, Villanova University, Hobart College, Bucknell University, Princeton University, and Newark.

Pitcher Snake Wiltse and outfielder Dave Fultz arrived in Philadelphia in the morning and immediately boarded a train bound for Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

In Chapel Hill, Bill Bernhard and Eddie Plank each pitched several informal innings of practice against members of the University of North Carolina varsity. Bill Duggleby missed practice because of a cold.

In Chapel Hill, pitcher Snake Wiltse made his first appearance in practice against the University of North Carolina varsity.

Rain in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, forced the players training there to practice indoors.

For the second straight day, the players in Chapel Hill worked out indoors while it rained outside. Pitcher Snake Wiltse missed practice while he recovered from the side effects of a recent vaccination. Pitcher Bill Duggleby was still suffering from a cold and planned to return to Philadelphia soon.

Pitcher Bill Duggleby arrived in Philadelphia to recuperate from a recent cold and planned to return to North Carolina when he was able. Pitcher Eddie Plank was still in North Carolina trying to add a slow curve and a change-up to his arsenal

The Record reported that utility infielder Clyde Robinson was performing well in practice. The paper added that, according to their information, Robinson had signed a contract with manager Connie Mack on August 5 of last year, which predated his personal contract with Kansas City’s George Tebeau, dated August 10.

The players in North Carolina moved their base of operations from Chapel Hill to Latta Park in Charlotte and cited poor weather and substandard facilities in Chapel Hill as the reason.

Pitcher Bill Duggleby had recovered from his cold and was back in Charlotte to resume spring training. Pitcher Snake Wiltse had a sore arm and was on limited duty as a result.

The Inquirer reported that the facilities at Latta Park were in rough shape and that the players’ workouts were suffering accordingly.

The Inquirer reported that Bill Bernhard was showing good speed and control in practice, that Eddie Plank and Snake Wiltse were somewhat behind Bernhard in control of their pithcers, and that Bernhard, Farmer Steelman, and Dave Fultz were all hitting the ball well.

The Times reported that the Columbia Park upgrades would be completed by April 5.

The team signed Indiana-born third baseman Harry Hebble.

Practice in Charlotte was rained out.

Practice in Charlotte was rained out for the second-straight day. Utility infielder Clyde Robinson left Charlotte saying he was headed to Philadelphia where he would rejoin the team and work out with the other position players.

Infielder Clyde Robinson turned up in Kansas City two days after he left Charlotte, ostensibly headed for Philadelphia to join the Athletics’ position players for spring training. Robinson had reportedly signed both a contract with the A’s and a personal services contract with George Tebeau of the Kansas City club and decided to go with the latter.

Outfielder Topsy Hartsel reported to the team in Philadelphia.

Manager Connie Mack had planned to open the Philadelphia portion of training camp today but canceled it because of cold weather. On hand were second baseman Nap Lajoie, outfielder Topsy Hartsel, shortstop Monte Cross, third baseman Lave Cross, and outfielder Socks Seybold. First baseman Harry Davis was away due to the recent death of his brother. Pitcher Chick Fraser was still in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and said he would leave that town’s warm climes on the 14th. Catcher Doc Powers and outfielder Elmer Flick were due to report tomorrow. The players in Charlotte were expected back on the 12th.

Manager Connie Mack named his starters for tomorrow’s exhibition opener against Yale: catcher Doc Powers, first base Harry Davis, second base Nap Lajoie, third base Lave Cross, shortstop Monte Cross, left field Topsy Hartsel, center field Socks Seybold, and right field Elmer Flick. On the mound would be 21-year-old right-hander Frank Leary of the University of Pennsylvania.

The players in Charlotte broke camp about a week earlier than expected and began to head north. Bill Duggleby, Snake Wiltse, Bill Bernhard, Eddie Plank, and Farmer Steelman were expected in Philadelphia on the 6th. Dave Fultz was scheduled to arrive on the 7th.

In their spring training exhibition opener, the team lost to Yale, 7-5.

The Inquirer printed a story asserting that a representative of the New York Giants had approached second baseman Nap Lajoie with the offer of a three-year contract that would pay as much as $10,000 per year. The story added the Lajoie had turned down the deal, citing fair treatment by the Athletics.

On a drizzly day and a wet field in Weehawken, New Jersey, the team beat Jersey City of the Eastern League, 13-11, in a spring training contest. Second baseman Nap Lajoie had five hits.

Pitchers Bill Bernhard, Snake Wiltse, Eddie Plank, and Bill Duggleby, and catcher Farmer Steelman arrived in Philadelphia from Charlotte.

New player Lou Castro, who was with Norwich and New London in the Connecticut State League last year, made his Athletics debut at third base.

The team’s scheduled exhibition contest in Weehawken with Jersey City was canceled because of wet grounds.

Outfielder Dave Fultz reported to the team after arriving from Charlotte.

Outfielder Topsy Hartsel was expected to miss a few days of practice with a bruised leg.

For the second straight day, the team’s spring training game with Jersey City in Weehawken was rained out.

The team’s scheduled exhibition game against Villanova was rained out.

The morning featured sunshine and the hope that the team would be able to get in a game after three straight rainouts, but the rain returned in the afternoon, and in any event their opponents from Hobart College failed to show at the appointed time.

The Athletics beat Bucknell in a spring training game, 12-1.

The team beat Princeton in a spring training game, 21-4. First baseman Harry Davis hit three doubles.

The team beat Jersey City, 4-0, in a spring training game. Pitchers Bill Duggleby and Snake Wiltse combined on a one-hitter.

Socks Seybold’s pinch-hit RBI single in the bottom of the ninth gave the Athletics a 3-2 win over Newark.

Chick Fraser made his first mound appearance of the spring for the Athletics in their 10-5 win over Newark.

The team beat Villanova, 16-2, in a spring training game.

The Athletics beat Jersey City in a spring game, 12-4.

Second baseman Nap Lajoie belted four doubles in an 18-5 spring training win over Jersey City.

The Athletics beat Newark, 7-5, in a spring exhibition game.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court reversed a lower court decision regarding second baseman Nap Lajoie. A year ago the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas ruled that Lajoie, along with pitchers Chick Fraser and Bill Bernhard were not bound by contracts they had signed with the Phillies in 1900 and were free to play for the Athletics in 1901. The Philadelphia court based their decision on two factors: that the players in question did not provide a unique and irreplaceable service to the Phillies and that the contracts lacked “mutuality” because they allowed the team to dismiss the players on ten-days notice while not affording the players the same option.

In this new decision, the Supreme Court said that Lajoie’s skill set made him unique among players and hard to replace and said that mutuality did not require a precise 1:1 relationship between sides. The court accepted the Phillies argument that the salary ($2,400) offered to Lajoie was sufficiently high to compensate him for the lack of an out clause. Following the decision, Athletics president Ben Shibe and manager Connie Mack withheld comment until they could consult with the team’s lawyers

Other Athletics players thought to be possibly affected by the ruling were pitcher Bill Duggleby, third baseman Lave Cross, shortstop Monte Cross, and outfielders Topsy Hartsel and Elmer Flick.

In less exalted matters, the team beat the University of Pennsylvania, 12-8, in the final game of spring training. The school had a standing rule prohibiting their students from competing against pro teams and the Athletics had to arrive at the ballpark under a mantle of stealth

After consulting with their lawyers, president Ben Shibe and manager Connie Mack asserted that yesterday’s court ruling overturning the decision that allowed second baseman Nap Lajoie to play for the Athletics last season only applied to Lajoie and not to pitchers Chick Fraser and Bill Bernhard who had also figured in last year’s decision. Phillies owner John Rogers announced he would petition the court to issue an injunction against all three players appearing for the A’s in the upcoming season.

The Athletics opened the regular season in Baltimore where they defeated the Orioles, 8-1

In response to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s reversal of the Lajoie decision, the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas issued a temporary five-day injunction against the second baseman appearing for the Athletics pending further deliberations. Lajoie had started the season opener in an A’s uniform, but when manager Connie Mack received word of the court’s decision in the eighth inning he immediately pulled Lajoie from the game.

With Dave Fultz appearing at second base in place of Nap Lajoie who was legally barred from playing, the Athletics lost to Baltimore, 6-2, in Baltimore.

Today’s scheduled game in Baltimore was rained out.

On a windy, dusty day in Baltimore, the Orioles beat the Athletics, 6-2.