Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-07-05
MONEY IN BASE BALL.
Some OF the Men who Have Grown
Rich on the National Game.

some OF the Men w no AAnNN
Rich on the National Game.
The salary Of the professional base ball
player, says the st. Louis Critic, is some
thing often talked about, and the figures
are generally placed too high. but for an
actual fact the professional player Of to-
day. providing he possesses ability OF the
right order, fares better than the ordinary
member Of any other profession.
AL spalding. the President Of the Chi
cagO Club. is perhaps the richest man IN
the business to-day, and Al Reach, the or
ganizer Of the Philadelphia Club, is an
other who has laid away something for
rainy day. Spalding's wealth is estimated
at between $4,000 and 100000, and
Reach's possessions are placed at the
same figures. Big hearted Jim Mutrie
Organized the Metropolitan Club Of New
York. and cleared nearly 500, 900 the first
season. but none Of the money went to
Jim. and he is as poor to-day as when he
started out. Billy Barnie played in better
luck than Mutrie. He and Hauck, Bal
timOre bill poster, placed the Baltimore
American team in the field last year. and
scored a great hit, the club making nearly
sos, 900 its first year, with the prospect Of
nearly doubling that amount this. Four
wears ago Barnie came here with the At
iantic and hadn't $50 to his name. To-day
he can draw his check for $50, GOO, OF some
thing not much less than that amount,
and this is doing pretty well for one who
started out with the reputation of being
broken down catcher. Emil Gross. who
catches for the Chicago Unions in their
coming games here, owns $1,000 worth Of
real estate in Chicago, but this does not
represent his earnings, he having fallen
heir to the property. Nike McGeary has
made enough money out Of base ball to
build several houses in Philadelphia, and
Arson, Of the Chicago, has bought a farm
with the proceeds Of his earnings, and
also owns stock in the Chicago Club.
George Wright owns quite an establish
ment in Boston, and Harry Wright, now
managing the Philadelphia Club, is also
doing well, but neither has more wealth
than he knows what TO do with. or the
st. Louis players, Dunlap, Of the Unions,
is the most solid man, while Gleason Of
the American team, owns the house he
lives in, and is pretty well fixed finan-
cially. George Strict owns a neat home
in Cleveland, and Latham is another
thrifty and well-tO-dO player. But these
men are about all there are of the present
and Of the old rank and file who are even
well-tO-dO. OF course, others have made
money in the business, but they did not
belong to the old ranks. Lew Simmons
ball until about three years ago, when he,
Sharsig and Mason organized the Athletic
Club, and the trio since that time have
cleared between 100000 and $500, 900 on
the venture. Theirs was the greatest sue
cess, financially, ever scored in the base
ball world.
The poorest paid club in the American
Association to-day is the Louisville.
Nearly all its players were reserved men,
and nearly all were frightened into sign
ing 81 1000 contracts. This gave the play
ers no money to spend for whisky, or
something worse, and, as a result, they
are in irst-class fix, and playing first
class ball. The New York League team,
Of last year, which was called ''the SAC, 900
gilt-edge nne," made the poorest kind of
record for itself, the time of the players
being mostly taken up in spending their
salaries instead Of training and getting in
trim TO play. The Chicago nine of this
year, perhaps the highest salaried nine in
the League, seems to be following in the
rut of last years New York Club, and the
high salaried nine which represents st.
Louis In the American Association Is not
doing so well this year as it did last, when
its salary was not so high.