The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-11-02
SPORTS AND PASTTMES.
High Salaries for Baseball
Players.
CAMP OF THE SPORTSMEN.
Baseball on Business PrincipIes-The
SpOrtsman's Club-EIection
Bets-Running Time.
From the Boston Globe.l

TOT SOIHo years DdSeDalI mas been con
Quoted on regular business principles
but not until recently have such high
salaries been paid. The presentstyle Of
pitching is responsiblefor the enormous
salaries which the "kings of the profes
sion" demand. The best pitchers get as
much money for working a few hours
each day during seven months as many
college professors receive for their entire
years service. This has not always
been the case. The first real profes-
sional nine was the famous Cincinnati
Red Stockings, which were established
in 1862 There had been many clubs
throughout the country which, previous
to this time, had paid two or three
players for their services, just as many
of our alleged strictly amateur" mines
do at present. The Red Stockings were
the first club, however, to take
men on contracts and to paw every
one on the team. Harry and George
Wright received the highest salaries
paid in the club and neither was the
regular pitcher. Said George Wright:
''The money paid the entire team would
put poor nine in the field to-day. NY
brother Harry was the most expensive
man in the team, and he got $1,000 for
being captain and playing centre field
| was in my regular position as short,
and drew $500. The catcher came
next in order, and the other men ranged
from that sum down. Several came
under $1,000"
at would seem that fielders were con-
sidered to be worth as much as pitchers
and catcherS in those days?"
''That's it, exactly. A club without a
strong Outfield was as weak then as one
would be now with a poor battery
Every man had to be player, and the
pitcher was of no more Importance than
any other man in the team. Why,
almost any one who pretended to be a
good player would go into the box with
little practice and do well. And then,
of course, the catching was quite
different from what it is now
A man who held a thrown ball
well would go behind the bat in
an emergency and acquit himself very
creditably. Now if your pitcher gives
out you might as well stop playing; and
it is just the same with the catcher. 1t
AiiRNOS III hAA1CIC4lCC llOW SOOu NOUT
other seven men are, you are nowhere
if the battery is weak.
"Were the Cincinnati Red Stockings
ever troubled this way?"
well, we went through our first
season with ten men, and you can Judge
Tor yourself how many extra batteries
we could have had. The pitcher did not
try TO see how many he could strike out.
but he used his head and showed his
skill by changing his speed so that the
batSmen would be deceived and not hit
the ball hard. Even if he was batted
hard 1t was nothing against him, and no
one said he had lost the game. Why, if
one side made six or seven runs in an
inning the other nine was not by any
means defeated and thought nothing of
this lead"
With the changes in the style of
pitching have come higher wages for
the players, until now a baseball team
is an expensive institution. New York
has the two men who are paid more for
playing ball than any others in the
world. They are Ward and Ewing. and
each receive a little over So, 600 for the
present season. The New Yorks are
called the "high-priCed team" but
several of the men are hired at low fig
uerS, which brings down the total of
the salary list, and the Chicagos will
have to be acknowledged the most ex-
penSive club in the league. There is not
cheap player in the nine, and while
the highest salary is not over $1,000,
every man is well remunerated for his
services. Corcoran is valuable player.
He is well aware of it himself, and his
skill in curying the ball brings him in
81, 300 this year Radbeurne and Calvin
are other "gilt-edged" players, both in
the work they do and the reward they
receive
The salary list Of the Boston League
Club amounts to $25, 900 in round num-
bers. The most valuable man, and de-
the best paid one, is Captain
Morrill,. He also holds the position of
and he has earned every cent |
of his 800. Whitney comes next, and |
he is certainly royalty paid for the !
of work he has done this sea-
son, for which he receives 50, 800. Bur |
dock and Hornung just turn 81, 900, and |
all the others come below this figure. !
The value of several is set at about |
81 800, but the season has made great /
changes in the playing of some and the
prices will be different another year,
1t is impossible TO estimate how much
1dS Dee0 palQ IN salaries 10 DdlI-playerS
throughout the country. The eight
League clubs viii certainly average
IS much as BOstOn's total, as they
nave tried more men if they
nave not had quite so expensive players.
In the Union Association are eight
more clubs. st. Louis and Cincinnati
)ay more than the Boston League, and
very one of the other mines has some
ligh-priced players. THERE'S not much
Ioubt that the eight clubs pay at least
125 600 in salaries. The American As
ociatiOn has twelve clubs. and must
pay for this number as much
IS. if not more than, the League does
or eight. In fact, few of the dearest
all tossers in the world are claimed by
he American Association. Thus the
alary list of these three largest base
all associations in the country aggre-
ate between $500, 900 and 100000 This {
oes not begin to cover the amount that
las been earned this season by ball
osserS. :
The Camp ofthe SpOrtsman's Club. :
The Salt Lake Sportsman's Club open
heir camp for the season on the shores
f Utah Lake tomorrow morning. The
entlemen comprising this organization l
ave formed a club for the purpose OF 5
I tot mi