Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1884-07-12
MONEY IN BASE BALL.

The salary Of the professional base
ball player is something 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 or
dinary member of any other profess
sion. Al Spalding, president of the
Chicago club, is perhaps, the richest
man in the business to-day, and Al
Reach, the organizer of the Philadel-
phia club, is another who has laid
away something for rainy day.
Spalding's wealth is estimated at be-
tween 100000 and 100000, and
Reach's possessions are placed at the
same figures. Big-hearted Jim Mu-
trie organized the Metropolitan club
of New York, and cleared nearly
100000 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 Houck, a. Bal
timore bill-poster, placed the Balti-
more American team in the field last
year, and scored a great hit, the club
making nearly $65, 900 its first year,
with the prospect of nearly doubling
that amount this. -Four years ago
Barnie came here with the Atlantics
and hadn't $50 to his name. To-day
he can draw his check for $4,000, or
something not much less than that
amount, and this is 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 COM
ing games here, owns $4,000 worth
of real estate in Chicago, but this
does not represent his earnings, he
having fallen heir to the property.
Mike McGeary has made enough
money out Of base ball to build sew
eral houses in Philadelphia, and An
son, Of the Chicagoes, has bought q
farm with the proceeds OF his earn
ings and also owns stock in the Chi
cago club.
George Wright owns quite an es-
tablishment in Boston, and Harry
Wright, now managing the Philadel-
phia club, is doing well, but neither
have more wealth than they know
what to do with. OF 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 tinan-
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
business, but they did not belong to
the old ranks. Lew Simmons, for
example, knew but little about base
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 100000 on the venture. Theirs
was the greatest success, financially,
ever scored in the base ball world.
The poorest paid club in the Amer
lean Association to-day is the Louis
vile. Nearly all its players are re-
serve men and nearly all were fright
ened into signing $1,000 contracts.
This gave the players no money to
spend for whisky, and as result they
are in first-class fix and playing first
class ball. The New York League
team of last year, which was called
"Thc $4,000 Giltedge Nine," made
the poorest kind of a record for itself,
the time of the players being mostly
taken up in spending their salaries,
instead of training and getting in
trim for play. The Chicago nine Of
this year, perhaps the highest-salaried
nine in the league, seems to be fol-
lowing 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 the
salary was not so high.-St. LOUIS
| critic.
! a PENNSYLVANIA man AYERS that
he saw a snake playing "Sweet
I I - L.. H.