Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-09-16
WHAT IT COSTS.
The Expense Of Maintaining Base
Ball Clubs on Paying
Basis,
Some Salaries Paid Expense Of Tmy
cling and Charges for Maintain
ing Grounds.

sive OF sports, Originally, a good field, !
hall and two or three bats were sun
Client material 10 begin upon, ana n
few aching Joints, a few bruised nnners
and occasionally broken bone were
natural aud legitimate results. The
catcher was not supposed 20 DO IA eN-
treme peril, though he was neither
padded nor hidden behind an iron
mask nor we're the crowd Thought TO
take their lives in their hands,
though they pushed IA close 70 the
players as the lines TO tho bases would
permit, All that, however, was before
admission fees began to be AN object,
and since that time, by constant
progress, the game has grown TO be as
apparently dangerous Ms dynamite.
Spectators In the grand stand now ait
behind wire networks, which
save their heads from eccentric fouls,
while their unfortunate friends
ON the uncovered benches dodge lu-
diclously and quickly at every hit
which threatens to send the sphere Ina
their direction. They are safe, but
what must be the peril OF the players
on the field I'm mont whom one OF them
has to wear heavy breast plate and
| rloves aud mask, and Others are pupu-
| larly supposed TO have sheols OF buck
skin concealed under their clothing,
and what must be the salaries paid To
induce men TO indulgein such reckless
and dangerous business.
AZ to the danger, that is a matter OF
| fancy; IA tn the cash, that is undouht
| edly matter of fact, The various ex-
pedients TO prevent bruises aud
! broken hngers show that the game
has become u business, and that wages
are being earned with as little physical
expense as possible. All the other ar.
rangements for taking care OF tho
crowd and taking In their money
show that managers ARE running Il on
as business basis m possible. As
matter ~ fact, very few theatrical
companies are AZ well run aa a good
base ball nine, and very many OF them
indeed are started with half the cash
and experience behind them.
THE EXPENSE on a NINE.
To conduct nine through success
full season capital ls required In both
legitimate aud reckless outlay In way
TINT would astouud man Of regular
buginess methods. Expenses for
grounds and for improving them, for
men to keep them I'm order and for
men To sell tickets and stand nt the
gates, seem legitimate enough aud
mako appearance enough 10 show In
hnir proportion 10 the outlay, but
| when such heavy expenses are met
, the coat of the club II only commenc.
Ing. Players have to be secured, and
. In all clubs men have 10 he added 3,
! those already signed. Not one club, 4
. Ii safe To say, in either the League oil
; American association went into IN,
: contest this year without a0me add
tions 10 its old force, and In the Union
association, OF course, every man wAt
newly secured. Most OF this work Il
done In the fall or winter, and 10 re,
cure the men advances OF money
have 10 be made q
them almost at their wish
aud practically without security. III
man is badly wanted, advance money
h sent him 10 induce him 10 sign d
nlaving agreement. Ifhe should hold
on 10 the money and put OF signing
the only thing 10 be done rs to ad
= vance him more and coax him along
/ or course, there are legal remedies fo
the manager, but most OF the time M
has no papers 10 shew for his remit
1 tanees, and he knows beside
, that a good player IL
rnra avis, from whom everything
must be borne II he Is TO be caught.
the player IN n regularly signed mem
Der ofthe club and wants $500 adyanc
during the winter, he ~ very likely 4
q got IL: then II he gets hurt or " unabl
10 play the loss falls upon the manager
sickness or injury often incapaeltate
PLAYERS for months at time durinl
The playing season; but their salarle
= most frequently go ahead. because
i. mans good will Is necessary II his GOO
l. playing Is wanted.
4 How much these advances, Will
l travelling expenses and the cost OF Try
: ing new men, amounts 30 depends ol
4 the condition and success Of the club
! Tho Athletics here have In their pa
ut present eleven men, while the Phil
= ndelphias had enough last week TO plcl
sides of their players and put tw
i, mines in the field. Nearly every on
y OF these extra men was procured NJ OK
Z pense, and costs the club his sslar!
!. while he remains with them. In som
~ cases Il Ia small, but with prOmisln
men, who ARE taken away from othe
managers, II becomes considerable
Sometimes release money has 10 b
Z paid 10 get them.
A RESOURCE FOR WEAK CLUBS,
y Managers on the lookout for player
y often receive kilograms, OF which Tia
! following Ia sample:
F0RT WATNE, I'm.
Low simmons, Efq., Manager Athletic iias
r VIM release Brown aud Wood, our be,
i battery for si008 Answer nj once,
J. MAY NoRDLIEotE,
4 In that case one manager II maxim
!. money ut the expense Of the rest. lie
y probably, signed eighteen or twent
4. promising men who can't get ava
! from him without rendering then
~ selves liable 10 blacklisting, and the
" sells them 10 clubs needing player
~ He simply agrees TO release them 4
Il the price asked, aud then the oihs
!. club sign them II they can. M
Nordllnger, OF course, " M
responsible Tor the way the
play. The nbOnusp system, by while
be profits, Is one OF she necessary q
n pennes OF running club. Good me
d muAt be had and II poor club viii =
ID lease them for money club whlc
IA aims Tor the championship must bu
~ them, One thousand dollars was Il
he common figure alleged to be oliert
last year, and the fact that ordinal
men are now thrown on the count
-. tt..t arf,t lstdtoaffa That the HFirH