The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1884-10-29
THE MONEY in BASEBALL.
dow the Exhibition Business Is MapareA
Nowadays.

For some years baseball has been con.
Quoted on regular business principles, but
until recently have such high salaries been
PAID The present style OF pitching is re-
sponslble for thesenormous salaries which
the kings of the profession demand.
The best pitchers get as much money for
working few hours each day during seven
months as many college professors receive
Tor their entire years service. This has NOT
always been the case The first real pro
fessional nine was the famous Cincinnati
Red Stockings, which were established in
1863. There had many clubs throughout
the country which, previous to this time,
had paid two or three players for their SER
vices, 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 pay every ono
ON the team. Harry and George Wright
received the highest salaries paid in club,
and neither was the regular pitcher. Said
George Wright: THE money paid the en-.
tire team would put poor nine in the field
to-day. My brother Harry was the most ex.
pensive man in the team, and he got 40 600
for being captain and playing centre field.
was in my regular position at short and
drew 81 800. The catcher came next !,
order, and the other men ranged from
that sum down. Several came under
1000"
6 1t would seem that fielders were con.
sidered to be worth as much pitehers and
catchers in those days?"
That's it exactly. A club without n
strong outfeld was as weak then as one
would be now with 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 good player could 20 into
the box with little practice and do well.
ANA then, of course, the catching was quite
different from what it is now. A man who
held thrown ball we'll would 90 behind
the bat in an emergency and acquit himself
very creditably. Now if your pitcher gives
out you might as we'll stop playing; and II
is just the same with the catcher. 1t makes
no difference how good your other seven
men are, you are nowhere il the battery in
weak"
"Went through our first season with ten
men, and you can judge for yourself how
many extra batteries we could have had.
The pitcher did not try to see how many he
could strike out, but used his head and
showed his skill by changing his speed so
hat tha hoto 1a
not his the ball hard. Even If he was bat
ted hard it 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 anymeans defeat
ed and thought nothing of this leadn
With the changes in the style of pitching
have come higher wages for the players,
until now 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 receives a little over $3,-
900 for the present season. The New Yorks
are called the high priced team" but
several of the men are hired at low figures,
which brings down the total of the salary
list, and the Chicngos will have to be ac-
knowledged the most expensive club in the
League. There is not u cheap player in the
nine, and while the highest salary is not
over So, 900, every man is we'll remunerated
for his services. Corcoran is valuable
player. He is well aware of himself, and
his skill in curving the ball brings him il
III. pal II.
are other "gilt-edged players, both in
the work they do and the reward they re-
ceiye.