The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-08-29
An Important Meeting of the
League to be Held.
THE RACE FOR THE PENEANT
what WIN Become OF the 81. Loui.
Team-President A. G. sPaldinE's
Return from Michigan
CHICAGO, August q, 1885.

A fortnight ago, your correspondent.
in commenting upon the race for the
League pennant, stated that the Detroit
heavy hitters were still leading the othe-
teams with a majority Of three games;
that Chicago was following with two
more games to its credit than New York
possessed, and that Philadelphia, Bos-
ton, 81. Louis, Kansas City and Wash
ington were coming along in the order
named. l have nothing different to say
this week as to the position Of the clubs,
they beng exactly as l have stated
above. Since last writing you, how
ever, the condition of things fore
Swallowed by the transfer of Dunlap
from the st. Louis 10 the Detroit team,
has about arrived. Mr.. Lucas has viz
ITALY retired from the baseball arena
By transferring his interest in the st.
Louis club to one Of the other directors.
Nj. Espenehied, and the eventual dis
bandment of the old Maroons, or at
least complete change in the manage
ment thereof, seems now but question
of time.
A special meeting Of the League Of
icers has been called for next Wednes-
day in the city, presumably 10 take
action upon the situation. and what
may be the outcome Of that meeting, il
is at this writing difficult to fortell.
As was the case when the famous Buff
falo-Detroit deal was effected there is
by no means q dearth Of Iumors. and il
is not difficult to hnd any number of
wiseacres who know and unhesitatingly
predict the result. The ST. Louis fran
ehise, they say, will be purchased by
the League and the Maroon players re-
sold 70 the clubs who viii pay the best
price for them.
Another prediction is that the Ameri-
can Association ranks viii be broken
into BY the admission of one of the lat
ter clubs TO all the vacancy which Will
have been caused by the st. Louis dis
bsndmest. and Pittsburs or the 81.
Louis Browns have been selected by the
prophets as the clubs which will secede
from the ranks Of the younger associa-
ton 10 joih the League. The truth is
that none Of these things are at all like
~ 70 occur at present.
The most likely outcome Of the retire
ment Of Mr.. Lucas is the purchase Of
his teams franchise by some syndicate
who wall play the team during the bal
snce Of this season and strengthen 1t
this winter TO represent the Mound City.
In the League next year. Should this
not be lone, however, the franchise OF
the club will probably be purchased by
some other club in the League, the best
OF the players transferred to the ranks
of the purchasing club, under the
auspices of which the Maroons-a little
disfgured perhaps by the inroads that
viii thus be made upon its ranks, but
stIll capable of getting a nine together
in the feld-will finish the season.
However, nothing of definite nature
can be known until the CLUB which is
now in the hands of its recent pu--
chaser, Mr.. Espenchied, has been dis
posed Of. and such disposition will very
likely take place within the next few
days.
I met st. Louis man last evening
who is well posted upon baseball affairs
in st. Louis, and asked his opinion con-
corning Mr.. Lucas action.
well" he said, Lucas has unQues-
tionably sold what interest he had in
his team, and now that the manage
ment has passed from his hands moth
ing that may happen would surprise
me"
who is this man Espenchied Y"I
asked.
"a brother-in-law OF Lucas, and 9
stakeholder in the club"
as there any truth in the statement
that the club property and franchise
were mortgaged by Lucas to Espsn-
'I do not think SO. Espenchied is a
shreWd, sharp business man, and is in
terested in baseball simply for the
amount Of money he may be able to
get out Of IL. He does not care a.
for the game himself, and has invested
. no sentiment with his money. Now,
Lucas, on the contrary. is no business
nan in nv opinion. In fact, none of
the Bucases, with the exception Of Joe
and they were all left with q barrel OF
money to divide among tn, mselves-
have developed any very extraordinary
ability, and my wonder is that they
have kept their rey IS long as they
have. OF course / do not know any
thing OF a positive nature concerning
the transfer Of Lucas stock to his BROTH
er-in-law, bat think that the two prob
ably came together in q downtown
hotel TO talk matters over, and Lucas,
in spirit Of disgust, said to Espen-
chied, Give me $4,000 and take the
whole business This would have been
Just what Espenchied desired for he
was probably interested to the tune of
few thousand himself, and has all along
been very leRry Of Henry's management
OF the clubs affairs. So take il that
he jumped at the chance, through de-
sire TO get complete control Of the fran
chise sud dispose of II TO the best ad-
vantage. OF course do not know that
be paiG $50 oO9 for it. but he paid enough
in nv opinion to take all Of his brother |
in-law's interest"
What are the prospects for another
syndicate being formed in ST. Louis to
take possession of the franchise7"
Il think very good. We have several
wealthy brewers who are deeply inter-
ested in the game. and they might be
induced to take stock in q new organi-
Zsion. Then there are the street car
people, who could well afford consider
ing that they carry to and from the
park all the people who attend the
games-to take a good big block of the |
stock. Indeed il would not be at all |
surprising to1me were Espenchied to |
find a purchaser for his team in st. |
Louis without going outside to do it."
The events Of the next few days can |