Connecticut western news., 1888-08-22
THE BALL-PLAYERS.

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 Base ball is on the decline in Detroit. The meagre attendance at the majority of the games this season has got to be by-word with all large clubs. From 400 to 500 spectators in a city of over 200 900 population, and the home of the greatest club in the world, is nothing like what 1t should be.
 Captain Comiskey said in June, when his team was in front: tsWe are holding our place on our gall. nothing else. There are three teams in the association that have the material pull down the flag again." It now begins to look as if the Mound City aggregation had enough of the article to carry them through. The fact that nine made up of young players and cast offs of other teams should make the record the St. Louis Browns have this season, is great testimonial to Comiskey's manager ial ability.
 There is yet little unwritien history in connection with the trouble between St. Louis and the Brooklyns in the game where Bob Fer when the Browns were at the bat and all nine members of the St. Louis team, who were scat tered in different parts of the lot, as If by 8 given signal, fell forward to the ground on their faces. Old Bob was so badly broken up by the exhibition that he put on his coat and tried to leave the park. It was after great deal of persuasion that he could be induced to return and proceed with the game.
 This paragraph is now going the rounds: s'It is much easier to make big home run re- cord in the League than it is in the Associa- ton, for the simple reason that there are more League grounds with short outfelds than there are in the younger organization. Ere quently home runs are m>le on short outield grounds on fly balls that would have been easy outs had the outfelder chance to get under them." Anything more misleading was never concocted. There is not League ground where home runs are easy to make except, per haps, at Indianapolis. and the fault there has been remedied by building lattice work on the right field fence.
 An ithaca newspaper recently printed this s'ad.": ssBase Ball and Baptism.-A game of ball will be played at Cayuga Lake Park next Saturday afternoon between the '. M. c. A. nine of Ithaca and the Wynderse Academy nine of Seneca Falls. At the conclusion of the game will occur the baptizing in the lake of converts of the colored camp meeting"
 Chris yon der Ahe, president of the St. Louis Browns, is anxious to secure Pitcher Pete Wood of the Hamiltons. He has tele- graphed the president of the Hamilton Club asking for what consideration they would re- lease Wood to the St. Louis Club. The Ham, ilton management ask SC, 900 for the release, but would not consent to Woods leaving before the end of the present season.
 The Cincinnati Enquirer is calling for re- turn to the high and low ball rule. Rats. The abrogation of this rule was step forward in the game and there should be no retrogres- sion. The adoption of the high or low ball removed & cause of much kicking, and, if for no other reason, should be adhered to: The pitchers do enough kicking now to suit even the bleaching boards.
 Poor old ricketty Detroit Old age has over- taken it and its Big Four. Jim White is grow ing rheumatic and wheezy, Brouthers is cer- ardson is beginning to bend beneath the ad- vancing years. Once they were great ball players, but now they are beginning to feel that they should give way to younger and more active men.
 There are some old timers doing good ser vice on the diamond yet. George Strief of the Clevelands, Athletics, and Browns of past seasons is explaining the Toledoes; Mike West, late of Cincinnati, Fred Mann of last seasons Cleyelands and Athletics, and Munyan of last seasons Clevelands, are in Columbia. So is Nick Handiboe of the Pittsburghs of 1886. Anson has been playing professionally since 1871, when he covered first base for the Forest City Club of Rockford, H. The following season he signed with the Athletics of Phila- delphia, then champions of the world. He played with the Quakers until '76, when he went to Chicago, covering third base and helping to win the pennant for the first time clubs, and thirteen years in succession, is 8 record to be proud of. The captain is yet in the colt class.
 O.P. Csylor writes of Tommy Esterbrook thus: "There probably was never such an ec- centric player lived as Tommy Esterbrook. The stories told of his odd doings and sayings are numberless. His dudish dress and his odd way of addressing the people he met have, | however, been much exaggerated in print He | never was very much for carousing with the dandyish suit and seek the society of the ladies, with whom he was very popular. For this reason he was not popular with the majori- l ty of the players. With all his dude d. essing Id l. ha, hoet been a most expert hand at fsticuffs. In the | profession Esterbrook has few equals in a fair, stand up, scientific fight with the fists. | Neither has he been slow to resent insults by employing this method of chastisement. There arc many men in the profession who | could be spared with much more good to the spectators of the game than Tommy Ester | brook"
 Pitcher Lcvett refused to be sold to the Chi cago Club.
 President Stearn of the Cincinnati Base Ball Club telegraphed 10 Cleveland inquiring what the release of Bakeley, pitcher; Zimmer, catcher, and McKean, short stop, could be bought for The answer was sl5, ,Ooo | President Staarns, of the Detroit club, does net seem down-hearted. He says that he | does not expect the team to win another game on the trip. "We do not always play as bad as we have done today" said he, "but it is usu- | ally with the same result"
 l Manager John Barnes, of the St. Paul | base ball team, has fallen heir to 8 fortune through the death in Ireland of an uncle whom | Barnes left when but small boy. The man. ager becomes possessor of the testator's estate, called Cumberhill Wood, in Parish Aughloo, County Tyrone, together with f30,0 | invested in per cent. consols.
 | Unofficial figures make Long John Ewing of the Louisville Club the best twirler in the | American Association. If Jack turns out as good man as his brother .'Buck," he will | prove good investment for Louisville.
 Tom Loftus is nothing if not original. His latest is on Kansas City. ''They don't give rain checks in Kansas City," said he. "Well, what do tho peopl get in case it rains before the game is flnished?" was asked "Mud | checks
 It is said that Manager Davidson, who ii was alleged bou ght out the Louisville team, is really only representative of big furniture house, in whose employ he was up to the time | he bought the club. The firm has plenty of money and Mir. Davidson is simply looking | after their interests.
 There is a serious dispute going on among the players of the Washington team. O'Brien
 has long held the honor of being the baliest
 man in t e League but it seems he has wor-
 thy competitor in Mains, Anson's new pitcher.
 He hasn't hair higher up than his mustache.
 GENERAL sHERIDANs WILL.
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