The evening world., 1888-08-15
FROM THE CITY'S WHIRL.
DRIFT CAUGHT HERE AND THERE BY
EVENING WORLD" REPORTERS.
People Who Make and Mar Baseball at the
Polo Grounds.

foio OfOunup.
Seldom can a crowd be found more mixed,
more turbulently happy or noisily angry, by
turns. than That which day after day attends
the ball games at he Polo Grounds.
The solid business man, cheerful in the
possession OF his million odd dollars.
chuckles gleefully as his back is slapped by
a seedy man who is believing ut a base hit,
while up in the gal cry the aristocratic
mother of some college bred baseballist eX-
changes sympathetic chances with a woman
of the demi-inonde seated in the next box,
loudly dressed in IA sailor suit and straw hat
~jauntily tilted to one side, who, with gold
tipped pencil and ivory card, keeps score
more perfect than the average reporter.
Then there are different sets of men in
different boXes-the actors, crankiest of en-
thusiasts. seated with well-known men about
town whose habituai air of Indifference al
most deserts them as Connor bangs the ball
over those right-tield pickets and makes the
circuit of the bases on the hit. There is the
Presidents box and the Managers box, both
well filed with friends of the owners. Tho
subscribers occupy another box, and friends
or relatives of the different players fill two
or three more.
Downstairs in the main part of the grand
stand are the " cranks" and " croakers"
who howl, hiss. kick and groan at will all
during the game, and who finally leave the
grounds, each one assuring the other that to
him as mascot was due the victory, or If the
game be lost, kicking against some imaginary
Jonah and protesting innocence of any
!" Hoo-doo" qualities.
The entire crowd, so far as baseball is con-
| cerned, may be divided into three classes,
namely "Cranks," "Croakers" and
those who come to see good ball-playing. but
are somewhat indifferent as to the result.
The " cranks, of course, are in the ma.
jority; make up what is termed a home
| n W. - Nhnt 10 AIaV gan Nn,IrI lint rNDI ~
the home club. If you tell n !" rank" that
an error is an error, he is most apt to sling
the Queens English as she is spoke in base.
ball circles, in an hours endeavor to prove
the absence of an error in the presence of @
base hit.
A crank will swear hat q chump PLAYER is
a god, that n strike" called is always 9
" bal" and that a member of the home team
is T meyer caught craan p"%rliS & ing second eo o of .h,
crank" He sees no good in any member
of the home team. Every error is intensified
until it, and it n one, is the cause direct of {
game lost or a run scored by opponents. Al
" base hits" are scratches" to him, and
clever play merely gives him an opportunit,
always improved) to recount some Other
play made by some other club SO brillian'
that the one just made is as nothing.
Then, too, the croaker" is never satisfied
with the management. He invariably hold
the manager responsible for every game lost
for every error made, for every hit not made
According to his standard the club manage,
is never in the right unless his club wins thu
championship, IL then he calls it " bull
head luck"
Such is in part the "croaker." May hi
race forever decrease!
And the third class, made up of those VIII
attend games to enjoy. them quietly ant
c~rijcally-who prefer to have their team win
but who don't strange themselves if defea
comes-are obliged to listen to the rawlings o
the other fellows.
Enthusiasm seldom offends and oftentime
is funny. Therefore - cranks" continual,
venting enthusiastic cheers and causing ex
element are forever welcome. Crackers ar
not, and the majority attending games at tn
Polo Grounds nre hugging themselves be
cause Mutrie's Giants are winning the pen
nant and the croakers are just now keeping
close hidden in their holes.