The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-01-15
STRENGTH OF THE LEAGUE
Its Clubs Are All, Except One, in Bet
ter Condition than Ever Before.
How the Players of the Indianapolis Club
May Be Placed-The Sale of Season
Tickets-NOtes and Gossip.

ever before, ana the contest Tor leadership In
the pennant campaign will be closer and more
exciting The weaker clubs have all been
materially strengthened. excepting Washington {,
which has signed no new players, and by the
release of Hines to indianapolis is somewhat
weaker than last season If no more changes
are made before the opening of the season the
strength of Detroit, Philadelphia and Chicago
will be about the same as last year.
New York has secured three new players of
considerable promise, and if the accession OF
strength proves to be as great as may reason
ably be expected, the club is likely to win the
championship The team was great one asst
year, but on account of weakness in the pitch :
er's box during a part Of the season, and an APP
parent failure Of the players to work together
properly, did not do well as il was generally
supposed 1t would. There has yet been no ac-
cession Of strength to the Boston Club that
gives assurance OF better work next
year than last Sowders is an experiment in
the League. but even if he does all that is ex-
peeted of him the club Will still be little stronger
than it has been. Discipline seems to be badly
needed, and experience has demonstrated that 1t
cannot be administered very effectively by the
man who needs 1t most. With Dunlap and
Maui, the Pittsburg club will be capable OF do
ing quite as much as Boston, II not more, pro-
vided of course. Calvin and Mccormick play
with the team, as they doubtless WILL Indian
apolis has signed more new players, ana, as is
generally recognized, has neen strenet nhsa
In q great deal of speculation n ow among base
ball enthusiasts as to what position the CLUB
will take in the League race. Some great things
are expected of IL, and there is pretty good
reason for predicting that it will at leaGt be
found, at the close OF the season, as near the
top the bottom Of the list.
In what position will the new players be
placed7 Well, that's question that will prob
ably not be settled until after several exhibition
games have been played before the opening Of
the championship season 1t has been suggested
by q gentleman identified with the management
OF the club that if the new men who have
been signed come up to expectations, and
Il Fred Pfeffer can be secured ;S from
ably be as follows: First base, Bogert; second,
Pfeffer; third, Denny; short-stop. Glasscock,
and felders, Hines, Shomoerg and Esterorook.
Boeert is q new man in the League. and al
though Manager Spence has secured him as an
experiment, he thinks the young man has the
making of a great player In him. be ID over
six feet high, and weighs nearly two hundred
pounds. He was q terrific batter among amateur
players. and played the position to perfection:
There is some doubt about what Esterbrook Will
he able to do. Ii he can play at all, however, it
10 pretty certain that he will DO his old-time
work which will make him one of the strongest
players in the League II these two men come
up to expectations, and If Pfeffer can be secured.
the batting strength of the Indianapolis team
will be equal to that of any other club IN the
League.
An 'if," of large proportions, that enters into
this arrangement of the felders, relates to Sc
curing Pfeffer. There is still hope that his re-
lease can be purchased, and it is understood
that something is being done in regard to the
matter. President Brush was asked by Jour
nal reporter if any proposition had been made
lately. ''We have made Chicago an offer for
Pfeffer. and will do what we can to secure him,
but correspondence regarding the matter Is
being kept up. Nothing can be accomplished by
continually writing letters. Ii he is not for sale
it would have no more effect than could the
efforts of some club to secure Glasscock by con-
tinually writing to US offering to buy his re-
lease"
HAS anything occurred lately that gives hope
Tor securing him"
Nothing that am prepared to talk about"
The canvass for the sale of season tickets be-
gan actively on last Tuesday but owing to the
bad weather the canvassers were unable to see
as many people as they had intended to call up
on. just how many tickets have been sub
scribed for is not known, but the sale has been
sufficiently large to be very encouraging. and
will be pushed moro vigorously within the next
few days A gratifying feature of
the canvass is that business
substantial way. because they recognize that
an advertisement TO the city the club
Ia great advantage, besides afording
much desired amusement during the summer
months when there are few attractions provided
for the public. Pay is not asked for the tickets
until they are delivered, which will probably
not be until o few days before the opening of
the season.
It has been decided that the club will not be
sent South for practice in the spring, but in
stead plumber of exhibition games will be
played, and Manager Spence has already writ
ten to President Brush that he has arranged for
a number or games in April. The club will play
in St. Louis and Louisville the last week in
March, and in Cincinnati April and g. and
Columbus April and 5. All these clubs will
play return games here during April Besides
these, the season will open here April 7, with
the Clevelands. Following them come the st.
Pauls, 9th and 10th, Torontos. 18th. 18th and
18th, Buffalo. 10Th, Goth and 21st- A number of
other exhibition games will be arranged.
Umpire Ferguson says there is loop-hole for
uncertainty aud trouble in tn e wording OF that
portion of rclo forty nine which reads "The
base runner shall only be considered as holding
a base after touching it, and shall then be
titled to hold such base until he has legally
touched the next base in order, or has been le-
gally forced TO vacate il for a succeeding base
runner" Ferguson saws this is not clear, and
he suggests the following amendments: "The
base runner occupying the base nearest the
home plate shall be entitled to that base until
or has been legally forced to vacate it for o sue
seeding base runner"
The object in view is 20 prevent two base-run-
ners from claiming the right to a base they both
are occupying at the same time. For instance, a
runner is at third and runner at second and
the former attempts to run home on a throw to
second: but. finding himself likely to meet the
ball there. which is being promptly thrown home
from second, he attempts to get back safely TO
third. which latter base he finds occupied by the
runner from second base who has successfully
stolen third on the play in which the ball was
thrown home. The former occupant of third
having successfully got back to the base, while
the runner from second is there also. the result
is n double claim for the base, and the rule as it
reads, Ferguson claims does not decide the
righttul ownership while the rule as he amends
il does.
Here is another point suggested by Ferguson.
He says: You know that the batsman will
now be called out on the the third strike when
the ball hits him. Now that is all right; but
what about the men on basesl Are they allowed
to run, must they hold the bases they oc-
cupy at the time that the batsman ia