Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-04-07
TILE RASE RALL SEASON.

The Fort Worth Base Ball Club lett the |
city last night upon the first tour Of the
championship season. They go out to do
battle with the clubs of Houston, Calves
ton, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas for
the purpose Of deciding over which Texas
city the pennant of the state champion
ship shall float. The evolution Of base
ball has been peculiar. A few years ago
it was played by boys ana simply for
amusement; now men follow 1t IS busl
ness, thousands Of dollars are invested
in it for the purpose of deriving
profit, and the smallest movements
and lightest sayings Of players are
chronicled in the leading newspapers OF
the country and read with avidity By peo
pie everywhere. Arson, Kelley, Comiskey,
Dunlap, Glssscock and others, known
only ss base ball players, are famous
throughout the length and breadth of the
lard, and sre interesting characters to
more people thsn any member Of the Uni
ted States Senate. Perhaps no one other
thing has operated go strongly 10 keep
the game of base ball popular as the fact
that 1t is believed to be, for the most
part, perfectly honest snd fair. In this
respect 1t stands above all other sports
! which have ever for any consider
able length of time held the interest
Of the public. Horse racing, rowing,
boxing, wrestling, hsve SO often proved
hippodromes that the people have long
ego lost confidence in them, and sporting
men in placing their money do not lay 1t,
az rule, upon the one whose merits are
the greate5t, but upon the enc in whose
interest the pool box Is being msnipu-
lated. But with base ball 1t is different.
The professional clubs are organized BY
business men, on business principles, and
because they expect to make money, not
out Of the pools, but from the gate re-
ceipts. When the public lose confidence
| in the fairness Of the sport their inter
est ceases and the receipts drop eff.
Therefore the managers adopt the most
stringent measures for keeping the game
free from the faint Ct uufairness.
That they have succeeded is proven
by the increasing popularity of base
bsll and the SUCCESS which it has SO
often met ss financial enterprise.
This is the first season in which base
ball has taken any real hold upon the peo-
pie of Texas, and the future of
the game in the state depends largely
upon the cord uct Of the players end
their success in furnishing q
series Of interesting exhibitions II the
League clubs shall prove to be well
matched, then their contests will be close
and exciting, and large crowds will flock
to see them. II some are strong and 9TH
ers weak, then the games will be slow
and dispirited, interest will h,g and
flaslly die out, and some Of the organize,
lions m.y be looked for to drop out be-
fore the season ends. The season opeus
to-day and closes October Is, and each
club will play 12s games, the one
winning the largest number to be de-
elared the champion.
A few words to the club that
went out yesterday freighted with
the hopes of Fort Worth: The peo-
pie of this city do not.expect you to make
door-mats of every other club in the
state. II you win majority Of games
from Houston, Galveston and San Anto-
J Mo, and play to tie with Austin, they
J will consider your duty well done, so fsr
IS it goes. But when you meet the Dallas
, aggregation they will expect you to fall
, upon them and smite them hip
2 and thigh, from the rising
. of the sun to the going down
I thereof. Then you must bat like pile