New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-03-04
THE BASEBALL OUTLOOK.
FoRECAsTING THE pENNANT WINNERS.

FORECASTING THE REMNANT WINNERS
PRospE CTS FOR AN EXCITING RACE BRIGHTER
THAN AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR.
Seldom in the history of baseball have 50 many
club-owners and managers lowered around New
York Us during the last two or three days. The flh
Avenue Hotel has been the headquarters Of the base
ball men, and the politician has for once been f0rccu
to seek another trysting place. Any one walking
into tho hotel yesterday might have mistaken the
gathering for a political convention The delegates
who fix up tho baseball battles and untangle dliicr
enccs between players and clubs look like weto-do
business men, as most of them The regular
delegates were seen in the corridors only at inire
qucnt Intervals and when one did emerge from the
closely guarded paror "F,' no was Immediately sur
rounded by a news-hnngry crowd. stock Droher,
a merchant, a doctor would buttonholc delegate
occasionally and ask what was being DONE and a
messenger boy scurrying through the corridor World
four strikes or Tree strikcs dis Year," Several
ayers would occasionally draw of to mysterious cor
ner and begin to sell, exchange players 1hcy
kept their own councils and would tell their aralrs
to nobody.
Yesterday Manager Mutrlc said ave try to do
every thing to accommodate our patrons, ana
II fail it IS not our fault. We made extra exits
at the grounds last Year. but what good did they 90
Nobody would them Everybody wanted to
como in and 20 out through the same old gates
People showed. pushed and almost fought IN their
efforts to get out at the familiar exits, While mo
new places We had opened would only be used by al
occasional stranger"
"speaking Of ball players supcrsttlons. would
Won employ cross-eyed player and would your men
play on tho nine with with optics so afIansed|
asked.
at don't know, said Mutrie, catching his breath.
"If he were good player, might. Come TO think OF
IT, though, 1 don't know player with eyes asAcw.
Some players have horror OF cross-cycd men, There
some queer supcrstltions among PLAYERS, bnt
do not suppose they as body. are any more super-
/ han liV Of
business
Last summer when baseball interest at fever
heat for tho confding enthusiasts thought at that
time that the local club destined to win an honor
aho position In the League race, The TRIBUNE called
attention to the inadequate exits at the Polo Grounds
" The Herald7 did moro and started subscription Tor
the purpose Of improving them Some OF the readers
of that paper contributed to the fund and when the
subscription closed little $40 had been re-
ceIved Some of those contributors have probably
wondered what became of their pennies, as no extra
serday that tho management At the
Sl2 Tho Jealous young man who hal engineered
the subscription took the money TO the Polo Grounds
probably thinking that they were capable of paying
| for any improvements made at the grounds
The managers and directors OF the New-Yorls Club
say that they not worried by the fact that only one
the old players of the club has far signed CON
tract for this year. They say Oh the boys never
sign until well In March There will be no trouble.
Some of the demand salary that we are Will
| ing to pay, but everything will be all right in few
! days and contracts will be signed rapidly The
players talk differently. but then they may not DO
! nearly so much In earnest. Brown, the California
catcher did not accompany the young players OF tho
Ncw-York Club South, because tho club refused to
give him tho salary he wanted. Brown though hs
Sc Voc TT me oc cS c bns 20 coo IS oe%y and
says 1t will not give Brown one cent more than that
sum.
The young players of the New York Club who went
South last week at present IN New Orleans. The
work performed by tho young athletes between now
! and April viii DO closely watched by everybody in
tcrcsted in baseball. Some of these players cost the
! Ncw-York Club several thousand dollars each They
were graduated nom minor league clubs and II they
find that they are small players in big league, al
though good players In small league, our managers
| will not rush madly for only partially developed
players Crane the pitcher, gives every promise Of
| being a valuable man for the club, and Foster and
| Cleveland also well thought Of Ttcomb and
Murphy will be useful men, but VIII never develop
into a Keebe or Ewing. George Is anything bnt a
pitcher and Hatfield. in tho general opinion, Is 700
i light Manager Mntrie says he VIII be satisfied II
man and pitcher ITo will be fortunate II he gets
/ back TO Ncw-York with a frstcass third baseman,
| even II he misses tho pitcher.
Tho long race for the much coveted championship
Of the League ought to furnish well contested and
| interesting spectacle Tho race was good one last
year, but this years struggle promises to be better
| one The managers have been sensible enough to
strengthen the weak points and this must make the
struggle for supremacy moro uncertain and exciting.
Tho Plttsburg and indianapolis Clubs unsatls-
factory last season, but with the additional players
secured, ought to be more formidable TINS year The
winning first place Is coneere IN r rhot me
seven clubs ought however, to mako splendid fight
| The battle for American Association honors this
wear ought also to DO well worth watching by those
who take an interest In such things. There Is con
siderable moro uncertainty at present about this years
race than there was this timo year ago about last
wears race Last season the st. Louis Club had the
/ remnant virtually won before the nrst game was
played The st. Louis Club By losing several Of its
best players loses Its fangs and will do well to get
place the n sna @ e"Hs
the Baltimore Club onght to be well up In front ING
nthie t s AM han thew wero wear ago The rcyo.
isnd and ansas city Clubs WIN be in the race, but
hardly In the front part OF IT, Tor any great length ol
time.
| The Reporters Baseball Association has mem
bors In nearly every city In the country where base
ball n played Tho scorers have done much to In
prove mperfectons and will do more II the managers
DO get jealous Of their and refuse to CO.
operate with them further. Uniformity Ia scoring
and playing rules must DO encouraged, II tho game
expected to keep pace with tho time Many OF the
scores published last year were not only un'rust'
| worthy, but ridiculous. The players records pub
lshed In many instances were consequently not worth
tho paper used to give them 10 the world
Tho American Association meeting will DO held Il
tho Clarendon Hotel, Brooklyn, tom and Tues
day. The playing schedule VIII be formally adopted
and several changes VIII probably be made In the
stitution and playing rules. The delegates will
ceive q banQ0et ut the Clarendon Monday night
| THE ATTENTIVE PUPIL
! From TAs YOU'VE ccmponton.
Ono day como shool children were having an
objectlesson the blue heron. Tho teacher called
tail TO SPEAK of Next day she asked the cass to
wrte description VI tho bird. and ono little German
GKl thus concluded her essay, The b}uo hsson hss