Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-03-16
BASEBALL.
Notes, News and Gossip About
the American Nation
al Game.
An Interesting "Reminiscences of Mike
Kelly's Early Base
Ball Days.
1cH1cAeo CORRESPONDENCE.

Ball Days.
IcH1cAao CoRREsP oNDENcE.l
The past week has been busy one for
baseball men. The meetings of the Ma
tional League and Association Presidents,
as we'll as Of the Board of Arbitration in
New York ana Brooklyn, have resulted in
any amount Of interesting news and gos-
sip. The League and Association sched-
ules of games for the season have been
adopted. The schedules would take up
more than column Of your space, so that
will give only the dates of the Chicago
games Of the League for the benefit of
those who may desire to come to the city
to witness them. They are as follows:
With 1 &, ia I, 2,s, 4; Aug 2 B.
With Washington-May S, Z, 8, 8; July IL, -.
With New York-May 10, IL. 12. IA; July II.
With Boston-May Is, 1e. II, 10; July 2, ., 10;
With Philadelphia-Ma 10, 81. %, %; July
With Detroit-May "a. 25 26, %; July 10, 90,
81; Sept: g. 4,5.
With Pittsburg-June 10. co. 81, %; July 30,
81, Aug. |; Aug. ~, %, %.
The meeting of the arbitration commit
tees was protracted one, but resulted in
little or nothing. The principal tangle
they left in knottier condition than it was
at tirst-the quarrel between the two clubs
in Kansas City. Won der Abe was indig
nant at the recent decision in the Halliday
case, and demanded another trial. The
decision was again adverse to the German
manager, aud Halliday will have to play in
Des Moines. The delegates were also
unanimously in favor of the three-s strikes
rule, and it was declared baseball law.
%o;,, H1o ri,
son were present in New York during the
meeting. Hanlon refused to sign with De-
troit. and Clarkson also refused to sign
Chicago contract Boston is still anxious
to get the Chicago pitcher, but Mr.. Spald-
ing is not willing to let him go. Clarkson
stated that he had been offered considera-
BILE increase in salary, but he would much
! rather stay in the East. The matter still
hangs fire.
Harry Wright. the veteran manager of
the Philadelphia club, said recently, in
speaking of Chicago's chances for the
coming season: "The Chicagos are in bet
ter shape than last year, when they were
| demoraliZed over the disintegration of their
team. There is no use talking, new material
is good enough in its way, but it can not be
imported wholesale into team and do the
work from the start that team like the old
| Chicagos was capable of. A club like that was
similar to an intricate piece of machinery,
where every wheel and portion has certain
work to accomplish, and must do it cor
rectly. II any one part goes wrong it
throws the entire machine out Of gear.
| New men are the same way. They don't
i fit in like the old ones did until they have
become thoroughly seasoned. The Chi
Cages have always had luck with their new
| players, however, and they are certain to
be among the leaders in the race. con-
slider Arson the best batsman in either the
League or Association, ranking head and
shoulders over even Brouthers, Kelly,
| O'Neill, and the other heavy hitters. Arson
| never bats for record, which accounts for
his low batting averages. I have often seen
him deliberately forego the possibility of
base-hit for the certainty of advancing
runner base on q sacrifice hit.
! He is gathering men whom it will be
| easy TO discipline and who are likely to
improve. They will have to make an up
hill fight, however, for there will be stronger
teams in the race this year than last"
Mike Kelly told an interesting story to
Boston reporter the other day, bearing up
on his early experiences in the game. "a
very little thing" said he, will make or
break mans fortune. I know whereof
speak, for it WAS only a very little thing
that determined me as to the pursuit in
life which should follow. 1t was in Nav of
| 1879 that started with the Cincinnati Club
upon our first Eastern trip of the season.
We went first to Troy, thence to Syracuse,
to Providence, and ended in Boston. The
| team started out under the management
of Jim White. jim grew discouraged at
the bad business, resigned while at Troy.
and Cal McVey went into authority. We
lost one game out of three at Troy, two out
of three in Syracuse, three in Providence,
and the firsttwo in Boston. Dickerson, one
OF the club, was drinking pretty hard. and 1
was playing in pretty hard luck. After the
second Boston game the record showed that
out OF the last twenty-one times at the bat I
had reached the first base but once, and
that was by virtue of an error. McVey
announced privately that night that he had
telegraphed Jack Leary, who was then in
Manchester, to come on the next day and
play on the nine in the last game in Bos-
ton. He said that he hadn't made up his
mind whether to lay off Kelly or Dicker.
son; the latter was drinking to be sure,
but he did hit the ball occasionally, but
he thought I seemed to be so completely
demoralized that was the one to be re-
heved. With that impression McVey went
to bed. Much to Calls disappointment
Leary did not arrive in time for the game,
ana was put in again to play right field.
L knew what was going on, and I became
so desperate that the ice was broken and
succeeded in scattering my ill-luck 10 the
winds. went to the bat five times, max
ing two doubles, q triple, and a home run.
Cal was delighted with my stick work that
day. The team returned home, and we
met tho Chicagos. In the first game I was
very lucky. l batted in every run made,
and won the game for my club. At the
end of the season stood up among the
leading batters. What might have been
the result if Jack Leary had appeared on
the grounds in Boston? l would have
been laid off and returned to Paterson in
disgrace. Perhaps I never would have
nerve enough to play in League club
again. That moves me to repeat the sacred
thought:
Great God, on what a slender thread
| Hang everlasting things!
| --------------------
JOHN CLARKsoN, the great pitcher, has