Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-09-22
A REVIEW OF SPORTS,
Some Important Features of
the Local Ball Club.
ABOUT TRAINING PLAYERS.
The Great Struggle Between the
Giants and the BOStOnS.
THE MARINE AND JACK DEMPSEY.
Some Opinions Relative to the Proposed
Smith-Slavin Battle.
ABOUT TRAINING PLAYERS.
THE MARINE AND JACK DEMPSEY.
CHAMPION SCULLER SEARLES PLANS

In two more weeks the baseball season
will be ended. don't think that it will b.
remembered as very profitable and in
teresting one by Pittsburgers. The club has
been great disappointment and both the
public and those connected with the club
know it. The work of the players has been
even worse than il was last wear, and it was
bad enough then. The team may land in
sixth place, but the chances at present seem
against it. However, there may be few
things learned from the clubs history of this
season. One of the most important features of
the season has been the efforts of the club to
secure good pitchers From early part of
the season until now the club officials have
been making endeavors to sign some good
young pitchers. These efforts have been
earnest and honest enough, but cannot help
thinking that they have been misdirected. The
club has had any amount of youngsters and
everyone OF them has been a failure. These
young men had done well among the rural
teams, but there is a vast difference b.
tween those teams and those that make up the
League. True, these young men have been
secured for nothing, but cheap articles are
often expensive. have an idea that the money
spent over the young phenoms would have
gone long way toward securing one good
pitcher. The price Will get almost anything.
However. there is nothing to gain in crying
over split milk, and what should be done is to
try and have solid team for next year. 1t is
well understood that strong efforts will be
made to sign at least three irst-class pitchers
if they can be had Conway will probably be
one of them. 1t does not seem that the team
will need much Strengthening outside the
pitchers. Probably there is need of a good
throwing catcher, and if one could be secured
there might be p worse move than keeping Mil
Ter in the outfeld. 1t might also be well for
the directors of the club to arrange for sys-
TEN of careful training for the players during
the latter part of winter. There really is more
in conditioning the players than many of us
think, and Jack Rowe comes very near
the truth, when he says that every
dollar spent in this way subse-
oueatly yields $780, Had the Clevelands
not been in excellent condition to start out they
would have been near the bottom of the list all
the season. But their excellent form placed
them near the top and they remained there long
enough to make a considerable amount of
money. However, it is to be hoped that when
the directors OF the local club meet they will
discuss this matter.
The League Race.
We are certainly having an exciting time of
4
that old-umers will admit that there was never
a more exciting contest than the present The
struggle between Boston and New York is
really one that cannot fail to interest everybody
who reads the newspapers The contest prom
ises to be bitter one right to the end. How
ever, still stick to the Giants 1selected them
at the start and still pin my faith to them 1
certainly believe that the chances are much in
their favor. They are much stronger than
in +hor &c hr1r 81;
important feature; besides, heretofore the New
6orks have made much better show away from
home than have the Bostons. The latter have
generally been very unfortunate during their
Wes, ern trip and don't expect that the one
which they'll begin to-day will be any excep-
uon. Clarkson is their mainstay, and during
the next two weeks be will he called upon to
work remarkably hard. Should he break
down, or anything like, away goes Boston. In
Inls connection might remark that it is a
pity that rumors of some unfair dealing have
been published. 1t has been charged that GER
tain clubs are favoring the Giants, that is, try
ing to let them win, while the greatest possible
efforts are being made to defeat Boston. Now,
1 don't believe a word of this: l cannot be-
leve that any club in the League would for a
moment think of wilfully losing game The
team that wins will do so on its merits, and
am of opinion that the Giants have merit
enough to win l think it is with them only a
question of keeping in condition. There is
also lively contest gong on for third place
between Chicago and Philadelphia. The latter
has slight lead at present but thev have no
more home games to play, while Chicago
Will be at home until the season is over
This would seem to favor the Chicago
club, so that the chances are favorable for
Anson and his men finishing third, with Phila-
delphla fourth. indianapolis is getting dan
gerOusly near to Cleveland, and I'll not be sur
prised to see the Babies finish behind the
HoOsiers and the Pittsburgers. Altogether
there are some exciting times ahead, even
though the season is about over. The last five
or six games will be exciting indeed.
That brotherhood Scheme.
The air is full of the widest kind of rumors
regarding new baseball organizations for next
season. One of the most important is that to
the effect that a number OF business men and
the players of the League are going to form a
kind of industrial partnership system with
baseball clubs. Though in many respects
utopian, the scheme has some plausibility
about it. but don't expect for ore moment
that it will ever develop into anything like
practicaDllity. We are told that the alleged
promoter of the scheme, Johnston, of Cleve-
land, denies that he has anything to do with it.
One after another everybody who is charged
with being interested in it is disowning it. But
to put the scheme into working order wodld
require so much money that it seems idle to
discuss its chances of success.
More Strange Rumors.
But as the end of the ball season approaches
we may always prepare ourselves to hear some
very startling and strange rumors. Besides the
story of the Brotherhood scheme, we have been
told that there will be many changes in the
makeup of the League and Association. The
latest story is to the effect that Brooklyn is to
take Washington's place in the League and
that the Cincinnati Club will replace Indian
apolis. President Byrne, of Brooklin, denies
emphatically that Brooklyn will make any such
change and the officials of the Indianapolis
team declare in very pointed way that they
have no intention at all of leaving the League.
don't think they have, and it is certain that |
the League magnates do not think they have
1t is true that matters are very unpleasant in |
the American Association. and to-morrow's |
meeting may prompt changes of which we have |
little idea. 1t would seem that Won der Ahe |
and President Byrne couldn't remain in the |
same boat. 1t must be exceedingly unpleasant |
not only for themselves but also for those who |
meet with them.
Dirty Ball Playing,
When the League magnates hold their next /
meeting they ought to discuss what is now
called dirty ball playing. This quality of play
ing has been very plentiful this season; indeed.
we may safely say that it has been in excess of
what it was the year previous. One remarka-
Bile feature of the matter is that the participa-
tors in this highly censurable work have mostly
been the most prominent players. Such men as
Ewing, Pfetfer, Faatz and Anson have frequently
had their names before the public as the princi-
pals in questionable scenes on the ball field II
seems TO me as If the umpire has too little author
the power TO determine on all occasions whether
or not the conduct Of player is that becoming a /
gentleman. may be told that the umpire has |
such power toa very great extent: If be has he
does not exercise II sufficiently. There is nothing
national game than the sinister tricks resorted te
~ some players on the ball field. Something
9ugnt 70 be done.