Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-06

are NOT reserved from year to year. However.
/ those who use this as an argument should
| remember that there is no analogy between
| the theatrical and baseball business in this
| connection. Theatrical companies do not con-
test against each other as do ball clubs, and it
entirely is the evenness of the contests that
keeps baseball alive. How would it be- then,
| II one or two clubs were allowed to buy up all
the star players in the countryf i fancy very
lamentable result. Whatever may be the
shortcomings or alleged expressions of the
principle of the reserve rule fear 1t will have
70 stay, or II 1t does not there will be collapse.
1t may be modified, ana probably will be.
Comiskey's Price.
There really is something extraordinary
about base ball in more ways than one. If
newspaper reports are true the Athletic club
directors, of Philadelphia, have offered $4,000
for Captain Comiskey, of the St. Louis club
that is, $4,000 have been offered for his SER
vices. However, Won der Abe evidently thinks
that Comiskey is indispensable to the existence
of his team, and refuses the offer. The offer of
such large sum for the services of one player
opens up the question, Is there a ball player in
the country worth Sl5.OOOf Of course the
utility of a man or article may be greater to
one person than another. but as far as practical
results are concerned, 1 don't see how either
Comiskey or any other player pos
sesses qualities worth $4,000 But there is
another feature. Does not these enormous
prices for players indirectly operate to the dis
advantage of less prominent but often just as
useful players? / think they do. Suppose a
club pays $4,000 fcr player. That amount
has to be made up in some way, and most as
suredly one of the ways will be, and has been,
to keep down the salaries of players. / am
mindful that some will say the star" will at
tract lots of additional receipts. When aplayer
attracts $4,000 worth and also as much as the
worth Of his salary I'll be convinced.
Association Affairs.
Among the many things that we may look for
in the immediate future is very stormy meet
ing of the American Association. 1t seems
that Mr.. Wikoff's official days are numbered,
and that he is in the hands of his Philistines;
indeed, it is rumored that he has made up his
mind to resign the Presidency of the Associa-
tion. This resolve has undoubtedly been hast
ened by the 'crusher'' that Byrne and his
friends received at the recent Association di-
rectors' meeting. 1t has been generally under
stood for some time that Wikof was only the
reflex OF Mr.. Byrne, and the peremptory
manner in which the former ruled or
decided in the late st. Louis-Brooklyn
dispute at Brooklyn brought the tumultous
state of things in the Association nearer
climax. Then Wikof was Byrne's friend but
now it seems that Mr.. Byrne is even prepared
Brooklyn President now says that be has no
objection against Mr. Kranthoff, of Kansas
City. being President. Well, the presidential
contest will be one stormy feature of the meet
ing and the storm will be aggravated by the
l0l quarrels and sQuabbles that have been
going on from time to time among the Asso-
citation magnates All this is to be regretted,
ana will only hasten state of things that may
culmInate in the utter destruction of the
Association. Pm sure we would all regret that
very much.
O'Conuof's Return,
One of the interesting events of the week has
been the return of William O'Connor, the
sculler, from England. He returns of course,
defeated, but not disgraced by any means He
rowed a good honest race, and was, as far as
Pm able to judge, beaten by better man. But
OConnor does not think as l do. He is of
opinion that he can defeat Searle. and states
that if the latter will come to America he can
get race for S. 1000 or $4,000 side. 1t is pleas
ing to find O'Connor still so confident in his
own superiority. that is, assuming he is speak
ing what he honestly believes to be true. But
it would seem strange If O'Connor returned
and frankly stated that he was beaten by a
better rover. When Jimmie Hamil was beaten
by Harry Kelly so easily, Jimmy still ex-
pressed the opinion that he was the better man.
IricketJ after being beaten by Hanlan twice.s
stated that he still thought he could defeat the
Canadian and even William Elliott ran away
with the idea that if he was in little better
condition" he could beat Hanlan. Elliott had
this notion, or at least expressed 1t, even after
Hanlan padded nearly four miles in front of
him. 1t is very rare, indeed, that we meet a
defeated man who has not an excuse which on
count for defeat 0'Connor thinks he was
overturned. When it is considered that Searle
began TO overhaul and leave the Toronto man
as soon as he. Searle, got down to his 'long
wi 10 hQ rfroin inod11 id Sc
forcible one. UConnor must indeed have
been fearfully overtrained if overtraining
caused him to succumb the lead as early
in the race as he did. O'Connor also COM
plains about Searle's rough and s'uncultured"
style of rowing; but as understand matters,
Searle's great object, like O'Connor's. is to get
speed and keep it up. Good style or bad style
Searle certainly did this in a most extraordi-
nary way; much faster than O'Connor After
all, that style is best for man by which he can
make most headway. don't say this to de-
precate good style of rowing, but l say it be-
cause one man may have style natural to
himself, though it may be ungainly to the eve
Any other style would not be so useful to him.
1t seems to me that the extraordinary reacn of
Searle is the very thing that makes him so for
midable. That reach outweghs all of his other
shortcomings. Harry Kelly couldn't possibly
have rowed race in an ungainly style no more
than Hanlan can, while Tom Blackman got
remarkable speed on his boat by a very clumsy
effort. once knew a very speedy and promis-
ing rover named Finnegan, who could show
extraordinary speed, ana every stroke he
pulled he seemed in danger of falling out of his
boat The style that is most natural to a man
is generally the one that is best for him. At
any rate, Searle with his unaccomplished
method is the best rover we know of.
About the Pugilists.
1t is some time since things were so quiet in
the pugilistic world as they have been this
week. There even has not been much talking
done and there are indications that pugilism
and boxing are rapidly on the wane in this
country. Nothing definite has been heard
from La Blanche regarding Fogarty's chal-
lenge and nobody need be surprised at that,
La Blanche, as l previously pointed out, is
victor now; he is Dempseys vanquisher and he
states that he is in no hurry to fight again.
A contest for the middleweight championship
may, therefore, not be expected for some
time. But, 1 often wonder that amid all the
contests at San Francisco there is not one
Jack McAuliffe and Meyer There is
an unsettled question of superiority between
these two nghtwelghts. Some time ago,
as we all know, they were very well paid
for showing the public how not to fight
After the affair they had much TO say
about their respective abilities but never
entered the ring. If they would go to San
Francisco l feel certain that they would get
pionship. They would have to fight there and
they know it. That may have some effect on
them and their managers. Sullivan is accord
ing to his latest statement busily engaged pre-
pairing for tour throughout the country with |
an athletic and boxing combination. Doubtless