Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-01-14
ABOUT BASE BALL.
The Prospects for the National Game in
Texas This Year.
Reduction of Travelling Expenses as Well as
Reduction OF salaries-Texas Towns in the
Southern League-General Gossip

All doubt about the formation of the
Texas Base Ball League for 1889 is now set
at rest, and lovers of the game can feel
fairly certain that the play put up during
the coming season will be far more salts
factory in every respect than that had last
year A year ago when the clubs were
being got in shape the animating senti-
ment was one of rivalry between the
cities of the state-Fort Worth didn It care
so she beat Dallas, and Galveston was
interested in doing up Houston, and
North Texas was going to show the
Southerners how the game was played.
There may have been some doubt lurking
around about the propriety of importing
players at all. In fact, the game was
very, very young in Texas. 1t is little
wonder, then, that errors crept into the
business that would never have caught
older hands. Considering the conditions,
Texas did very well with her first attempt
at professional base ball.
-
But this year there is no excuse for nor
is there reason to fear any amateurish
breaks in the way of organization. The
limit of salaries has been fixed and there
is or appears to be determination on the
part of each club to hold the others down
to that limit; SO that excessive salaries
will not eat up the gate receipts in ad-
vance. And this limit need not prevent
the securing of first-class talent, for there
is large crop Of new players sprung up
since the clubs were signed last year, and
they have come down a long way in their
expectations in the way Of salaries, so
that $50 this year will go as far as 500
went Year ago.
Club expenses may be reduced consid-
erably this year from those of last
season. Two cents per mile for eleven
men (Which is the number each club will
probably carry is considered a rather
hard rate, when it is considered that the
patronage to the railroads is continual
and lasts without intermission throughout
a long season. The hotel expenses can
be brought to a lower notch. Base ball
players must bend to the necessities of
the times and must learn that they are
not independent of the state of trade. -
-
Recent advices from Dallas which con-
tradict the previous rumor of that burg
holding aloof from the Texas League are
only what were confidently looked for by
all who knew with what gloom Dallas
would look upon rival towns with good
ball, while she had none. Those
who at first spoke of not
people who were not interested financially
in the game over there. 1t has been
well known that the proprietors of the
park and railroad line have all along ex-
pressed themselves as willing to go into
the Texas, Southern or any other league
that might be formed
+ -
F'Dallas never stood any change of get
ting into the Southern League, any
way said Fort Worth gentleman
who takes an interest in the matter.
"New Orleans only used the Texas cities
as q sort of lever with which to induce
Memphis, Birmingham and Mobile to CO.
operate with her. The Texas cities could
not keep up the gait of the Southern
clubs; ana sven if it could draw the same
crowds, their expenses on long jumps
would be too great to be borne through
any but most lucky season. -
~
The statement that Dallas could not
get into the Southern League is fully
borne out by the report of the proceed
ings had at New Orleans a couple of
weeks ago when that league was formed.
Not one of the Southern cities favored
the ADMISSION Oh IeAaS cIuDs except new
Orleans, the others declaring fatty that
they would have nothing to do with
league comprising Texas cities.
~
Somebody has been telling the Houston
people that Fort Worth tried to steal Nc
CIoskey from Houston. That must be a
mistake, for there is no one in Fort Worth
who has power to make an offer of any
kind
So
Colorado will have an amateur state
league this year in which at least six
towns will be incorporated. Denver will
have team, although that city viii this
year take part in the Western league.
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