Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-04-28

lSluE anu eu6CDlNe p1ICnerS, e0celleDJ DaLterS
and irst-class feIders, and these essentials
will keep him among the leaders. Cleveland
has not got steadied yet so that very little esti.
mate can be formed of either the baby" or
the Hoosiers.
About Our Own Club.
The local club has done fairly well in the
start of, and it seems as certain as sunlight
that it will do considerably better. Probably
the inclement weather has as bad effects on the
home players as on any in the League. With
the exception of Staley there is not pitcher
who is in anything like his best form, and this
is a very important feature. 1t is of such grave
Importance that the home club has more to
gain than lose by a continuation of rain show
ers until the warm weather is thoroughly here.
There have been indications that the old de-
feet of light batting will be present in the
team, but it would be neither fair nor logical
to argue toward such a conclusion at present.
However, 1T may not be unreasonable to say that
if there is any rock on which the team is likely
to be wreckeditis that of poor batting As have
said frequently, we look considerably stronger
in batting on paper but the real proof lies in
the actual performance, and it is a singular
fact trat the youngest and less experienced
pitchers, as a rule, bother the Pittsburg club
the most. The outheld is all right and we may
expect Maui to be colleague of Hanlon and
Sunday. The first named has during the week
demonstrated the fact that he is as good an
outhelder as club needs. His batting, a very
important essential. is his only defect Take
him all round he is more valuable man to
Pittsburg than Coleman, although the latter is
good and conscientious player. He will make
a useful man for some club. The local club
is all right as far as fielding is concerned,
but in batting it can be made stronger and will
be if Rowe and White are secured. Alto
gether it does seem as if the home team should
finish higher up in the race than it did last
year. If it does not, then adding first-class
men to the team must go for nothing The
pitchers will certainly get better, and with this
improvement it is hard to understand how the
team cannot beat at least one half of its rivals.
-
Don't Forget the Uncertainties.
But in figuring about either the League or
Association clubs we must never forget the
uncertainties of baseball Probably there is
no sport or pastime in Christemdom wherein
the uncertainties of victory are more prolific
than in the national game of America. A few
days ago Ed Hanlon, the good and popular out
fielder of the local club, said to me: "The most
surprising and unexpected things occur in
baseball games. Some people call it
luck: call 1t uncertainty. However,
it only shows how honest the game is
and what an open question victory Is" There
is considerable force in what Hanlon SAYS, but.
doubtless, we have all held similar opinion
for long time. Well, ii is this uncertainty
that prevents anybody from coming to any
thing like definite and correct conclusion as
to the result of series of games OF of the en-
tire season. Hundreds of people. who t'know,
you know" tell us how this club will end and
how that club will finish. At best it is all guess
work. Certainly there is grain or two of rea-
soning in the guesses, but it is so small in many
cases as to be of little Importance. We may
all feel absolutely certain that New York will
beat Cleveland out in the race. but none of us
can be so certain as to the result of any partic-
ular game between the clubs There is a very
long and rocky road to travel before October is
reached, and many may fall by the wayside.
The possibilities of breakdowns. misfortune OF
hard luck are so numerous that the most as
founding changes and unexpected results may
come. 1t is the very exciting feature, for such
it is, that enables baseball to capture the admi-
ration OF so many thousands of Americas cIti-
zens.
Question of Discipline.
The action of President Spalding and Cap
tain Anson in releasing Mark Baldwin, Tom
DAILY R. M. Petett and NJ. Sullivan has un-
doubtedly caused considerable comment dur
ing the week. Doubtless the affair has created
unusual surprise, more particularly when
Anson said that Baldwin had not been released
because Of inferior playing Anson said the
same of Sullivan. Both Spalding and Anson
have stated definitely that the quartet have
been released in the interests of discipline, and
that it is intended to purge the Chicago club of
all players who fail to act as gentlemen. both
on and off the ball field. Without doubt this is
one of the most 1audable intentions that any
baseball magnate can carry out, and if all of
those in power would act rgidly on the same
principles, the popularity of the game would
be rooted deeper than ever. : am not saying
or arguing anything that would encourage the
curtailment of the personal liberties of the
players any more than that they should be
compelled to act as indicated above. use the
word compelled so as to mean that if they
don't they can be dispensed with BY ali
clubs. The gameDf baseball has become SO
nationally significant that the dignity, succeAs
and well being of each club depends TO very
great extent on the good moral conduct of its
players. True, il is often difficult to enforce
discipline, but Messrs. Spalding and Anson
have taken the difficulty by the horns A tenn
porary loss in playing ability is nothing COM
pared to the trouble occasioned by the reten-
tlon of players whose great delight seems
always TO be in going contrary to all good ad-
monitions and disciplinary rules. Captain
AnsOn, however, may have been stretching his
imagination little too far when he said that
Baldwin had been released entirely in the in
terestS OF discipline. Baldwin most emphati-
cally denies that his conduct bas been other
than that OF gentleman at any stage of his
engagement with the Chicago club. There is
fndeedsa very wide chasm between the two state.
ments. However, 1 am inclined to think that
BaloW1n's playing has had little to do with
his release. We all know that Mark has been
below the standard for some time. He appears
70 be temporarily out of form and this NAV
have been occasioned by the winter tourney
round the globe. A rest and good one. may