Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-12-14
IT'S DIFFICULTIES.
What the Players League Has
Before Il.
A STEEP AND rIREsoxE ROAD.

~. I. Harris Poists Out . Number of the
Reasons for Bss belief That the Isrothsr.
hood Has Lot OF snass Ahead Of II.
The Old League win De ON Hand.
Toachieve q permanent success the National
Players league has got to travel along . steep
and tireome road, blocked with many dim
cultiea The player or capitalist engaged In
the movement who expects toses the business
run along ns smoothly an they have sean Il
do under the direction OF the National league
for several years past win meet with severe
disappointment. They might - well expect
to zee the East River bridge duplicated In
year. II won't move smoothly, II cannot
move smoothly, because the new league ia
not built on smooth TRICKS
There 70 d possibility that In those citiee
where large profits arc made, II there should
prove to be any, the friction in the wheels Of
management would not be so noticeable or
% apt to cause trouble, but even In those
cities there will be jealousies and chickering's
that the wisest heads in the new movement
will find themselves unable to allay.
The method Of management outlined Is ex-
perimental., II it does not work 1t will have
to be changed. It will bc changed, but it
VIII 10 y uiiiiCuiU t0ah 0tib . iouS t<sSN " h-
augurate reforms when once the now League
change, which Is bound to take years OF ex-
perience to bring about, both capitalist and
player will have to hold together ns one man.
Will they do It'll
The rock on which the new League may
have its first wreck will be the method Of dual
management by players and capitalists. And
In this / do not mean to infer that the players
do not possess among them men Of sufficient
ability to run business enterprise. There
are n number of men 50 qualified. I do
say, however, that the great majority, I may
say vast majority, cannot do II. When you
come TO the particular business enterprise Of
running bali club successfully, the number
Of players who could ill tho bill is inflnites-
NAL. II the players would bo content to
trust their end of the business entirely to the
four men they are to select to represent them
in each club, and devote their energy to
playing ball, the scheme might work, pro-
vided those four men could work in har-
mony. But they won't, and the reasons are
obvious. Ball players are, as rule, unedu-
Gated men, and often dull mentn everything
but the ability to play ball, but never met
one yet who did not have his idea of how n
baseball club ought to be run, and venture
to predict that those four player directors
will be 30 badgered by their fellows that life
will DO burden to them.
There will be strife among the four, and
there will be strife between them and the di-
rectors, who win represent the capitalists. II
the public flock to the games Of the Players
league, and the National league is deserted,
and money flows in rs most Of the players
fondly imagine it will, this strife speak Of
will not do great harm. But where losses are
mot, where the incest kind Of management
is needed to doat the clubs ut all, there will
he found the friction, and when it comes
down to question as to whether the capi-
talists or the players are to run the clubs,
there will be circus, and there will be some
pretty queer ball playing.
The chances Of maintaining discipline In q
ball team, four members Of which are direc-
tors In the club, and all OF whom have a say
in the selection of those directors, seems to me
to be an impossibility for any length Of time
The new League will discover this very early
in its career, and the men whose money is at
stake will insist upon an amendment, and
they will carry their point; but they will do
SO only at the lack OF success and consequent
monetary loss.
Without serious opposition the Players
League clubs in New York, Boston, Chicago,
Philadelphia and Brooklyn could mako
money. With divided patronage they
might make little IL they had any advan-
tage in the division Of the receipts. With q
divided patronage and an equal division they
will find it difficult to meet expenses and
salaries, especially in Brooklyn, Chicago and
Philadelphia. They may have the best of
the patronage at first, but each season will be
harder one than the one which preceded it.
Each one Of these cities will have q salary
list Of $4,000.
The list in Buffalo, Cleveland and Pitts.
burg may not be SO large, but it win not be
less than 1000. Can these cities support
two ball clubs' No. Can they support one
properlyl Well, it's doubtful Cleveland
made a little money last season. 1t never
did before. Pittsburg cleared something
a few years ago. 1t hasn't made dollar
during the past three years; indeed,
the owners have had to put up somo-
thing out of their own pockets. Buffalo never
made a dollar as q League club, and has
never made anything worth talking about
with cheap team. OF course none Of these
cities ever got half the receipts away from
home. That may make difference. How
muchs Nobody knows. Heretofore, when
the big attractions drew good crowds at home,
Cleveland asd Pittsburg got IS DER cent
Now thew will get only ilfty. Should thev
proye poor attractions away from home. will
the extra 25 per cent. of a Door gate away
from home make up for the same amount lost
from good gate at homel
Another factor Is the capitalists win
thew stick in poor paving cities, If thew do
NOT where is the Brotherhood 10 Obtain cities
to t.ra their nlacss thai con snn,ort s,o ooo
III .a, tvm .La ,,,ara IL sao,oo. w.
Dali Veaais, "n .h' payers VINO are NOT
capitalists pe satisned 10 SEQ those VINO arc