The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-06-03
STILL IN THE Ring
Pittsburg's National League
Team Has Not Gone Under,
PLAYERS HAVE THE BEST OF 1T.
The Attendance Figures Show That the
brotherhood Is Far in the Lead Finan-
ciaIly-How the Different Teams Are
Playing-WOrI1 OF individuals.

The week ending Saturday, May 10, wa
a fruitful one in baseball, if rumors are t.
be credited, but when reduced to fact
there were few happenings Of importance
The one thing that attracted over much al
tentiOn was the conference held by tn
committee On the welfare of the Nationa
league, Messrs. Spalding, Day and Byrne
This committee was called together to con
suit with the officials of the Pittsburg clu1
as tothe crisis in its affairs. The Smok,
City people, it is alleged, were behind will
their rent and salaries anE the small at
tendance-only about 1900 people to ST
games-had discouraged them. It was as
serted that they wanted to quit The fact
are that the club is not wrecked or any
thing like it. Nimick is well off anC
O'Neill IS rich. There is plenty of none,
| back of the Club-indeed more money thar
| courage.
1t is true that NimicIz and O'Neill were
disheartened by the lack of appreciation O.
the Pittsburg League team by Pittsbur(
| people, and it is true that they were behind
| in their rent. This was due to lack O.
| money in the club treasury. Personally
the club owners have it, and have since
paid the rent and the players salaries
| They were encouraged by the committee
and enough sand" as it is expressively
| termed among sporting men, was talked
into them to make them return home
shouting that they never had the least no
| ton of getting out or of transferring theil
team. 1t is generally believed that the
| League Will aid the club if it gets into real
| financial straits Meanwhile the League
magnates go on regardless of the meagel
| attendance on some grounds, seemingly
satisfied that they will get their share OF
| the patronage in the end.
The attendance figures for the week show
! that the situation in New York remains
unchanged. The Brotherhood team has
| all the best of it, although Saturdays at
| tendance showsa slight gain for the League.
The game OF Friday at Brotherhood park,
New York, should not count, as the admis-
sion, owing to q peculiar phase of news
paper advertising, was practically free.
At Philadelphia the League made a
! marked gain. For the first week the figures
were: Brotherhood, three games, 20, 1876;
League, four games, 1859 The first four
games last week drew 1911 people to the
Brotherhood grounds and G,103 to the
League grounds. And on the last two days
the League had the most people by q small
margin.
The opening clash at Chicago shows the
League in decided minority. Mr.. SpaId-
ings team played four games to G, 480 peo-
pie without opposition, At four games
with opposition he got 1,277, against Z, 1926
for the brotherhood team, a ratio of five
and three-quarters to one. This would in
dicate that both teams might draw well
with non-coniicting dates.
AZ, Cleveland thu paoT-a foam drayTy Q 1N0
people to three games without opposition.
Then came three conflicts. The Players
team got 5,016 people, against 1850. The
League then had one day alone and drew
465. For the first days of the next week
the weather permitted play the Brother
hood games attracted !, $50 people, and the
League games 1850. The announced at
tendance must have been padded at the
start, or else the League has made gain at
Cleveland
The first five days of the conflict at
Brooklyn resulted: Brotherhood, 1860;
League, 1917. At the two conflicting
games played there during the week the
League drew 2,219 and the Brotherhood
1891. The latter played one gamo on a
cherries day, with Boston for an oppo-
nent, with no opposition, and the attend
ance was &5l.
All the cities have now been heard from.
and there is abundant evidence to show
that the public feeling is with the Players
league in all of them except Brooklyn and
Cincinnati, and in the latter there is no
conflict to test the feeling. In New York
and Chicago and Pittsburg the League has
so far hardly been in it. At Philadelphia
and Cleveland the attendance has reached
basis Of equal division, and in Boston the
League, while in a minority, has done well
enough to more than pay expenses.
The months of May and June will settle
pretty definitely just what each league is
to expect if the contest continues. 1t is al
ready generally admitted fact that very
few teams viii clear expenses under the
present system Of conflicting dates. II
looks very much as if it was now a cues
ton Of the longest purse. The Players are
having the best of it and show no signs of
weakening. The League, while flying sig
nails Of distress, declares that it viii play
out its schedule aud wage war TO the bitter
end
Now as to ball playing. The Brother
hood teams, whose work during the first
two weeks was very poor, taken as
whole, arc beginning to get into shape and
are now playing pretty fair ball, even
though the scores are for the most
part very long, and many Of the games
very tiresOme because Of their one sided
nature.
The Boston team is still little weak in
the box, but it is winning right along,
first, because the other teams are but little
better of for pitching talent, and second,
because Mike Kelly Is getting good team
work out Of mis- men, which, added to their
heavy hitting arG Gr-6 base running of
Stovey, Kelly and Tom Brown, has kept
them in front of the procession. Chicago.
so far, IS well up to expectations, but it has
been PLAYING against the weaker teams
and has hard work TO stay in the place it
has generally been credited with as its due.
When Comiskey ana his men run up
against Boston, Brooklyn and Philadelphia
II Will be seen that the team has been
somewhat overrated Ii Kelly and his
men can play with equal luck and skill
against the western teams as they have
against the eastern and hold the gait, they
ought TO win the Players league pennant. /
The New York team has sadly disap-
pointed its admirers. The men are batting
hard, bat the less Of Ti=raan, Wand and
WEIGH has made big hCIe. Wa1d's place |
Will not soon be filed. The main trouble /
is with the pitchers. O'Da-, Crane and /
keefe have each pitched one good game, |
bat their other games have been more or |
less bad Then again, the team work |
which was once 50 characteristic OF the /
nine has almost vanished Every man /
for himself seems to be the present motto /
Of the team. Capt. Ewing says that he /
viii soon have the team IL shape, and that /
1t Will be winner vet.
The National league race hes been . |
pretty one so far. but there are 10 good |
indications yet Of c possible pennaat win |