Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-03-30
THE ASSOCIATION.
w. I. Harris Writes of Its
Chances for the Season.
THE BROOKLYN TEAMS MAKEUP.


ent Baseball situation.
The prospects of the American association
in November were blue to blueness. No one
besitated to predict that 1t WAS dead. There
didn't seem to be one chance in ten for it to
weather the storm. | was quite as gloomy as
other writer's, This Is the way | put it:
"And the American association. What Of in
It Is dead beyond resurrection" or course IL
was q figure OF speech; 1t didn't imply that
h Association was extinct. ! referred to its
prestige and Its Importance. Well. I over
drew the picture. It's not so bad as that.
Indeed, although the Brotherhood stripped it
Of its great star players and -four Of its best
clubs resigned, it has survived the cruel blasts
and lives with a large sized ray Of promise
lighting its way. Its prestige is gone, it has
been shorn 81 its rich fleece, but the lamb Is
healthy and the fleece may grow again. New
blood in clubs and players has put the Asso-
citation on its feet again. and there is more
than hopsfor it in the future.
The circuit now consists of Brooklyn, Roch-
ester, Syracuse, Toledo, Columbus, Athletics,
st. Louis, and Louisville. The first four are
the new clubs, and they are as lusty infants
rs ever crowed in their mothers arms. Not
only that, but the men back Of the new teams
have the money 10 pay for the fiddler, for
this season ut least, and IL they receive proper
encouragement may be depended ON for an
other year.
In Brooklyn the new hustler in-chief is
James e. Kennedy, better known among the
boys as Jim" Everybody knows "Jim,n
and nobody ever knew a more genial or a
squarer man as men 20 nowadays. Mr.. Ken
neiy wa one Of the founders Of The Sporting
Times and has for years been the baseball ed
itor Of The New York Times.
His popularity among magnates, players
n newspaper men is second to none. He is
shrewd, and while never appearing to he in q
hurry generally gets there with both feet. y
The only time Jim wa ever known to openly
hurry was when he ran loot races as an anna
teur many years ago and when he plays on
the New York Reporters baseball team. He
was q Splinter once, and even now on occa-
sion can hustle his 200 pounds about the
bases In good style. Kennedy is not a mar
who shouts his intentions from the house top.
II he was there might not be an American
Association club at Brooklyn today. The
club was organized almost before anybody
knew anything about 1t. Ex-Alderman Pat
rick Farley and come of his friends have sup
piled Kennedy with most Of the sinews Of
war. Jim himself has embarked his all in
the venture. His friends say that they are In
1t to stay, and really there appears to be Q
chance for profit at Ridgewocd, II Sunday
games are allowed, despite the opposition Of
League and Brotherhood. Summed up this
young manager ID . gain 10 the Association
worth having, and his team will make q good
showing.
Some Of the new Brooklyn players are az
periments, but they are full Of promise For
catchers Manager Kennedy has Jimmy Toy,
Charlie Rsipslager and Frank BoweA The
first two are men Of reputation. The latter
is local amateur whose record last season
stamped him a. - conner" The pitching
brigade seems to bs unlimited In quantity.
It will be commanded by the veteran Jack
Lynch, the hero Of many q hard fought
hattie and still In the ring. The other men
signed are James l. Powers, Charles McCul-
loch and Steve Toole. Then there Is quite an
array Of ambitious 'kids" whom Lynch and
Kennedy have promised to try and under the
eye Of the veteran nome pitchers may he de-
veloped from the lot. Powers and McCulloch
are experiments. Both have done good work,
indeed wonderful work, in their respective
localities.
The rest Of Kennedy's team Is Al, except
in n position, and hat Is doubtful. II was
expected TO have Charlie Sweeney to play
third, bnt Won der Ahe claims him and may
be able to hold lin. In case of accident Man
ager Kennedy has signed a youngster named
Charles Ochs, who comes highly recommend.
ed from Syracuse. At lrst base will be found
"Billy" O'Brien. He is the big man who
played the position for the Washington
leaguers in 1857 and 1855, and who covered
IL last year for Rochester. He is q hard hit.
ter and can literally 'kill a low ball." AZ
Mickey WEIGH can testify. Old reliable
"Move up" Joe Gerhardt will cover second
base. When a boy I remember Joe. He and
| were born In Washington. Joe used TO play
on what was known rs the "Pig PEN lot, be.
low the Capitol About the first time l ever
saw him he was batting up" for the gang.
I tried to stop a liner fiom Joe's bat and
nearly lost a thumb In the transaction. That
was about 1870. Joe has been playing ball
ever since.
! consider him In It with any fielder that
treads the green today. Once he divided the
honors. in the days when John Burdock wal
king. Don't think that be Is a graybeard,
for Joe is yet young enough to call Deacon
White Papa" and is good for ten more
years Of active service.
The captain and short stop Of the Brooklyn
Americans is Frank Fennelly. For years he
was the pride Of Cincinnati. Last season he
played with the Athletics. He IL a first elias,
fielder, a good batter and q veteran whose ex.
perience and temperament will make him q
first class captain. The outfielders are hard
hitters and have made regulations as nervy
players. They are Ed Daley, OF last seasons
Columbus team, formerly Of the Washing.
tons and Phillics; Henry Simon and Ed
Peltx, both Of the Syracuse Stars. Thess
three men ought TO show up well together.
General criticism Of this team would b
that IL is weak In battery strength and veal
In batting; but the batteries are likely TO foo
. good many people. As to batting, there an
really no poor hitters In the lot. O'Brieu,
bailey, Simon and Peltx are heavy sticker
and the others are average mon. The comb
nation, under skiliful management and with
team work, are very likely 70 make q mos
sxcsllsnt record. Manager Kennedy says
"Of courSs ! do not expect 10 take the psa'