Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1890-03-15

Players Club with Small Hope-Ward
Has Collected Strong Aggregation for
Brooklyn.
The writer who ventures to make predic-
tons as to the result of the championship
fight in any one Of the many leagues at this
stage of affairs takes an enormous risk on
nsStlcating pretty tough crow later on.
And yet l am willing to take my chances on
giving one tip before the boys begin to toss
the pigskin in earnest. For the past two
years have had tie satisfaction of naming
the champions Of beth major associations be-
fore a championship game had been played.
and in the League al least the pennanls
were won for the reasons given by me in nv
spring analysis of the strength Of the teams:
and last season, with the exception of Pitts
Svrg and Cleveland, 1 located the exact Do
.ltlon at the finish
am proud Of my record on this point. and
shall not undertake to pick any winners this
year until the season has been well started.
l propose, however, TO nominate one team
that viii not win a peunant, and that is the
Chicago Brotherhood team In making this
assertion | am bucking against general senti-
meDt, or rather general belief The con-
census OF opinion is the other way. There is
no doubt that on paper the Chicago Brother
hood team is in many respects one of the
greatest aggregations of baseball stars ever
got together, but there are some potent rea-
sons against its success Here is the team:
CaUchers-Boyie Farrell, Darling; pitchers
BALDWIN, King, Dryer and Bartson; Co
miskey, first base; Pfeiffer, second base; La
than, third base; Williamson, short stop;
O'Neill, left field; Ryan, center field; Duffy,
right field Extra man, Baslian.
Unless strengthened in the battery depart
Teut, and probably not then, this team viii
not land first Darling never was a first class
catcher and never viii be. Farrell is O strong
hitter, and at times a most brilliant catcher.
but he is not q steady or remarkably heady
catcher. Boyle Is good one, but he isn't in |
1t with such men as Ewing, Clements. Ben |
nett, Camel, Miller, Mack, Kelly. Milligan, /
Cook and Daily. On catchers the team Is all /
right in quantity, but short in quality
As TO pitchers, Baldwin, in 1857 and 1889, .
was q star. Ia 1855 be was not to be depended /
on. Baldwin doesn't take care of himself as
he should in winter time, As a pitcher he /
ranks among those who may be great at any
time, but who keep you guessing on dates
King, IN condition, is Tip topper" He
was failure in tue League once before, and
in the Worlds series against New York
didn't astonish people to any extent. Dwyer
Is a medium man, although "a conner" Bart
son is an unknown quantity. The New York,
Brooklyn, Philadelphia and Boston clubs are
better provided with pitchers and catchers
than the Comiskey-Pfefar or the Prefer
Comiskey combination. BY the way, which
is iti The answer to this will have quite a
bearing on the general result The outield
and iuheld are well nigh perfect. There Is
not a fly of the minutesu description on
either
There are four natural hitters in the team
-O'NeiiI, Ryan, Duffy and Farrell. They
are ''sluggers." Any more! Possibly La
tham. The rest are only good average bat
ters
There is just one more handicap There
VIII be chques. Germany and ireland viii
be at IN less than a month The public
may not know, but the lack of harmony will
be there and VIII have its effect Comiskey
is q great baseball captain. Al least he was
In the American association. His methods
are well known. He was supreme al St.
Louis Everything went. The men had no
respect for Vou der Ahe. They feared Co
miskey. At Chicago Comishey VIII fud
some men WHO have just escaped from the
rule Of a greater captain than himself, per
haps harder task master They have rev
eled all winter over the prospec5 Of freedom
from that restrainA proper and effective
though it was Thy are stockholders-yes,
magnates-now. VIII they swallow CoInis-
keys manners on the field ana in the dress
ing rootn9 As Charley Reed sings, ''Weu, l
guess not"
Comiskey must change his methods. He
viii have 10 gag himself; he VIII have to,
fGurauvely, kiss the baseball blaruey stone:
he viii have TO be cheerful, under protest.
and, above all, If harmony be his objective
point, he viii have to please Director Pfefer. !
He may not try TO do these things; he proba- ,
bly, won't. Coniskey wlll have his way lie
always has had it. He can only rule by prac-
ticaily despotic methods, and have almost
come TO the conclusion that It Is the only !
road to success Tor baseball captain. pro
vlded be has the tact 70 cover the IRON with
velvet, coat the tongue with sugar and deal
cut praises quite as lavisbly rs he does
frownS A successful baseball captain is sell
dom more than polite tyraut when out for
business.
Under all the circumstances am inclined
to think that it viii bo 8 fight between Chi !
raSo, New York and BrooElyn during this :
first season Of the Brotherhood, with Chicago
IN the rear. Indeed, Il would not surprise me 4
TO see the EoSCons lead Chicago at the finish. =
" ard has got together a much better team =
.or Brooklyn than Is generally believed.
Here ii -; Catchers--Da1y, Cook, Hayes and
-Alnsiow, two good men and two doubtful.
-ltchers-Durye weighing, Murphy. and =.
probably y an halCren, all fair ana Two first /
lass, although not veterans There is only :
me weak spot IN the indeld, and when the \
nan becomes known he may be a star. The =
luartet is made up Of Orr, Bierbauer, =
oyce and Ward. The outfelders are Seerv, :,
Andrews and McGeachy, with Arthur sun !,
lay as gap filler. :. ,e
Manager Ewing has this team: Ewing ;,