Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1890-05-22

Have TO Go TO the Wail-President Spald-
ing Interviewed.
| [cHIcAeo ooRREsPoNDENoF.l
| Baseball, as a money making enter
prise, has received black eye. There is
no denying it, The attendance at the
games of both the League and Brother
| hood clubs In the cities of both the East
aud West has been discouragingly small
The attendance at both the League and
Brotherhood games combined is in num-
bers far short of that which crowded the
League grounds alone during the May
| games of last year. This thing cannot
| go on forever. Salaries and travelling
expenses, which in a professional club
| of the frst-class are something en-
ormous, have to be met. Either
| the League or the Brotherhood is des-
| tined 10 go to the wall. The former is
richer both in purse and experience the
latter is poor in both. As both persist
| in declaring il q war to the knife, the
reader is left free to indulge his own
vaccinations as to the final result of the
| fight.
President Spalding, of the Chicago
League Club, being interviewed as to the
outlook for the national game. said:
There will be no compromise
change of schedule, no change of circuit
| in the National League. The eight clubs
that now represent the old organizat on
are in this fight to the finish. 1t is not a
| question OF one month, one season, or
| one year; it is question that involves
the entire future of the national game.
| Tho Pittsburg Club will fi1ish the sea-
sen. Mt least SO am assured by the di-
rectors and stockholders. The Cleveland
| Club will Go the same, and as for New
York 1t Is in as solid financial con-
dition as Chicago. 1t matters not to the
1 Il Vaa WI haf NIL tO ho nai
or not For the time being, the interest
in baseball is dead, and no organization
| is drawing q cent. This condition of
| affairs will continue until one or the oths
| OF the two organizations now fighting for
supremacy goss to the wall. From this
time out it will simply be case of dog
eat dog, and the dog with bulldog tenden-
cies will live the longest. Money will be
necessary in plenty 10 carry on the fight,
aud the League is prepared TO go into its
| pocket wherever necessary. 1t will never
miss pay day, nor wi i its ball-players
have to clamor at any time for what is
| due them. h, Players League is no long
| er the brotherhood. 1t is an organization
| of spectators from Wall street, who,
back of oae hundred ball-pl yers, are
making an effort to win some money from
the game. The National League is not
speculative body; its hackers are con-
|
on flyers. Time W ii tell whether futures
will win against straight-out policy of
honesty. The fight is not between the
| b. .otherhood and the National League.
| 1t is between the National agreement
clubs, comprising upward OF 5000 play
ers, and the speculator, back of the one
hundred revolving members of the erst-
while Brotherhood of Base ball Players
johnny WarI claims that the league
4 II = l. l. - - =
viewer.
| THAT is not true. 1t telies all our
| TO mer conduct. We made b .se-ball and
we would be the last to see it go down.
We fought all the hard battles during the
early struggles and no one regrets the
present trouble more than we. When we
found in 1877 that gang of players in
Louisville was selling games it was
blow that shook the National League game
to lis foundations. Our club lost $1,000
that season, and there was o time when
/ Mr.. Hubert and my self were on paper
in the bank which would b I'VE wiped me
out entirely had been called upon 10
| pay. But we took the risk. We foated
the g lme and 1t took seven years to gain
the confidence of the people. That is only
one incident which the eople forget. Now
| / feel thi t We are in the right and being
in the right 1 think we will win this
fight. / don't believe the people will for
sake the National League. This country
will not support both the Brotherhood
| and the National Leagues. 1t is q quo g.
tion of the survival of the fittest, and we
think the League is the fttest. Say
what you will, it is war to the knife.
One or the other must eventually 90 to
the wall. If it be possible that the peo-
pie shall refuse to support the League,
then the League will acknowlodo its de-
/ nj nm wa mil
hang together. was in at the birth of
the National League, aud shall stay to
see her decently buried if such a day
| come"
And I'll die with it." put in Capt. An
son, who had sat in silence during the in
| terview.
The following incident in The career of
Jimmy Calvin, the well-known pitcher,
is related by the Chicago Tribune:
Some years ago Calvin played in
semi professional club in st. Louis, his
home. He would invariably take off his
shoes and pitch in his stocking feet and
do other things which distinguished him
from other players. One afternoon he
was pitching when the game was close.
In the last half of the ninth inning Gal
wins team needed one run TO tie AMI
two TO win. There were two men out,
men on second and third, and Jim
| aJ tue Dat. ne GOT Dull 10 MS
liking and landing on 1t square
lifted IL to extreme center. It looked
good for home run and the crowd rose
to its feet and cheered. The center.
fielder, however. after long run, turned
and pulled the ball down with one hand.
Calvin no sooner saw this than, cutting
first base, he started across the diamond
after the fielder with blood in his eye.
The luckless fielder saw him coming, and
knowing his peculiarity waited for no ar
gument Clearing the fence with bound
he started across the country, carrying
the ball his team had won. He soon dis
tanced his pursuer and walked back to
the city in his uniform. 1t was long
time before Calvin would forgive him.
BASEBALL NOTES.
Beckley covers first base rs neatly as
any man that ever felt of b se-ball.
Both the League and Brotherhood have
n number of crippled mea. The cold
weather is accountable for il.
Pitcher Devlin, formerly of the st.
Louis club, is pitching for Sioux City.
Ewing says he is sorry for Ros Barnes,
but that he we'll never do for an umpire.
Base ball is booming in Australia, ac-
cording to the latest accounts from the
antipodes.