Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-02-02
A LEAGUE DEFENSE.
President Nimick Somewhat Calls His
Opponents Down.
A KICK FROM WASHINGTON.
Joe Heideger Makes Statement About His
Expulsion.
THE SPORTING NEWS OF THE DAl

President W. A. Nimick, of the local
National League, and his colleagues have
much to say regarding their position in the
present baseball issue. They claim that be-
cause of certain line of sympathy the pub
lie has been systematically kept in the dark as
far as the facts of the situation are concerned.
Mr.. Nimick said yesterday afternoon:
Because of sympathy manufactured to a
great extent in questionable places and under
Vety questionable circumstances, may say
places that have and always will be the ball play
er's ruin, the public has been led to believe many
things that are not true. 1t has almost come
to thispoint that four or five gentlemen who
have for years put up the money to get good
ball club here and who have lost money every
year, cannot even get fair hearing Now we
certainly have claim to some respect, and
above all we have right to be heard.
NIMICK's PHILOSOPHY.
Now I wish to explain our position regard
ing the legal feature of the contest and 1 do
this mindful of the fact that we have, in Pitts
burg, paid ball players salaries that some very
prominent business men in the city don't re-
ceive in year. This fact, think, will prompt
intelligent people to listen to US and the news
papers to give US at least, a semblance of
in the local Brotherhood club because they
have acted unfairly, morally and legally OF
course 1 know that Mayor McCallin and
Others use that very childish notion to the
effect that we are prepared to spend lots of
money to retain losing business. Let me put
the Mayor and his speculative friends right on
this score. We have not made dollar in base
ball, nor do we desire any profit, in fact all
profit that our club can make can be shared
among the players. But we have paid some
very large sums of money for the release of
players, our great ambition being to have a
club that could defeat all other clubs.
SIGNIFICANT QUESTION.
Now, after paying out all this money and get
ting the club something near first class basis
is it to be wondered at that we object to other
people coming in like pirates and inducing
these players to throw all pledges and contracts
to the wind and desert us? Is there bona fde
American who will Passively submit to piracy
like that? Neither Mayor McCallin nor his
friends can logically defend such action, par
t1cularly in view of the fact that
such action was taken and conniVed in
unknown to US. Let me ask the
Mayor or any of his friends this question: Sup
pose he gets ball club in good shape after a
club expenditure of 5000 and just when it
has arrived at that stage some scheming people
appear on the scene and induce his players to
Join another venture, leaving the Mayor and
his papers worthless as far as the club was con-
der the circumstances? Why the thing is pre-
posterous. We are simply fighting to maintain
our individuality: goodness knows we are not
fighting to make profit. but we are in the field
and certainly that natural pride which charac-
teTiZes every true American prompts US to try
and maintain our ground and not be knocked
out by men who are foreign to the sport and
business. We will fight every inch of ground
and we only beg to have our views fairly pre-
sented to the people. Not player can prove
we've robbed him and not one will get more
salary than we can give"
Messrs. Converse and O'NeiIl will be here
this week, and directors meeting will be held.
manager will be elected, Guy Hecker proba-
bly, being the man.