Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-19
A REVIEW OF SPORTS,
Hopeful Signs of Settlement of
the Trouble Among the
Baseball Interests.
PLAYERS VALUED LIKE CATTLE.
Reasons Why the Brooklyn and Louisville
Clubs Are Not. Playing for the
Worlds Championship.
JACK DEMPSEY AND FITZSIMMONsD
Rsnark1 About sprntsr Owens Recent 1ooYsrd Record
st Washington


at Washington
We are just getting glimpses Of the calm
and peaceful period ahead of us that is to
follow the period of conflict and hatred in
the baseball world. Whether or not we
will enjoy that expected brightness in all
its fullness 1 know not but certainly we can
see it ahead of us palmer to-day than at any
time during the conflicts existence. The
weeks events in baseball have conspIcu-
ously shown that the good judgment and
business sense OF gentlemen interested in the
matter are prevailing at last. Consolida-
ton has been the leading theme. and
New York has set the example;
an example worthy of emulation.
The quiet and business like way
in which the New York magnates have
SO far accomplished their work is indeed
refresning after all the noise. bluster and
bad feeling which have made the lives of
people interested in the national game very
weary indeed. What the New York con-
solidation will lead to / cannot tell but do
know what it ought to lead to. 1t ought to
be the Inauguration OF a time of peace
capitalists can do can be done by others. Ii
the gigantic moneyed interests of the two
New York clubs can be unified in sstisfac-
tory way certainly the small interests OF
other cities ought to be settled without much
trouble True there has been some kind of
opposition to the proposed con-
solidation of the New York clubs
and some of this opposition is reasonable.
Parties who lave during the season invested
1rlp . +. ha hp1i at rhp
?. l. would always be distinct organization
have objected strenously TO the consolidation
plan. Opposition of the kind is pardonable,
but the opposition prompted by mere per-
sonal hatred is to be despised entirely. We read
of an old king who killed hundreds of people
in hope that be would put to death among them
one particular individual. Some persons have
been objecting to every settlement of a fair
kind in hopes that the entire business would be
wrecked, thereby injuring one or two partlcu-
lar men. know this to be a fact However,
it sincerely to be hoped that all this bad feel
Ing has vanished and that in baseball affairs.
''We'u brithers be an a that
Players as Stock.
During the conferences between representa-
tives of the two local ball clubs a very impor-
tant and interesting feature was introduced by
the representatives of the Players League. I
am drawing attention to this in spirit of
unfrIendliness, but like Rosa Dartte I"want
TO know" The matter is this: In making up
the valuation of the P. L. club a number of
PLAYERS we're valued at SO much per head. and
the total, think, was somewhere about $4,000
In short, these players were numbered
among the assets of the club Just
as would horses, cattle, etc. figure among the
assets of farmer. or did slaves among the as
sets OF a slave owner. Now. am not exagger-
ating anything here, because this kind of fgur-
ing actually did take place. and was defended
by Secretary BrUnell, President McCallin and
Director Rae. This may be a startler, indeed
to me it is an 3stounder. We cannot forget the
pens, the ink and the paper that were used not
long ago by everybody in the P. L, who could
write in showing up the iniquity, the degrada-
ton OF white slavery among baseball PLAYERS;
They are being sold like cattle and valued
like slaves" was a war cry that dinned
in all our ears. There was, indeed,
considerable truth in the cry. Certainly
there was deal of force in it. In short this
was the great plea for revolt. But, great
Scott! here we have the hydra again and intro
duced and defended by those who claimed to
have pulled it Staley is valued al 81, 50U, Beck
ley, bargain, is tabulated at s., 700 and SO the
list of the stock in trade goes on. But the
amusing part of the matter is that the club did
not pay one dollar for any of them. The values
attached to them are the prices paid for them
by other people in the days of slavery and anti
cOnfscation. Now, seriously, 1 ask: Why
should gross inconsistency like this obtain?
1t is prepusterous II the y, J.. directors of this
city should have accepted the assets as pre-
sented to them would the players so valued
have been awarded each one-half of their
valuation as stock? l claim NOT. Had the deal
been made these players would have been sold
just as completely as in the wicked days of the
National Leagues undisputed sway. There
would have been one exception, viz, the pur-
chaser would hardly have been SO certain of
his goods a in the iron-heel-tyranny period.
Mark this: am not arguing for against the
justice of valuIng players as above stated l
am simply stating a fact of to-day and compar-
ing it with a fact of only short Time ago. The
comparison to me is exceedingly interesting. l
think ii will also be SO 10 those who think it
over.
The Worlds Championship.
One Of the interesting things of this year in
baseball matters IS the series of games between
the Louisville and Brooklyn clubs for what they
call the worlds championship. have referred
TO this question more than once, but l have
scarcely expected that the series of games
would have been called the worlds champion
ship series. The articles of agreement signed
by the parties interested give the series the
title just mentioned, and it may be that
some CT the public believe that the series
Is legitimateIy for the title in question I fail
TO see how in any shape or form the worlds
championship can be dragged into the series,
except II be for advertising purposes. If this
be the case and think it is, the parties are, to
q very great extent, eXcuSable. But to look
al the matter seriously, the first question we
ask: What is a worlds championship? The
only answer that can be given is the very best
man or party of men in the world in his or their
particular form of contest. This being so, l
claim At once that neither the Louisville club
nor the Brooklyn club is the best club in the
world, / care not which wins this series. OF
course may be wrong. but beyond all, nobody
Irving Will deny that there is every reasonable
doubt existing against either of the two clubs
named being the best in the world. Well, then
ii II IS granted there is a reasonable doubt
away goes the claim of the big title. Nothing
League team is not very mnch Superior to either
the Brooklyn and Louisville clubs except a
contest between them. There are thousands
Of people OF the same opinion ana if they
never compete against each other most GER
tainly will always claim that the best base
ball team Of 1890 was the Boston P. L. team.
1t is, indeed, pity that the Bostons and Brook
lyns are prevented from playing against each
other 1t might be possible to arrange a few
games between the clubs il the trouble between |
the TWO leagues is settled. venture to say that
we would all like to see it.
The Baseball Season.
There have been more objections urged this !
year against the continuation of the baseball |
season after the championship contest ends
than there have ever been. OF course,
one reason for this has been the in
difference that everybody has had for the
game; but there is growing ten
dency among players, the pubic and club
directors 20 end the season when the champion |
ship season is finished. l am much inclined |
toward a step of that kind, because exhibition |
games have become farces. We never hear of |