Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-03-23
LEAGUE GOSSIP.
What the Recent Meeting Sug-
gested to w. I. Harris.
SMALL CHANCE FOR EIGHT CLUBS.


pared to Fight Hard for IL.
Ny ideas of what the National league would
do at Cleveland didn't pan out very well,
except in that my belief that indianapolis
would not be forced out proved correct. Ger.
tainly II unanimity On the part Of the other
clubs and persuasive eloauence could have
done the business there would be only eight
clubs in the League today; but John I. Brush
was determined not 10 he disloigei, and with
typical Indiana persistency he held the fort
and is still holding it.
There are a great many people in the vicin-
ity of New York, and in other places, too, who
firmly believe that Brush will yet capitulate,
and the League will only have eight clubs
when the bell rings. 1t seems to me rather a
forlorn hope, and yet ! know that some Of
the New York club managers still believe
that Brush will weaken.
Messrs. Soden, Spalding and Robson, the
committee who tried to argue Mr.. Brush
into selling out. are persuasive men. and IL
they could not talk over the Indiana man
there is little chance Of Others succeeding.
The schedule has been made aud the ten
clubs seem to be fixtures. That ten clubs will
handicap the League financially is quite evil
dent. 1t forces them to lap oil fourteen
games from the quota uf each club, and this,
together with eight open dates, gives a total
loss Of twenty-five games to each club, en-
failing the sacrifice of the receiptssuch games
would bring, which may safely he estimated
at 10000 q club. Then comes the loss in
drawing power, owing I'd the weakness Of
two or three of the teams. Washington is
lamentably deficient in playing material.
Pittsburg is not over strong, and New York
has not got the team that its importance re-
quires. Still. by the time the season opens,
six weeks from now, Mr.. Day will have a
team that will satisfy New Workers. Pitts
burg will strengthen some, but where Walter
Hewitt is to get a team To represent WASH
ington that is Of any account as compared TO
the others, is one Of those things no fellow
can find out. His chance seems to lie In the
disruption Of the International league, but
that organization seems 80 tenacious Of life
that there i hope for it yet.
The Brotherhood has prepared its schedule,
anu It's uldnuStlo " IA uiku kFt oNti buc
discontinue Of John B. Day aud at the pros
poets Of the new league. They say that John
I. Brush by refusing to get out Of the league
more than makes amends for having per.
suaded nine Brotherhood players to stick TO
the League. One Of the minor leaders ad-
United TO me the other day that with eight
clubs, with the indianapolis players in New
York, the playing strength Of the leagues
would be pretty well balanced. But" said
this gentleman, ''they amt In II with ten
clubs" It is just possible that they will be
In IL with ten clubs and very much in it,
think, when all the lines are set for business.
And there is yet a good chance for a reduc.
ton from ten to eight clubs
Collectively the Brotherhood has about 10
per cent. the best Of the League in players, I
believe. Compared team for team, 30 far a.
pape calculations can demonstrate It, the
Brotherhood has q much greater advantage
in some places. Leaving New York aside,
because the League team is not completed,
the Brotherhood appears to have the strongest
teams at Chicago, at Pittsburg and at Cleve-
land. In Brooklyn the League team leads.
At Philadelphia and Boston IL is very near q
stand off. At Buffalo the Brotherhood will
not have League opposition, but the Indian
apolis or Cincinnati teams are far superior to
the Buffalo aggregation. The League will
have no opposition at Washington, Indian
apolis or Cincinnati. OF course these are
estimates based IN paper strength. When
actual playing is made the test it may turn
out that the weak are strong and the strong
weak. Such are the possibilities of baseball.
The preliminary exhibition series give one a
few tips in this direction, and with fair
weather the practice season promises to be
interesting and exciting.
The American association, which seemed
last December to be hopelessly knocked out,
has recovered from the shock much better
than any one expected 1t would. 1t has com
pleted It's circuit and will start out with eight
cities, which are all liable to do well with
twenty-five cent ball. The list comprises
Brooklyn, Rochester, Syracuse, Philadelphia,
Toledo, Columbus, st. Louis and Louisville.
The Association has lost the prestige it en-
joyed last year. Although still a major
league and a party to the national agreement
of the first part, it really classes little better
than the Western association, and even the
Atlantic association is liable TO push it for
importance as a league.
The Association this season has a pretty
hard row to hoe in several of it, cities. In
Philadelphia and Brooklyn 1t will have two
clubs in opposition, and all strong ones. too.
The Athletics, however, have a strong hold
on the Philadelphia public aud may pull
through, but the loss II so many Of the old
favorites will hurt the club a great deal.
Still, with welcb, Purcell, Seward and Rob.
inson left Manager Sharsig may make both
ends meet, but that they will make n dollar
profit few baseball men believe. Indeed. the
opinion prevails that all the Philadelphia
clubs will lose money.
The future Of the Brooklyn American asso.
citation club seems to me To rest very largely
upon whether or not IL is permitted to play
Sunday games. II II is, the team may pull
through with small loss. Otherwise it will
not be in IL financially, even though its salary
list is lighter, perhaps, than any team in the
Association. Rochester will do well enough.
Toledo will hold its own II its team is any
where In the race. Syracuse will lose money.
] doubt II its managers expect to make any.
Columbus, with its expensive team, ought to
stay up among the leaders and make both
ends meet financially. 81. Louis will come
near being Ia the turrsen before the season Il
over, and Louisville-weIl, Jack Chapman
may ave IL from disastsr by his managerial
shrewdnsss, but he will have very dif1cult
task after the experience Louisville went
through last season with Q fair but terribly
m~ismanaged team.
On the whole the outlook for the American
awociation is not brilliant. but every cloud