Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-05-24
1856

n,
Philadelphia and Brooklyn on Saturday
was largely in favor of the Players league,
but rs Saturday in all of these cities is
largely in the nature of holiday the fig
ures are not representative of the steady
baseball clientele. The steady gains made
by the League have made the Brotherhood
managers thoughtful, and l am told on
pretty good authority that they would be
only too glad to patch up q truce and
change their schedules were it not for tho
fear that they would lose prestige among
their more enthusiastic supporters should
they show any signs of weakening. There
Is no doubt, however, that they will make
some changes in their circuit, II not before
the season is over, certainly before start
ing in on another campaign.
1t was publicly stated last week that the
League had made a proposition to the
Brotherhood that if they would change
the names Of their clubs the League would
cities during the second half of the season.
was told by gentleman, whose name
am not at liberty to give. who is high in
the councils of the Players league officials,
although not one of them, that he knew
positively that such scheme had indi-
rectly been advanced by the National league
managers. The League people, however,
deny the story in toto. One of them told
me that he thought it would be wise plan
for the Players league to change the names
of their clubs, as he believed such a course
would benefit the game by increasing the
aggregate attendance. but that the Ma
tional league had made no propositions to
their opponents and would make none.
There is no doubt that the League men
would be pleased to see such move, for 1t
ham hav 4 ha, ha;
nents. The Players league is not likely to
take step that would give their rivals any
advantage.
There has been a tendency on the part of
some people, more notably league men, to
attribute the falling off in attendance at
the games as an indication that our great
national sport is losing ground. This is an
erroneous idea. 1t is very likely that the
public interest is not SO fierce as it was
when the presence of one team in city
united all the enthusiasts in shouting for
that one team and inspiring strong local
pride in their achievements, but do not
believe that the general interest is one whit
less than in 1889. 1t is true that the attend
ance figures last week were small, but this
was due solely to the bad weather, which
reduced the contests in most Of the cities
to one half of those scheduled and greatly
handicapped the attendance at those played
From this out, until well into September,
expect to note that the aggregate attend
ance at the games is larger than ever before
known in the annals of the sport. One
thing is certain, this talk of decrease in
interest" is not likely to increase and it has
no real foundation in fact.
The visit of the Chicago Players league
team to the east has created feeling of
anxiety in the breast of that crazy baseball
enthusiast, Edward Everett Bell. This indi-
vidual has been made almost a national
character by his peculiar eccentricities on
every ball ground he visits He is not a
crank of the Digby Bell, Maurice Barry
more, DE Wolf Hopper or General Dix
well order. They are immensely popular
because there is nothing offensive or eccen-
trio in their makeup, unless it be Dixwell's
harmless "Hi, hi which has to a certain
extent made him famous. Edward Everett
Bell is different He is unique. He only
talks about two things. One is the safes
he sells, and the other baseball He has
three fads One is long hair, the second a
blind devotion to the Chicago Brotherhood
team, and the other plug hat,
Bells plug hat and whiskers, long name
and glasses are makeup that causes him
ceaseless anguish when the small boys get
kight of him crossing the 'beacheries' at
the ball parks. Two of Bells fads, the
Chicago team and his long name, are in
danger. hence his anxiety, In an evil mo-
ment Bell wagered his long hair against
Nick Engel's goatee that Comiskey's men
would win the Players league penant.
The way the Brooklyn team hustled Bells
pets has really taken his appetite away.
Mr. Engel, who is also crank of national
repute, has twitted Bell so much about the
dafa pf hat ha IA aH