The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-16
BASEBALE'S GREATYEAR.
JAMES MUTRIE, NEW YORKs"
MANAGER, ON THE GAME.

He Says it is Going to be the Best
Season in the History of the Game,
and the Public VIII See Some of
the Finest Exhibitions of Batting
Fielding and Pitching Ever Wit
messed.
(Copyriqhfl
New YORK, Feb. 13.-The amount of in
terest that the public generally seems to be
taking in base ball just now is little short
of remarkable. 1 know of no time when
the game was so popular, or when the in
| terests vested in it were SO great or so
varied. / am in constant receipt of letters
from all over the country, and from all
sorts and conditions of men. and women,
too, for that matter, asking all kinds of
questions concerning the game. Some of
| these are cranks, pure and simple. some are
| persons who seem to write just for the fun
| Of the thing. On the other hand, many
more are from men who are interested in
base ball from love of the game-a game
| which maintain j. unequaled in its way.
The question that a majority of these
| correspondents put TO me, if properly con-
| densed, would consist of this sentence
"W bat is the base ball outlook for 1907 It
| is, of course, impossible to answer all these
| correspondents, Just as it IS impossible for
any one to satisfactorily decide just what
the coming base bali season Will bring forth.
This is going to be great base bail year.
| OF that there can be no doubt. At the
same time it is going to be very peculiar
| year in a great many ways. IL will he so
| peculiar, in fact, in some respects, that he
would be a rash man who would attempt at
this time to say just how things will stand
/ nayt fnll Whpn the season closes
This much is certain. The SEASON. will be
| interesting from start TO finish. There will
| be some great ball playing done all around,
and the American public, which is always
ready to pay It's money out freely and with
| out stint for any sport of high quality
that is run on square and honest principles,
will doubtless spend more time than ever
| during the coming summer on its favorite
| game.
l don't agree in the theory that the
| American public likes to be humbugged.
1t certainly will stand no humbug in the
matter of base ball. There was a time when
| the experiment of running the national
| game on an extremely bad and not alto
| gether honest basis was tried. 1t is pretty
well known how that experiment resulted.
| 1t ended in disaster, and for a time in tie
discrediting of the game. The public would
| not patrOnIZe it, and the entire business was
| in very bad way.
Now have always believed that good,
| straight, honest base bail would find favor
/ with the public as soon as 1t had been
| demonstrated that the right article was
| being furnished. | had this idea when
cane to New York eight years ago and es-
! tablished the old Metropolitan Base Ball
| Club, and still hold it.
The progress that the game has made
| since is simply remarkable.
In 1882 base ball in New York city was
Int 10 o,a;o tod nAa 10 xnh,
or any playing day during the base ball
season may be found either cheering until
hoarse the clever playing OF some of their
favorltes at the playing grounds or else
watching with breathless anxiety for the re-
turns as published on some newspaper bulle
tin of some game inning by inning attest
the deep interest in the game. Nor did the
more confirmed of the base Tall cranks
make uD parties as they do now and jour
ney hundreds Of miles to see a champion
ship game between two great clubs. All
this came slowly and it came only when 1t
was shown that the game was being put up
III thoroughly business-like manner.
1t is no purpose Of mine at this time to 60
into any discussion as to the standing of the
various leagues that Will play base ball this
coming season. My position in the rational
Is well known. At the same time there are
men In clubs not connected with the ma
tional league with " HON ! have been very
closely connected, and against whom | have
nothing to say. In fact, it is not necessary
for me to do 1t. The game this year will
be played IN an honest above board fashion
and the whole matter will be determined at
its end. The national league, SO far as |
know, is going to follow cut its old policy
or furnishing great game of base ball on
every day that one of It's clubs plays with
another, or for that matter plays with any
club. As to the other leagues, have moth
ing to say.
am often asked if this is going to be a
paying year in base ball. In reply TO that
| must say frankly that l don't know. As
L have before stated this is going to be
very queer year so far as base ball is con-
cerned, and there is no man financially in
terested who is not very uncertain us to
how the whole thing Is going to end at the
at the close of the season.
Hundreds upon hundreds Of thousands
of dollars are invested il the game this
year. This money is not invested by gam
blers or Spectators On the contrary il
has been put into the base ball business by
sound common sense business men. They
have put their money into base ball just as
they would put it into any other business,
and they will see to it that it will be used
just as men who invest capital in
the ordinary lines of business do. Dur
ing the season Of 1890 the interests will be
more widely scattered than ever efore,
but as to the results of this it is now too
early to speculate. 1t must be remembered
in calculating as TO the probable results of
the season of next year that the clubs that
will play are more mixed up than they
have been in many years before. Some Of
the best players Of tine national league will
play with the league Of the players.
On the other hand, good representa-
ton of old members of the leading league
have stood by it, and in addition some Of
the leading members of the American as
ISOLATION have joined it. Then the various
leagues have signed any number of new
players, and no one knows just what they
may do between now and next fall. 1t is
quite within the limits that we snail pro-
duce new editions of our present famous
players. There are Kellys, Clarksons,
Wards, and Commiskeys yet undiscov-
cred. They may appear on the scene at
any time.
The coming season will be very much
mixed up. just look at the number of
leagues and the number Of men who will
play in them. There are several thousand
men who are now playing base ball for
salary. Taking the national league, the
players league, the American association,
the western league, the New England
league, the southern league. the Califor
sk.