The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-03-22
LEAGUE GOSSIP.
What the Recent Meeting Sug-
gested to w. I. Harris.
SMALL CHANCE FOR EIGHT CLUBS.

Her Frnnchise-The Brotherhood's Great
Strength-Tho American Association Pre-
pared to Fight Hard for 1t.
Ny ideas of what the National league would
do at Cleveland didn't pan out very we'll
except in that my belief that Indianapolis
would not be forced out proved correct. Ger
tainly if unanimity on the part OF the other
clubs and persuasive eloQuence could have
done the business there would be only eight
clubs in the League today; but John T. Brush
was determined not to be dislodged, and with
typical Indiana persistency he held the fort
and is still holding it.
There are 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 ne rather a
forlorn hope, and yet know that some of
the New York club managers still believe
that Brush viii weaken.
MesSrs. Soden, Spalding and Robson, the
committee who tried to argue Mr.. Brush
into selling out, are persuasive men. and if
they could not talk over the Indiana man
there is little chance Of others succeeding
The schedule has been made and the ten
clubs seem to be fixtures. That ten clubs viii
handicap the League financially is quite evil
dent. 1t forces them TO lap off fourteen
| games from the quota Of each club and this,
/ together with eight open dates, gives total
loss of twenty-five games TO each club, en-
failing the sacrifice of the receipts such games
would bring, which may safely be estimated
at $4,000 o club. Then comes the loss in
drawing power, owing to the weakness of
two or three Of the teams Washington is
! lamentably deficient i'll 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 soGle, but where Walter
! Hewitt Is to get team to represent Wash
| lngtOn 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 so tenacious of life
/ that there hope for it yet.
The Brotherhood has prepared its schedule
and its managers are in high glee over the
discontinue of John B. Day and at the pros
poets OF the new league. They say that John
7. 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-
mitted to me the other day that with eight
clubs, with the indianapolis players in New
York, the playing strength of the two leagues
would be pretty well balanced. But said
this gentleman, ''they amt in it with ten
clubs" 1t is just possible that they will be
i'll it with ten clubs and very much in it,
think, when all the lines are set for business.
And there is yet 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,
believe. Compared team for team, so far Us
paper calculations can demonstrate it, the
Brotherhood has mich 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
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 win
have no opposition at Washington. Indian
apoliS or Cincinnati. OF course these are
estimates based on 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 ct baseball
The preliminary exhibition series give one a /
few rips III this direction, and with far
weather the practice season promises TO be
interesting and exciting
The American association, which seemed |
last December TO be hopeleSslv knocked out |
has recovered from the shock much better !
than any one expected il would Ii has com
peted its circuit and viii start out with eight F,
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 il on |
Joyed last year. Although stiu a major /
league and party TO the national agreement !
Of the first part, It really classes little better
than the Western association, and even tire /
Atlantic association is liable 10 push il for |
Importance SIS q league
The Association this season has a pretty |
hard row TO hoe in several of its cities In 1
Philadelphia and Brooklyn it viii have two
clubs il opposition, and ali strong ones. too
The Athletics, however, have q strong hold
on the Philadelphia public and may pail |
through, but the loss Of so many OF the old /
favorites viii hurt the club a great deal
Still, with Welch, Purcell Seward and Rob
inson left Manager Sharsig may make both
ends meet, but that they VIII make dollar
profit few baseball men believe Indeed. the
opinion prevails that al the Philadelphia
clubs viii lose money.
The future OF the BrcoLlyn American asso-
citation club seems 70 me to rest very largely
upon whether or not 1t is permitted to play
Sunday gaues- II it Is, the team NAV pull
through with small loss Otherwise il viii
not be in il financially. even though is salary
list IS lighter. perhaps, than any team IN tee
Association. Rochester viii 90 well enough.
Toledo will hold its own IL is team is auv-
where il the race. Syracuse viii lose money.
doubt II lis managers expect 70 mako any. Z
Columbus, with is expensive team. ouzht 20
seayUp aC1cng the leaders aud rnEEe beta
ends meet financially. St LOUIS vii eorae
near beng ia ths turree1 before the scSsoa "a
over, am LoUisviile-well, Jack Chapman
rnsy SSvs Il IRON disaster by as un.n2ge-ial
shrewdness Qua L. viii have very diasculr
task after ths experiences LcuisviEs ue11
through ms season vita fair bat terribly
tam
On the who's tbs outlook for the American
association IS nos brilliant bu. every cIoad
sas its silver Enizz. Gzd Deraaoz TIA ErzEnr