The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-07-20
THEINAkEMONEY
w. l. Harris Writes About the
Western Baseball League.
GOOD PLAYERS AND BIG CROWDS.


ball games at Minneapolis on Decoration
day, 1900 one game ct Orlaha and 5000
two games ct Denver. In all, 1900 Had
it not rsined at Kansas City the total
would have been increased to $500. And
these games were played By the Western
association, minor league, so called. but
| surely good one to draw within a coupls
of thousand as many people TO five games
| IS the American association did TO seven.
One Of the causes Of this good attendance
was the closeness OF the fight for the pen
nant.
The teams appear to be about Is evenly
/ balanced as Il is possible 70 have them
1 The circuit consists of Denver, Colo; Des
Moines, la; Kansas City, Mo-; Milwaukee,
Wis; Minneapolis. MINI; Omaha, Neb /;
! Sioux City, la, and St. Paul, MINI Here
! are eight teams representing five states,
and not one has won less than ten games
or more than twenty at this writing.
By the way, they have queer nicknames
for the western clubs. The Des Noinea
team are spoken OF Gs the Hawkeyes: the
Sioux Citys are designated Corn Huskers;
the Minneapolis men arr dubbed the Mil
lers; the MilwaukeeS are called the Brew.
ers; the St. Pauls are rather apprO priately
termed the Apostles; they call the Omaha
team the Omahogs, and the Denvers arc
styled the Mounteineers. The only team
which has no set name is the Kansas Citys.
One bright young writer has styled them
the hot weather players. When they were
In the National league they were called the
Cowboys in the east. From nv recollec-
tions of them at that time and the usual
luck of visiting teams TO Kansas City
suggest to my western brethren, if they
really need a name, to designate them as
the Petrels, for they have a strong resem-
blance to those stormy bipeds, inasmuch
as rainy weather has always followedin
their wake.
The Minneapolis team has Ryn, Hengle.
Miller and O'Day for an infield, with Car
roll, Foster and Minnehan for an outfeld.
Myers is their best catcher, with Dugdale
to help him out. The pitchers are Hark-
ness, Mitchell, Shreve, Duke and Hudson.
Some of these men are noted in baseball
circles-for instance, George Myers. the
great catcher of the ST. Louis and Indian
apolis teams; Elmer Foster. once Giant,
and perhaps as great an outfielder as ever
played in the League; O'Day, of last sea
sons Lowells; Hengle, once an umpire;
Hudson, late of the Browns, of st. Louis,
and Shreve, of Indianapolis and Detroit
Mitchell, l think, is the young man who
had a brief trial with the Phillies This
team is under the management Of Sam
Morton, as shrewd and able man as the
west has in the minor league baseball bust
ness. Those who are strange to eastern
people are all classed rs good men.
There are many good men on the other
teams. Among those whose names are
known everywhere are Poormah, Dalrym-
pie, Shoch, Alberts and Krieg, of the Mil
waukees; Flanagan, Dolan, Fusselback
and McCullGr, OF Des Moines; viii White,
McGlene, Mcclellan any Dave Rowe. OF
Denver; Burns, Hoover, Stearns, SwartzeI,
Carpenter, Manning and Elmer Smith, of
Kansas City; Cleveland and Tanning, CT
Omaha; Cline and kappel, of Sioux City.
All Of these men are playing good ball and
the association apparently possesses SONS
first class pitching talent. Among the
pitchers little known in the east, who
have first class ability, are Thornton, OF
Milwaukee; Kennedy, OF Denver; Devlin,
of Sioux City; Hart and Sommer, of Des
Moines 1t is noticeable that Tanning, FL
mer Smith, Shreve Mitchell and SwartzeI
are keeping up their good work.
There appears to be only one really weak
spot in the Western association, and that Is
at St Paul, but some new capital has been
interested and it is now expected that the
team Will play the season out. From all
appearances the association viii have thu
most prosperous season Of its career from
both playing and financial standpoint, AZ
the baseball war does not seem to affect
any of the cities of iCs circuit,
A friend asked me a few days ago:
"When both sides are weary Of losing
money how viii the conflict between
League and Brotherhood be settled" This
Is question that is agitsting the minds
of great many people, and none more so
than the magnates Of the two leagues |
Both are already tired Of losing money.
And both are neurly ready To make set
Element. Pride and money will probably I
carry them through the season. What /
then? Does any body knowi Can anybody /
name the RESULT
Judging from present indications any .
prediction would necessarily point to a .
compromise of some sort II IL surely /
either case of smalg,uEtion, compromise /
or quit. II is wise man who could now /
point out which one II vii DC. The losses /
will be large on both sides One or two /
things, however seem to be certain. The /
Brotherhood will have 10 Quit IN Buffalo /
md in Brooklyn. and the League in 4
if there is a second year 4
ef the war There is small doubt /.
also that the ball players Of 81, ~ 1
and '93 will get smaller salaries than the /
players of IS and 90 The war has proved 1
that there are Is good fish in the baseball I
sea az ever came out Of it, and plenty Of |
them, TOO. Whether there Is one league or
Two in 1901 the woods viii be full Of ca
oable ball players, and there viii he 50
many Of them that salary reductiou must
follow, except IN the eases Of
nea who have long contracts or who are
il the clubs for which they
play.
There Is only one course thAt can be
AIKEN which viii az once bring the profes-
ional game up again 70 the notch 81 pres
1erity II occupied II 1889. and that is al
.ualgsmati0n Of the two leagues into one
which shall be run under a national agree
neut and under the rules u the National
eague- A compromise arrangement. with
different division Of territory. new names
or Plsyers' league clnts and g no1-con-
.icting schedule nay eject the sane -
-ult. hut ir r-ould take about four times as
ong 70 bring II about.
" Z HAgE1z