Wichita eagle., 1890-03-02
BOSTON BASEBALL
w. l. Harris Writes of the Com.
ing Seasons Probabilities.
LEAGUE AND PLAYERS COMPARED

The Brotherhood Team Has the Adv.n.
tage Behind the Bat. but This Is Onses,
That the Chances. Apparently, Are
| About Even.
| Tie popularity of baseball In Boston Ia
| tremendous There is no manner of doubt "a
! to the status of the capi1ai OF Massachusetts, as
| baseball city merely. It is the banner CITY
! and the admission price cuts no figure. Price
| is nothing, quantity everything. Boston
| cranks are peculiar. They will cheerfully
| give up fifty cents and dollar for gilt edged
ball, where they wouldn't pay ten cents for
a third rate article. OF course q cheap team
| at twenty-fiY cents would draw Q few hun
/ dred people every day, but the people whose
! attendance makes baseball profitable would
remain away. The experiment has been
| tried there and great deal of money has
! been lost from time TO time in such ventures
No one knows these facts better than the
three men who are the owners Of the Boston
League club. They realized at the very OUT
set that II they expected 10 hold their patron
age they must get prizo team together
They wasted no time in law suits. and didnS
wait for one man 10 do this and another man
TO do that. IL was get up and hustle AID
they made business Of il, and the result has
been n lesson for some other very slow people
10 remember for many day 10 come The
Boston League club is ready Cor the fray,
thoroughly equiY,ed with first class team,
which is superior 20 the Brotherhood team in
some things and inferior 20 il in only one
thing, and even in that time may show thas
the difference is not material enough TO have
very great influence on the gate
n ten years residence in Boston has 70 some
extent qualified me to give an opinion as to
the baseball situation there, so far as the
question Of patronage and the kind aud quail
ity of baseball it viii stand. An absence OF
two years, Of course, disqualiflss me ~ .
judge OF public feeling regards the League
versus tho Brotherhood, except in a general
way. lt Is my opinion that from May to
Oct. Boston cannot have too much baseball
There would be good paying attendance il
there was a game every day during that Pc
Rod, provided always that the quality of the
game of the highest standard n there
IS any city in America where two first class
professional clubs can live and both mako
money, that city Is BozDn; hence the chances
for the success OF the brotherhood are greater
in Boston than anywhere else.
| do not know much about tho public
pulse en- the sympathy question. Baseball
patrons are tickle They laSe good ball They
soon overcome preiudiees If these prejudices
are not fostered by tsne newspaper The
chances are that among the people whose dol
lars make paying games possible in Boston,
the sentiment is Ettle IN favor Of the Play
ers, but Go not believe that az will figure TO
any extent IN keeping people away from tho
League grounds. Ball cranks are Ike thea
ire goers They are going To ioo& at the show
aud not the proprietors IL they get the real
article, personal dislike OF the management
will not have much influence. The baseball
patrons go 10 see the game, and want 10 well
played and squarely played. That Ii all.
Sympathy for the Players won't make them
rich or make the Boston Leagycmanagemcus
poor. The present prospect n that before
the season is half over the patronage will be
divided in Boston. IL there were eight Bos-
tons the Brotherhood would surely succeed
if wisely and judiciously managed.
Now let US SEQ what kind of teams tbs
rivals are going to havd Hercsdhs list Of
each: