St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-08-11
THEIR CLUB is GONE.
The hill City VIII Probably
See No More Base
Ball,
Although Others Claim the
Suspension Is Merely
Temporary.
IF minneapolis Goes Out the
Western Association Will
Drop.
Pittsburg Phil Wins $4,000
on Kern at Saratoga
Races.

base ball franchise, one base bali park
the heart Of big city, with all APP
purtenances thereto, including a first
class diamond, grand stand, bleachers.
club house, ETC., and one job lot of base
ball uniforms in assorted sizes, together
with bats. balls, bat bags, masks.
gloves and other base ball parapher-
MALTA, all going cheap for cash. Reason
for sale, going out of business. Write
to or call in person on Hach &o Griffin.
base ball magnates, 426 NicOllet avenue.
Minneapolis.
The above-signed "ad'' was written
yesterday, supposedly. If it wasn't, it
should have been. The statements
made in it are literally true.
The Minneapolis ball team was. Only
the melancholy dream of pennant,
champions OF the Western association.
1891" is.
At 1920 sharp yesterday morning
Manager ". Il. Harrington entered the
club house at Athletic park, MinneapO-
lis. The leather chaSerS were busy
packing up to go to Duluth. No smile
was upon his face as he entered.
Boys" he said, and there was a
culver in his voice, You may as we'll
LAY Jul AAklI SullS anu ~ OuI lOl q zOON
time. This base ball team is diSbanded
by order of the baron"
Then was there hurrying, hot haste.
Tredway went upon the field and let out
two WhOOps that would have done credit
to Stick-in -the-Middle-o his
illustriOuS ancestor of the Glib
ways. Everybody lOnged for a cold
wave and an abundant crop of SNOW
balls. The team is gone, for certainty
The little sign still hangs above the
door, but its meaning has flown. The
crank sits him down before a mug of
SORROW smasher and means: Our ball
team is no more and all our joy is dead,
for without ball team is there no UNI
piTe to stand the GAIT"
Yes. the ball team Is gone.
Hy L. Hach has this to say on the
subject:
Ever since the team returned from
the last trip we have been considering
this course of action. The patrons of
the game think, of course, the team
has been doing all right financially; in
fact, that We were making plenty of
money. Such is not the case. We
knew that we wouldn't draw very well
when the team came home because the
hOys had played losing ball. But we
determined to make several changes
where we sure we could better our
selves, and. if possible, shake off our
hOOdOO and play winning ball. We
succeeded pretty well. and of late
have done well. We have taken two
out of three from Lincoln, Kansas City
and Omaha. lost two out of three to
Denver in the last four series. This is
good work, yet the attendance is too
poor to warrant US going on. On SatUr-
day we had 454 people and yesterday
1913. Our average attendance for the
past two months has been 800. Now,
when you come to pay 500 to the visit
ing club out of each days gate receipts,
there isn't enough left to run an
amateur club. To pay club expenses
costs exactly S125 per day from the time
the season opens until it closes. With
an investment like that on your hands
man must see his way clear. 1t doesn't
take long to eat up considerable at that
rate. The club has lost no money to
speak of. We are even now, but we
cannot finish the season without losing
between g, 500 and 5000. | don't pro-
pose to lose money, and for this reason
| disbanded the team. The franchise
belongs to the association, and if any
one wants TO take the team up they are
welcome to do So"
Hach saws further that he will sell the
lease of the ground, running for two
years yet, with rent paid up TO May l,
1892. and everything that stands on it
for s.. 900 cash. He places the value of
it at $4,000, but is willing to take 50
cents on the dollar. And there you are.
He adds that he believes that the West
ern association will 60 up the traditional
spout within the week. The junior
member of the firm of Hach q Griffin
attributes the falling patronage to the
ToaSts from the newspapers. He doesn't
seem to appreciate that the team needed
an occasional roast for the quality OF
ball furnished.
SO much for the reasons of the man
agement. Now for the public's view of
the case
One can 20 upon the streets of Min
neapOlis and find several dozen reasons
for the disarmament. Of course there
are I-tOld-vOu-Sos innumerable, who say
that the sale of Shugart killed the at
tendance and brought about the dis
bandment. That may have hurt the
attendance. so far as a few cranks are
concerned, but it WASH wholly respOn
slble. A few people went to see Shu-
CART. more went to see ball games. Shu-
CART couldn't have won the pennant.
Seated about eight feet deep in the
lllllu vi LilC DuDllG ID tllG GO1NlGllOl
that there is a scheme behind this dis
bandment. Theories are numberless.
Some Of them are plausible.
Here Is one:
1t is possible that Hart has become
dissatisfied with Manager Harrington.
Harrington having, in all probability, a
contract for a full year, might be
troublesome TO dispose of. The team
could be disbanded. That would settle
the manager. The franchise and the
team could be transferred to another
and the game go on. each being inter
ested in the profits. The players are not
formally released yet. They viii not be
at liberty for ten days. The franchise
IS not forfeited, Such a scheme could
be worked.
Here is another.
Suppose Hach wanted to get out of
the sporting goods business. That the
store of Hach & Griffin does not make
much money, if any. is conceded. He
has a partner in both base ball and the
store. He doesn't want to buy out the
partner, because he dOeS't want the
store. The partner can't buy him out
for lack of funds. The team could
be formally disbanded and turned over
to another, as before outlined. The
partner would be out of the base ball
business. The store could be sold out.
Most people affect to disbelieve the
statement that Hach and Griffin are
Just breaking even. Patronage was
big early in the season. 1t didn't drop
off diSastrOusly until recently. The
races helped to lessen it. A great
amount of money hasn't been lost in
the past two weeks. Last year the
team made $1,000, and the season be-
fore $4,000. The difference between
this season and the two former ones
doesn't seem so great.
The broad shoulders of Sam Morton
loom up in this fog. Sam is interested
in this somewhere. Perhaps he is the
third man in the schemes outlined