Morning journal and courier., 1891-03-02
THE BASE BALL WORLD.

THE BASE BALL WORLD.
Erect Of the War Between the Major
Leagues Upon tho Minor Leagues
The International League to Meet
Tuesday at Buffalo = The New
Haven Teams New Men-The state
League to be Organized Wednesday
Notes.
The baseball season of 1891 is now but
few weeks off and the managerso Of all the
teams in the country are hustling after
players, either securing new ones or en-
deavoring to secure the signatures of the
players under reserve to new contracts.
The latter is much more difficult of ac-
complement even than heretofore, owing
to the open and constantly widening breach
between the two major organizations of
the country. Players see in this new war
which has been precipitated upon the
country an opportunity for them to hold
off in order to force the arrangements of
the various teams to pay them ruinously
high salaries or they threaten to jump into
some other organization, which under tho
existing circumstances they have the OPP
portunity of doing The national agree
ment and the reserve rule being practic-
ally dead letters, war to the end, and far
game, has been declared against
tho national league and all other
associations or leagues party to the, ma
| tional agreement, by the American associ-
| alton, and thereby the reserve rule is
broken down and premium placed upon
contract jumping. The causes which have
| led to this gigantic revolt are too well
known to require rehearsing at this time.
| A thousand explanations may be made of
recent events in the history of the game,
but they do not in the least alter the fact
that the breach could have been healed,
/ had either or both of the two organi-
cations made use of a little
moderation, a little good sense and
ever so small an amount of forbearance
and diplomacy. However, the war has
been precipitated upon the country, and
just what effect it will have upon the game
| is at best at ne present time but matter
of speculation. The Sporting Life, a pro-
nounced American association organ, says
editorially: 1t is certain that good will
| come out of the present state, because the
| independence of the American association
will necessitate the introduction of new
| and better methods of conducting the
game. Chief of. these is substitute for
the reserve rule which was SO deiantly re-
| enacted last month despite the bitter les
sons of the past and the Sporting Life's
| logical and convincing arguments against
it.
A reserve rule can never be entirely eff
| fective while any major league wars
| against it and disregards it's provisions. If
| then the Association shall retain its indie
pendence it will be absolutely essential to
provide substitute for the reserve rule,
| and that substitute will necessarily have
| to be in the line Of better, more legal,
contractual system, which is not an i'm
possibility, despite prevailing opinion to
| the contrary With legal substitute
for the illegal reserve rule, and with
such other improvements in the line
| of league methods as will be developed in
sheer defence during the coming battle
for existence, it will be readily seen that
| out of all this contention we shall find
| lines and becoming more and more legit-
imized. The Players league did not live
in vain, as was made manifest in the few
improvements made in the game during
| the recent reconstruction; the revolt of
the American association will not be bar
rem of results, as it must lead to better adj
| ministration and more equitable 1egisla-
ton for clubs and players.
On the other hand, the National league
| magnates characterize the action of the
association as foolish and disgraceful. Mr..
c. H. Byrne of the Brooklyn club is quo
ted as saying: The association will get all
the war it can stand. If the Players
league with frst-class circuit and first
teams, could not live, what chance will
there be for such a circuit and such teams
| as the American association can muster?
The league has the money, the brains
and the players Such Observation-Disclosures
as the association men have displayed in
the past has brought them into their pres
ent odd predicament. The association
will have hard time to hold their players
in case of another war.
A. j. Reach of the Philadelphia club
views the situation in more conservative
way and says: "The game cannot stand
another uprising of this kind. People
showed last year their ability to give it the
go-bye and much fear that if another
fight is precipitated the effect will be to
injure the game permanently. We are of
course, one of the parties most interested
and regret most exceedingly the actions
of the association in this matter. trust
the matter will be patched up"
In consequence of this war, that bane OF
base ball in the past. contract jumping,
has again been brought into existence and
no league or association in the country will
be safe from the depredations of managers
in search of players. Association players
are being signed by the league
and league players by the associa-
ton The International league suffers with
the rest and several of the teams in that
organization have already lost players in
consequence of the war. The local team
has already lost Doran, who has signed
with Louisville. Overtures have also been
made to several of the other players and
Cahill and Lally will undoubtedly sign
contracts with the American association,
if, indeed, they have not already done SO.
None of these men, however, are indispen-
sable to the make up Of the team as there
are equally az good players in the market
who can ard viii be secured if necessary
and base ball will be played in this city
this season by frst-class team, in first
class company, war or no war.