The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-01-16
STRUCKABIGSNAG.
Baseball Differences Not Yet
Wholly Settled.
PLENTY OF DISSATISFACTION.

Head tho League Ever Had.
There is bitter opposition in several quar-
tiers to the adoption Of A G. Spalding's
| plan of reorganizing baseball. at least TO
that part of it which covers the formation
! of the American Association circuit, and
| the opposition may, from all appearances,
| prevent the plan being carried out.
! Perhaps it is hardly fair to call it Mr..
Spalding's plan. The proper thing, per-
haps, would be to say the plan made by
Mr. Spalding and Mr. Thurman These
gentlemen outlined Baltimore, Washing
ton, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Column
bus, Louisville and st. Louis as the best
and most desirable circuit for the Ameri-
can association, and they have got things
into such a shape that there is no doubt
about any of the cities except Boston and
Chicago.
The only hitch that is likely to stop the
deal as to Chicago is the conditions which
the national agreement club there will
insist upon, which are that the association
shall not play Sunday games and shall
charge fifty cent admission fee These
same conditions will be exacted in Boston,
but they are entirely agreeable to the
Players League club there, which will
have the Association franchise if one is
granted.
the trouble in Boston is on the other
foot The Boston club is governed by
Messrs. Soden, Billings and Conant, as is
well known, and what any two of the three
agree upon is the action of the club. In
this case Mr.. Soden is not averse to having
an Association club, but his two partners
are decidedly opposed to it, and if the
question is left to the club to decide there
will be but one club in Boston next year.
The decision does not wholly rest with
them. The League has appointed a con-
ference committee, and, while it has not
given that committee absolute powers, it
Is not probable that it will overturn any
plan of settlement which the committee
may report. But will the committee disre-
gard the wishes of the triumvirsi
There does not seem to be any reason
why the Boston club should not make
some concessions, the same as other clubs.
All of them have been obliged to concede
money or other considerations quite as
valuable. The Boston club, if it agrees to
the establishment of an Association club
in Boston, will not have to put up dollar,
and will merely run the chance that the
Association may indirectly hurt the at
tendance at the League games. OF course
the Association team might hurt the
League, but the chances are that with
fifty cent tariff and no conflict the damage
would not be very great.
There are a great many well posted peo-
pie who think that two clubs can never be
run successfully in Boston, and that it
would not take more than two seasons to
oh nd 10 ba
for good The Boston men, who are now
on top, and who lost good deal of money
last season, naturally object to taking the
chances and to indirectly assisting to pay
for the experiments contemplated. They
would much prefer to buy out the Players
League club altogether. The Players
League club however, will not sell or even
listen to any propositions to that end.
President Charles Albert Prince tells me
that when parties, whom he understood
represented the triumvirs, came to him
he informed them that the Players league
men would not even consider the matter
of selling out. Mr. Prince also told me
that his club would not agree to the dis
mantling of the champion Players league
team, and that as to joining the Association
they didn't care anything about it. They
had not asked for franchise. If the AS
ISOLATION wanted to join in with the Play
ers' league and form a new organization
the Boston people might consider it. They
would reorganize the Players league be-
fore they would give up any of their play
ers Now, most of this is a bluff pure and
simple.
Mr.. Prince is n clever lawyers and pleas
ant gentleman, and withal man of sound
common sense, but he realizes that he must
keep up appearances, and is making the
best front he can to help his club make the
best possible trade it can. No man knows
better than he that there must be trade,
and no one knows better than he that he is
at the present time trying to make one
that will result to the advantage of him
self and his partners. and that his talk
about resurrecting the Players league is
ridiculous.
That the league will treat its Boston
partners with consideration is certain and
that it will try to satisfy them that the
exigencies of the case require an Associa-
tion club in Boston is equally certain, but |
that they will force such thing upon |
them in defiance of their constitutional |
rights is not likely. 1t will be seen, there
fore, that the Boston League men are in a |
position to dictate terms, and that if Bos- |
ton is to have an Association team, TO be |
run by the men Who have been behind the !
Players league team, those men will have |
TO give up great many things which they |
say almost daily that they will never yield. |
The final settlement now hinges upon the |
settlement in Boston.
Rochester, Syracuse and Toledo will re- /
tire from the American Association with /
more or less grace, but there is no question |
that they will get out. Gen. Brinker seems /
to hold little better hand than any of his |
associates, and is giving the Association |
people good deal of trouble He has a /
paper signed by Messrs Lazarus. Whit /
taker and Won der Abe, the finance COM |
mittee of the Association. guaranteeing 1
that the Association would remunerate him |
from all losses if he would put a team into /
Rochester. He claims that he lost $4,000.
and he probably did, and now sets that |
price upon his retirement, and fortifies his |
demand with the guarantee given him. |
The Association people say that the finance /
committee had no right to give such a
guarantee, and that legally it isn't worth /
anything Gen. Brinker says he proposes
to find out just what it is worth.
There is a good deal of talk about deals /
for players, but none has really been
made, yet in few Instances some things /
may have been agreed upon. John Ward /
Is very anxious to go to Philadelphia, and /
would like to play with and manage the
Athletics. This would be good thing for |
the Wagners, and they would no doubt be /
willing TO pay a good sum to bring it
about, but it can only be considered among |
the possibilities at present Charley Byrne
Is dead set TO have Bierbauer, Van Haltren /
and weighing, aud will probably gain his
point. Mr.. Spalding wants Mike Kelly /
ana hadoourn, and Is said 70 be willing to