Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-10-04
Suspicious About Eastern Teams
FaYOring Boston in the Con-
test for the Pennant.
CHARGES THAT ARE GROUNDLESS.
A Few Facts Relating to the Local Club
and the Difficulties It Has
to Cope With.
LORD HAWKES. CRICKET TEAM.
Local Amateur Sports and Gossip About the Leading
Pugilists and the Ring

A most remarkable baseball season has
come to an end in a most remarkable way.
Those who took an interest in the national
game viii long remember the season of 1891,
and in after years the records and annals re-
carding it will often be perused by the
cranks who are vet to come. For nearly an
entire season the leading teams in the pen
nant race have been neck and neck. So
near have they been to each other that
nearly every day saw a change of positions
and at one time there were three teams al
most tied. The New York team, as we
know, went to pieces and dropped out,
leaving the struggle to Boston and Chicago.
Until only few days ago the pennant
seemed to be Chicagos, but the Bostons
have made one Of the most remarkable
finishes on record, and have Just passed the
Chica-os on the post, to use turf phrase.
II is this extraordinary finish that has caused
all the excitement; all the suspicion and all
the kicking and protesting. Bostons vic
tory has beyond doubt produced one or
two very unpleasant features in the national
game, and features that cannot be allowed
to pass mnoticed 1t is quite natural to
czPcc: many unpleasant things to
be said by the supporters of the
Chicago team. The defeat of that
team for the pennant was so
sudden and unexpected that the impulses
of its admirers would have more to do with
their expressions than their reason would.
When everything is settled down and those
directly interested have had time 20 reflect
think that all will be we'll again, and we
&ll will see the fairness and the justice of
giving the Boston team all the credit they
deserve for winning the penRant this year,
and for winning it honestly. 1t may be
that there Will always be some people that
are not very friendly toward the League,
who will continue to harp on the alleged
unfairness of Boston's winning. This is to
he expected and l may add that if these
croakers had not one thing to find fault
with they would have another, fair or un-
fair dare saw all of them will be very
glad that there is a semblance of something
unpleasant in the National League doings.
saw 4 semblance because that's all there
is. But these croakers will not look be-
meath the surface: it is not their business to
do so. They will simply confine them
selves to mere assertions and coniectures,
and use them as the most thoroughly
founded facts. The public should be care
ful on the matter, and insist on having
nothing but solid facts regarding question
ofthis kind.
Suspected Unfairness.
AS result OF Boston's winning the PEN
nant. many people have expressed them
selves as being extremely suspicious of un-
fairness. That is, they suspect that Eastern
teams have allowed the Boston team to win
games. There is not jot of evidence to
support this suspicion. In some cases it
may only be supported by the wish that it
IS true, because know of some people who
a few days ago were charging the Chicago
team with all kinds of unfairness, but now
the Chicagos have done nothing wrong and
the BostOns are the targets. Directors of
this kind are not worth wasting ones time
over because they are always wanting TO
believe and TO make other people believe
that somebody is doing wrong whether there
is wrong doing going on or not. In this
respect they are always ready to believe
what they cannot prove. But an unpleas-
ant feature of the seasons windup is the
fact that one or two League club officials
have declared their suspicious on the mat
ter. In a Chicago paper the other dav [
read what sounds very much like the
opinion Of an official of the Chicago club.
Here IS the statement:
Until noon yesterday the officers and
friends of the Chicago club were slow to
credit the suggestion that any of the League
teams would be guilty of throwing games
either by careless playing or by deliberate
moor DIavinw-to boston in order to beat
the Chicagos out of the rennant But after
the exhibition by the New Gorks in Boston
Yesterday there was manifest change in
the temper of President Hart and his assis-
tNntS. When asked II the Chlcago cluD
would permit such exhibition as that
which the New Iorks are making to go un-
investigated. he refused to talk. There is no
doubt. however, that the matter viii he
brought before the officers of the National
League, with demand for an investigation
into the conduct of the New York players
and manager. Pitcher Rusie and Ewing are
both in condition, and yet neither OF
them have been put IN any OF the
three games against Boston On Monday,
COughlin, n very poor excuse of a pitcher,
went through the formula of pitching. Yes
terday New York, at Boston's request con-
sented to play two games. In the hrst game,
Welch, who has only pitched two or three
games this season, because he Is notol1ously
out of condition, and who had been batted
ont OF the box in every other game he had
attempted TO plav, was allowed to do all the
pitching C9) and Boston won with ridiculous
ease despite the fact that Clarkson pitched
n poor game. In the second contest the
New Horks put in a pitcher who was picked
up for the occasion. Sullivan had been en-
deavoring without success to hold position
all wear in some of the New England semi
professional teams. OF course, Boston had
10 trouble in winning from him. The "sell-
out" as it is called, although it is believed
to be n mUttcr OF spite work, and not OF
monetary reward, was widely discussed
among local admirers of baseball last night,
ana kttTe WAS universal over
Jha manner in which Chicago is being
eaCLrcd ont Ot the championship.
League Officials Should BE Careful.
The above statement is just about as
strong 4 case as can be made out by the
friends Of the Chicago team and it really is
so weak and flimsv that it would seem
waste OF time to discuss it. 1t is founded
on suspicion and it is entirely held together
by suspicion. But if it is the result of
promptings by the League officials another |
feature is added to it. 1t would suggest |
that League officials are not so sure of the |
purity and honesty of the national game as |
hey profess to De. Time and time again |
these officials, all OF them, have declared |
The honesty and fair dealing of the national |
game as FAR as the National League is con- |
ccmed is beyond reproach. I have ever !
believed this and I believe it now, but these |
very JhoughtIess and impuls!ve assertions of
League officials at this time VIII have a |
tendency 10 lead some people TO think that |
there is something rotten in the State of |
Denmark" All this noise and all this |
howiing has been made by the Bostons de- |
fcating the New Yorks five times in success |
sion There has been no noise because the |
Clevelands defeated Chicago, or because the |
Cincinnati team beat Chicago, or because |
the Brooklyns made a sorry show OF the |
Philadelphia team. Oh no. although these |
results We're just as unexpected, and more |
30, than the Bostons' feat over the New |
Works there has been nothing alleged re- |
garjing them. If anybody will show me |
how there is anything more remarkable |
in the Bostons defeating New York five |
times n succession than in defeating other !