, 1891-10-14
THE FIGHT ENDED.
An Exciting Finish to the
Leagues Race.
1T IS DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF.

That Seems to BE What Ais the Ameri-
can Association just Now-Ren Null
ford. Jr.'s, Timely Gossip of Men and
Events on the Diamond.
Not for years has there been such a finish
in the League. When Boston several
weeks e opened its arms to King Kelly,
and made bold to say that the fight for the
pennant had not been abandoned, the hope
seemed to be a forlorn one. Inch by inch,
however, they gained on Chicago, and
the last week of the struggle proved most
exciting. 1t wac a fitting ending to a race
that was remarkably even. Until the final
month the eight clubs were fighting along
punched within 200 points.
A house divided against itself cannot
stand. There are evidences that the Amer
lean association is in imminent danger of
an eruption within its own ranks. When
that body met at Cincinnati early last
spring and filled the vacant chair with the
Cincinnati baby-adopted and afterward
deserted by Chris Won der Ahe-the reserve
rule was wiped off the books. 1t was gen
orally understood, and never denied, that
a tacit understanding existed between the
members OF the organization in rebellion
which made the rule operative despite the
resolutions against It. 1t was announced
that the clubs of the Association would
respect the contracts Of the players in their
own organization, and would not interfere
with one another in the matter of recruit
ing for 1892.
Under the defiant law of the American
association there is not a member of the
clubs-save the few held by two-year con-
tracts-who will not be eligible to sign
with whom they see fit after Nov. 1. They
cannot be held by their old ties. Some OF
sba uFrnnu a r1nha An tho aaAofatfAn hara
their eyes open to the situation, and Mil
waukee and Columbus have been marked
for raids. Frank Killen, the young West
ern association pitcher, who has made
such a hit in service for the Brewers, is
boldly claimed by st. Louis. and Knell,
one of the few cards Columbus has worth
keeping in stock another year, has been Sc
cured by Earle Wagner for the Athletics,
SO the latter says.
While these transactions are perfectly
legitimate under the present rules in force
in the Association, they preface a return to
the old order of things when each season
saw the strong clubs growing stronger and
the weak teams weaker. Milwaukee and
Columbus need these men as badly as st.
Louis and the Athletics, and 1t seems to be
a short sighted policy in any Association
club to aid in the ~crippling OF another. St.
Loui also serves notice that IL Ben San
ders says the word he can find a contract
there. Boston has thus far kept its hands
off players in other Association company.
although Pitchers Bufinton and Haddock,
Dan Brouthers and Billy Joyce are all
holding out" not for 'the old flag" but
incidentally a larger appropriation.
The strained relations which exist in the
ball family-the financial branch of it-are
responsible for remarkable preparations
for the campaign of 1892. The American
association is especially active, and sew
eral of the clubs, notably Boston and the
Athletics, have most of their men in line,
ready for a new seasons work before that
OF the old is finished. The player in de-
mand has no reason to bewail his fate
these days. In the olden times he hunted
the magnates; now they search for him.
There are "a dozen players, however, who
suffer because of the conflict to offset every
one who gains by 1t. Corcoran and Hall
man, whose work at short and second base
for the Athletics, respectively, has been A
No. /, have coyly refused to do business"
until the spring, and there is room for the
suspicion that they may be found in the
League.
Some OF the OUNCE stars in the older
body are already enrolled on the new books,
which will not be opened for official entries
OF runs and base hits until next April.
Cleveland has gathered In both George
Davis, the sensational fielder, and Denton
Young, the pitcher who was SO innocent
when he came in from splitting rails on
the farm that he was called "Old Boy"
Boston has the nucleus Of n team. So has
New York, a late recruit being Catcher
Moran from the Illinois Iowa league, who
may or may not be able to hold his own.
Brooklyn is likely to weed out many IA
miliar faces. Burt Inks, Fred Ely and Jack
O'Brien have all done so well that Presi-
dent Byrne talks of young blood in sun
shine and in shadow.
Cincinnati's future is problematical. A
team that could win a reasonable percent
age of its games would awaken enthusiasm,
which was deadened this year by fight
and two very bad teams. John ]. Brush
is still In command, but 1t has been proved
that Cincinnati needs a local head of af-
fairs. Ashley Lloyd, the Wholesale drug
Eist, has more money in the business than
any other Cincinnatian, and A S. Stern
would not be averse to entering the field
once more II Mr.. Brush is willing to I'M
load. Until some action is taken there
can be no profitable talk of new faces there.
J. f Caravan. of Milwaukee, is being eyed
for the field. He is a run getter, and as
runs are generally needed to win games he
would prove a valuable acquisition to the
Reds.
Inc east mas proved 10 De the seas OF
baseball sensation for some time. To "the
elect" the resignation OF Manager William
Barnie, of the Baltimores, was no surprise.
His acceptance of the managerial reins Of
the Athletics destroyed several of the air
castles built this year. II Dame Rumor
was correct, Mr.. Barnie was going to be
buster than he ever was in his life next
season. The cares of management OF new
clubs in Brooklyn, Chicago and Cincinnati
were all allotted to him at stated inter.
walls. The truth is Mr.. Barnie found
life at Baltimore not congeniaI, and be
left all these irons in a not overly hot fire
TO accept a certainty. There is one lesson
TO be drawn from the incident, and that is
war times are prolific OF fairy tales.
REN MULFoRD. JR.
The public patronizes indoor games
mnEe readily than 81 dnas nutaaaE al