Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-26

was Wlltul. i 90 OteVen lnslnuate thas ~
was wilful; but do say that it was blum
der of the grossest kind. Hanlon caught
ball about two or three inches from the
ground, and Powers declared that he did
not catch it until it struck the ground.
Now, Hanlon was right and Powers wac
wrong. There is now no doubt on that
point Well, Hanlon naturally enough
walked in to Umpire Powers and wanted to
know definitely if such decision could be
made. Powers emphatically told Hanlon
to his face that he did not catch the ball be-
fore it struck the earth. Hanlon said he
did, and Mr.. Powers rejoined by iusinu-
ating that Hanlon was lying. Hanlon
then told Mr.. Powers that he lied, and
Hanlon was fined S25 and SIS more for OBJ
jecting to the first $G5. Now all this arose
BY too despotic attitude assumed by Mr..
Powers. If he had been less imperious and
gentlemanly and said: "Hanlon, 1 don'tthink
you caught that bal" " the matter would
not then have become one OF veracity be-
tween the pair. But Mr.. Powers chose to
tell Hanlon in the most definite way that he
did not catch the ball, eveu after Hanlon
had said he did. In plain terms, Mr..
Powers gave Hanlon to understand that he,
Powers, thought Hanlon was liar, and
because Manager Hanlon resented this Um-
pire Powers fined him. Now, 1 submit that
this is no way to proceed at all. The Skill
and genius of Mr.. Powers have human
limits and that means he can err, and it he
can only be brought to know that very i'm
portant fact he will have little
more respect for the judgment and opinions
of others. But the very fact that his posi-
tivism is SO strong as to impel him TO
charge other persons with lying who e1-
press contrary opinion is sufficient to stir
any amount of ire. I don't know what are
the instructions given to umpires on this
point, but most certainly claim tnat an
umpire should have no right to make
statement to player directly inferring that
the latter is liar. By all means L am for
having respect for the umpire, but do claim
that on Thursday Mr.. Powers was chiefly
responsible for the unpleasant dialogue be-
tween himself and Hanlon and that there
was no justification at all for the tining that
followed. But captain has a certain duty
to perform in justice to himself. II he stands
idly by and allows apparently bad decisions
to 60 with objecting the public Will soon
demand his discharge This has become
custom and nobody knows it better than the
umpires and even the magnates themselves.
OF course frmness is needed in an umpire,
but it shouN never develop into tyranny
and it Is necessary that an umpire should
have plenty of civility and no bigotry. By
all means the fning of Manager Hanlon
was an injustice, and say this regardless
of whether Hsnlon is connected with the
local club or not.
The Association Outlook.
Since the League season opened baseball
patrons in League cities have paid little or
no attention to the American Association;
and, indeed, / fail to observe that very
many people at all are paying much atten-
tion to it. The events of the week have gone
far to strengthen my conviction that before
the season is out some clubs in the Associa-
tion will be in difficulties. The other day
noticed that the attendance at Boston was
below 800. Just think of that at this stage
and with such high priced team. Well,
that proves exactly what coutended when
it was first decided to put an Association
club in Boston. At that time said thas it
was q very dangerous experiment for those
who were to find the money for the new
club. Boston, pointed out, was League
city and had been so long a League city that
baseball patrons there had an idea that
no other organization in the world could
have ball players like the League. This is
becoming true; so true that if the Boston
Association club holds on to the end of the
season somebody's bank account will be con-
siderably less, just mark my words. When
the Boston League club opens up at
home it will be seen what place
holds. Look at the matter as
we will we cannot avoid the conviction that
Association ball is much inferior to the
League article, and added to this is the fact
that the League has the prestige. But the
prospects of the Cincinnati Association team
are anything but fattering, and how they
are going to hold their own or anything like
it financially fail to see. In short, it is
becoming more apparent every day that the
Association has made very serious blunder
and is persisting in it. I am frank enough
to admit that 1 have no sympathy for an
organization that tries to down the national
agreement, because, as 1 have before said,
were an organization of that kind to be sue
cessful it would be SO much the worse for
the national agreement. labor to uphold
the national agreement and, therefore, op-
pose anything which aims at its destruction.
There is one feature in connection with the
Association, and that is that number of
good and popular players who for years have
been daily before the world have Joined it
and sunk into comparative oblivion. We
scarcely ever hear of that once famous man
Mike Kelly now. This, indeed, must be
exceedingly depressing to liking Kel," who
loves notoriety mere than anybody know
OF; indeed it is mis- great love in this respect
that has landed him where he is. Alto
gether 1 fail to see where there are many
bright spots in the Associations future.
The Reinstated wheelmen.
During the week newspapers have in
formed us that the L. A. w. and the A. A.
U. have Joined hands and that the batch of
amateur bicyclists who were suspended
some time ago by the L. A. W. have all
been reinstated. 1 trust this news is true,
because matters have already gone far
enough. There may have been some neces-
sity for the L. A. W. calling a halt on the
rapid steps toward professionalism, but as
soon as the matter was brought to promi-
nence and dealt with by the leading author
tiles IN the amateur world, no good could be
obtained by prolonging hostilities. The eI-
pense question has ever been a troublesome
thing to deal with among amateurs because
1t is so difficult to draw the line. l have al
ways been an advocate of rigid rules on the
matter, as the greater the laIity the less the
purity of the sport. And in this respect it
may not be out of place to say that it does
not augur we'll for amateurism to have
professional boxers mixed up with it in any
way. There was q time when even profess
slonal boxing and prize fighting were con-
Quoted on principles of honor, but from the
day when the professional gambler, or
sport, got hold of them, they have been
on q decline in ali respects. But don't
confne myself to boxing or prize fghting,as
there are many other branches of sports
that have been similarly ruined. There
should even be a distinct line drawn be-
tween professionalism and amateurism, and
friends of the latter cannot be too mindful
of this. If this expense" question is not
boldly taken hold of and dealt with in a