Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-06-28
A REVIEW OF SPORTS,
Some Remarks About the Duty Of
Local Ball Players to the Man.
ager of the Club.
TIE NECESSITY OF DISCIPLINE.
Objections to Hanlon's Management Of the
Team Stated and Briefly
Replied To.
TEE NECESSITY OF DISCIPLINE.
FULDES IMPORTANT STATEMENTS.
Prospects Of Battle Between slavin and Sullivan and
General Pugilistic Matten

somewhat dull during the week. Nothing
of very great importance has occurred ex-
cept the annual aquatic contests among the
leading college oarSmen. But while moth
ing in particular may have taken place still
there has been much to talk about in base
ball affairs In this respect it may safely
be said that the patrons or those people in
any wav interested in the local club have
had verv much to talk about during the
week and really talked very much about it.
Somehow Pittsburg has always been in hot
water regarding her ball team. No matter
what men are secured for the team, or what
means are used to secure them there seems
always to be something wrong with some
body, and there has been one feature con-
nected with it, VIZ, defeat. That feature has
stuck 10 our team just as persistently as
does q barnacle to the hull of
ship, and it seems to me that let
our magnates try as they will, they cannot
get clear of this ogre of defeat; it is as hard
to get clear of as was the Old Man of the
Sea who bothered Sinbad the Sailor. SYM
pathetic friends of the club have to a very
great extent kept quiet regarding the mat
ter. in hope that every day would bring
change Many people whose duty it is to
talk publicly on matters of this kind have
maintained a silence that now must be
broken if there is to be anv interest taken
in the team at all To-day propose to talk
verv plainly about many things, but while
l NAV speak very frankly 1 trust that moth
ing / may say will be considered offensive,
because / am not going to talk in passion.
i anything CRATES harshlv on the feelings
of ANYBODY trust that that anybody" will
believe that no such grating was intended,
except the statement of fact be the cause,
and if that be so, then suppose we'll have
TO put up with the grating.
Players and officials.
It seems to ne that almost all tie tronble
In the local team has been caused by two or
three players who have rebclled against
Manager Hanlon. Of course l need not
stop to point out that there is trouble in the
team. The fact is just as clear as sunlight.
When our team started out on their cham
pionship struggle they promised well.
Hopes were exceedingly high regarding
them, and, indeed, they performed in a way
that led many of us to believe that if they
did lot win the pennant they would come
very near il. But just as we were all
making up cur minds To the effect that we
had at last secured a great team they col
lapsed almost entirely and never stopped
until they dropped from the proud position
of second place to the lowest position on the
list. This was terrible fall, and there
must have been causes for it. There were
at least two with which l am going to deal,
viz: disabled players and rebellious players.
1t is not necessary to discuss the former very
much, as we are all convinced that when
the regular PLAYERS of team get disabled it
Is great loss TO that team, as rule The
local team have suffered greatly in that re-
spect, as we all know. But the matter of
rcbellious players is quite another matter
and is a cause Of defeat that can be pre-
vented much easier than that of injured
players. In TRYING to prevent the former
cause Manager Hanlon seems to have gotten
himself into very hot water in the eStima-
tiOn OF the players who have been violating
rules and their friends who support them.
Now let us calmly see who is right and who
is wrong in this matter. Manager Hanlon
was more or less given charge of the team,
and whatever his powers OF authority may
have been, he was certainly held RESPONSE
bic for the good discipline of the PLAYERS.
And don't let us forget the fact that there
was not player in the team against whom
Manager Hanlon had any objection. On the
contrary, every PLAYER was there
with his sanction and he aided in
getting many of them big salaries
This is important because it goes to show
that he had no animosity against any player
Well, everything went right for while,
and then our 'stars" began to violate the
rules of the club One went carousing
around so late that he forgot to report for
duty in time; another deserted his post of
duty, that of looking after the receipts in
the interest of his club and also managed to
miss the train on one occasion and
the team had TO leave him behind. And let
me say III passing that this player receives
So, 200 per season and his expenses. Well,
the outcome of these violations was that
Manager Hanlon imposed fines on the vio-
latorS, and as a consequence the arch vio-
lator has blacl1gaurded and abused Manager
Hanlon in the most shameful way. But
amid all this let me say that Mark Baldwin,
for it is he 10 whom 1 refer, stated that he
had his fine remitted by President O'Neil.
The latter says ne had not, but whether or
not he has had his fines remitted or not do
know that a friend of mine heard the Presi-
dent say to Baldwin that the matter would
be fixed up.
Manager Hanlon Was Right
Now in all fairness to everybody and in
Justice to truth and common sense | submit
that Manager Hanlon was perfectly in the
right in inficting fines; if ne was in the
wrong ct all il was because he did not i'm
then, and I maintain he was, neither Mr.. |
O'Ncil nor any other official of the club was
doing Justice TO Manager Hanlon or to the |
club by encouraging the fined players to
think that there was in any shape or form |
any injustice about the inings. 1t was the |
duty of every official of the club to rigidly |
stand up for Manager Hanlon and let the |
players know that their manager was there |
TO see that every man did his duty. 1 |
firmly believe that the good effect of the |
fines was counterbalanced by an official |
giving a player to understand that they |
would be remitted and conduct of this |
kind simply leads me TO the conclusion |
that Manager Hanlon has been sadly handi--
capped. No business firm can be run sue
cessfully on the principle of one official |
going about undermining the influence of |
the others among the employees. This is |
Just as true as the fact that we are alive. |
Manager Eanlon had duty to perform |
and be did il and it was no mans |
duty to try and iniurc the good effect of his |
(Hanlon's) fulGllment of his duty. But it |
Is quite ceTtsin that certain baseball PLAYERS |
are always determined TO take liberties that |
club rules will not permit. A player of |
this kind is n disgrace to his business and |
an migrate to his employers and the public. |
And allow ME 20 remark that, as rule, it is |
not the low-salayicd men of team who |
commit these violations. II is invariably |
the high-priced men. They receive enor-
nous salaries to perform a certain duty, |
and to act according to q code of rules To |
do this they are given s., 500 81, 900 or s., 900
for about seven months They are located
at the best hotels and taken round the coun-
try in the very best cars, all at other peo-
Piles expense. But these Engly players,
@,lvo L. Il