Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-25
Good and Bad Points Of the New
National Board That Is to
Control Baseball.
"A PLAYERS REPRESENTATIVE.
Hst Farrells Challenge to Fitzsimmons and
Other Middle Weights Discussed
From Various Standpoints.
ABOUT TIE COMING GLOVE FIGHTS.
1resYss.s Of ssus Sensational Toct Rssss and fsssr
Priddys chanoek


Prddy's ohsnosk
Surely there is plenty of talk shout at
present regarding baseball affairs, indeed
there is SO much that in some respects
enough cannot be said. Without doubt we
are entering upon a new era in baseball his
tory. A new departure of an extraordinary
kind has been made and it remains to be
seen whether or not the results will be for
the veal or for the woe of the national game.
The unprecedented plan of putting the con-
troll of baseball throughout the country in
the hands of three men is to be tried and
certainly that is a departure that was dreamt
of a short time ago. 1t is a bold, diplomatic
aud 1 venture to say, wise step. There is
considerable heroism connected with such
q departure and q vast amount of
policy. OF course there are more
ways than one of looking at it.
am aware that some authorities have very
serious misgivings about the new National
Board. 1t would seem unnecessary to deal
with any objections to it at present mas
much as it would be more generous to
allow the board to act before it is criticised.
True. the system of placing the control of
the national game almost entirely in the
hands of three men is GENERALIZATION, but it
is Capitalization OF a kind that circum-
stances and conditions have forced upon
business men for adoption. The
principal is q correct one at this
juncture and it remains to be
seen whether or not the gentlemen clothed
with extraordinary powers will act in accord
ance with the correct and fundamental
principles that places them in their
positions. This very powerful trinity
that has been created, viz, Messrs. Rogers,
krauthof and Thurman, will be the
cyuosure of all eyes in the baseball world on
very many occasions. and depend upon it that
while they may be the objects of much ap-
plaCse, now and then many wild and furious
TRADE will be made against them and their find
lngs. This IS as sure to happen as we live, and
to me II is question whether three men can be
formidable enough to withstand the censures
and charges that are sure to be hurled at them
by disgruntled people.
A Benefit to Playerx
1t is generally understood that the National
Board is to be great benefit to players. trust
it will, but cannot help observing that the
board is made up of gentlemen who are Simon
observation-disclosures macnates. Bear in mind
] don't mean by this to insinuate that the gen.
tlemep in question will shut their eyes to the
rights of ball players when called upon to deal
with them. believe they will be actuated by
their honest CONVICTIONS but it is natural to ex-
pect that these honest convictions will
lean toward the siae of the mag
mates. This is human nature be.
cause daily business life is full of
instances proving tnat the honest convictions
of employers lead them to think quite contrary
to their employees, although as far as matter
of right is concerned the convictions of the
he I hava i'm rir1o
had much experience with boards whose duties
were to settle differences and GLAZING. and have
had the honor of officiating on some, bu: l have
never had implicit faith in any board whose
functions were 10 adjudicate between employer
and employed made up entirely of employers.
The truth i, the perlou when board of that
kind was believed in has gone by, and it is too
late in the day now to expect the masses of
America to look upon any such board as
thoroughly representative one. 1 have already
sad thas the policy of creating the
National Board was a good policy. 1t
is good in so far that it cements
the magnates, and there the good part of 1t
ends AS it is now composed almost every
plsyer who appeals to il, and whose appeal is
shelved. is almost sure 10 say: why, couldn't
expect anything else. They're all magnates on
that boarQ," and charges or complaints of this
kind, when continued, are sure to have cohsid-
cradle influence with the public. Well, some
OF my readers may no doubt be saying: What
would you du?' I'll tell you. would put a
player on the board. That would he stroke
OF policy, and that would tend to cement not
only all the magnates but all the players. i am
aware of the autipathy of the magnates con-
cerninC having hall players figure in their de-
li5erationS at all, but as dlgnited, as learned,
and as wealthy gentlemen as the magnates have
long since consented 10 sit at the table with
their employees and settle their differences and
those of their fellows.
Local Club Affairs.
haven't much to say to-day about the local
club. Up TO the time I'm writing Saturday
evening. the prospects OF securing sufficient
quantity of good men are not at all encourag-
ing. There are several good players on the
string, but they also on the strings of other
people. and heretofore it has been the lot of
Pittsburg to always get left" Certainly
President O'Nelll is working like Trojan to
secure some hrst-class players. but there are
suOng. very strong forces arraved against
him. All the boastings of League magnaf es
concerning a generous distribution of stars
PLAYERS now turns out to be idle talk. Every
body is for himself and the strongest has the
best of il. The local club has signed Bierbauer
and Mack and strange to say, the American
Association wants both these men. l don't
urge the violation of any rule, but when it
comes TO such unreasonable claims as that it is
evident there is no respect for right and what
is required, is for him to catch who can. Now
that the two players in question have been
Eigre7 the local club should hold
on to them until every particle
% law has been tested. The
d
matter of business it would seem best for him
TO come here He cannot gain anything in
Brooklyn. The team there is pennant win
ner and cannot get any higher, but may get
lower. The team here cannot get any lower
hut may get higher. 1t is. therefore clear that
Ward would have nothing 10 lose here and very
much to gain. But if he does not want to come
there is no necessity for force.
PugiIistic Affairs.
After storm GENES calm, is a saying that
we all have heard. and its truth has been fully
set forth during the week just ending, as far as
pugilisuc affairs are concerned. The week has
almost all been absorbed by echoes of the
Dempsey-Fltzsimmons battle and / daresay
those who would believe nothing else than the
statement that no middle-weighI in the world
could touch Dempsey have about recovered
from their surprise. Since last wrote on this
subject have met one or two friends who
witnessed the fight. One of these friends, who
by the way, is an excellent judge of either a
tells me that Dempsey had mo more
show than a child" Ny friend goes on to
say that the plucky "NonpareIl" never
seemed to have an opportunity to put any
ring tactics into operation at all and that when
he bravely stood and faced bis big opponent
his blows had no effect whatever. Fitzsim-
mons, says my friend knew he was a winner in
the first round, and Dempsey was also aware of
that fact. This is one opinion of a very large
number that have been expressed during the
week, and il is worthy of note that all opinions
OF eye witnesses substantially agree with The
good reports of The newspapers. As result of
the very one-sidedness of the battle many peo-
pie are of the opinion that il has vet to
be proven whether not Fltzsimmons
really is the wonder he is-held up to be by his
friends. There certainly is much to be said in
defense of this opinion, because il a man like
Heenan, or like Tom King had beaten Demp-
sey, none Of rs for moueutwould have taken