The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-02-25

NoI-1ne New championship System
and How 1t VIII Work-Ncw York,
Actions.
Fools rush in where angels fear t.
tread" So runs an old adage For tws
seasons past the fools and the angels an
pear to have been on pretty good terms
with each other, for they have wandered
hand in hand together through the base
ball kingdom. They have paid all the
bills. kissed healthy bank accounts fare
well and suffered nipping frosts in sum
mer, while the player waxed fat and gained
roll of Ealstaffian proportions Now
that peace has come there are still soine
restless spirits who have climbed the ram
parts and proclaimed, while within the
shadow of the flag Of truce, that the League
and Association have built their new house
upon foundation of sand.
Baseball Is entering upon an expert
mental era, but many critics of the new
league have drawn their own conclusions
before the plan Of the campaign of 1899
has been fully outlined There is one prop
osltlon that will admit of no debate. Fur
Their strife would have killed the game as
professionally played. The advocates of
peace at any cost" found no idea other
| than the twelve club league that would sat-
isfy the fire eaters in the Association. The
day had long since gone by when the Ma
tional league held their foe cheaply. That
fallacy of the past had been shattered and
the realization of the truth had cost much
| agony and many night sweats
1t would be absurd to deny that there
are rough places in the pathway of the
travellers over the new route Perhaps so
| per cent. of the race of enthusiasts will be
| agreeabiy disappointed if the twelve club
circuit remains cemented by ties of frater-
nal love and trust for more than one year.
Still if break should come and it was re-
solved to return TO the abandoned plan of
two eight clubs organizations the chances
are that the dissolution would be peacefully
made. To rush on ahead in mad attempt
to discover trouble is very foolish however.
Still there are chiefs among the organ
grinders In the new dispensation who
thumped themselves upon their prophetic
breasts Two brief years ago and proclaimed
long life to the Brotherhood and destruc-
ton TO the League who are now sneering
in patronizing sort Of way at the little
company of doubling Thomases.
One rock upon which the beloved broth
ers viii stub their toes is Sunday ball.
Just four OF the dozen clubs have officially
declared in favor of utilizing seven days
for play-St. Louis. Louisville, Washing
ton and Baltimore. Cincinnati has been
included in most of these lists, but the
matter will not be decided until the direc-
tory meets. John [. Brush has not given
his pledge to anybody, and it is a fact that
most OF the Cincinnati stockholders are
averse to Drawing tilt with the Law and
Order league The crusade of year ago
the tramp of the police and the patrol
rides of defiant scoffers at the law at Pen
dleton, all had the effect of injuring the
game In the Queen City. The same law is
on the books and the same mayor and chief
of police in Office to enforce it.
If Cincinnati does vote to take chances
that will mean three of twelve clubs that
will play Sabbath games at home, and all |
of them in the west. Chicago, Cleveland |
and Pittsburg have declared against the I
issue both at home and abroad 1t will ba |
a difficult matter for the schedule makers |
to frame an instrument that will guarantee |
Sunday pie to all the clubs that want it,
Two cannot be turned into division of |
five even by so august a body as the |
schedule committee. This is problem |
that will have to work itself out unless |
Brooklyn consents to become the sixth club
on the Sunday list These are the con-
ditions that face the trio delegated to do
most of the work preceding the spring
meeting.
The era of experiment is not to be at
tended by promiscuous distribution of
pennantS, as some have imagined. The
idea has gained prominence that cham
pionship bunting would be as common this
ct or N |
torial ball. 1t would be mistake to make
the flag as cheap as calico. There will be
no prize for the winner of either the first
or second SERIES but the team that comes
out with flying colors in the fall meeting
of the rivals will be hailed as champions
and awarded the usual honors. OF course
if one club wins both series, the champion
ship goes TO it without question. 1t is Dos
sible that there will be similar struggles
between the winners of all the places, from
the head to the foot of the class. The sea-
son is to be divided, in the hope that inter
est will at no time lag. If the innovation
proves to be failure it will be an easy
matter to return to the old mode of pro-
cedure.
We live and learn-that is the most of us
1o-but baseball magnates are mortals who
nave actually been known to miss the COM
oination- Underlying all the disasters that
laye ever attended the game may ka found
selfish scrambles for players The rope of
he Athletics in the Bierbsuer and Stovey
,ases furnished the Association pretext !
or rebellion a year ago Boston simply
played follow my leader" in the game, and
ested its action upon Pittsburg's bold
aid. And now history is repeating itself
The sandbagger has become the sand
Jagged. With little rhyme or reason New
York has, sans the guise of highwayman's
mask, entered the camp of the Pittsburg-
rs and carried Denny Lyons away. New
York has revived the art of contract break
ng, supposed to have been hypnotized at
he great Hoosier peace conference
The gentlemen from the metropolitan
districts have been guilty of conduct not
trictly honorable since the close of the
asst race They euchered Cincinnati out
Jack Boyle by gum shoe missionary
7ork and stand accused at Washington of r
lciting Dan Richardson to revolt against
ne mandates Of the distributing artists at .
New York has a front seat
! all the rows now fermenting in League :
relies. Denny Lyons worth is exagger-
ted by this scramble for his services, but
7. F.. Temple has been quoted as declar>
g that if Lyons, who has signed a Pitts
nrg contract, is taken away from them.
lstice will be demanded through legal
lannels New York has landed the man.
nd If Pittsburg carries out its threat the
sciple Of Blackstone who was thrown
1t on base in Indiana will once more