The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-04-12
An ERA Or EXPERIMENT
That's What Rem milford Calls
the Baseball Situation.
THE SEASONS EARLY OPENING
May Day Used to Be the Time, but
We've Grown Too Rapid for That-Ths
California Leagues Big Schedule
General Gossip of the Game.


books are already TO turn, and the outcome
of the several campaigns will be awaited
with universal interest. The enthusiasts
In the north are growing restless. for out of
New Orleans have come several scores that
told of games OF that sort which make the
cranks rise in their seats and stir their pal
ates with mighty shouts. The Louisville
contingent that ventured into the home OF
! the old flock of Pelicans found whitewash
| prominently listed, and in two contests
blanks were drawn. The last score, to
| O. has attracted attention to Lecourage,
| who is booked to pitch for New Orleans in
| the new Southern league. He viii be eyed
1 from this time forward unless there is q
! premature explosion.
! Outside the circle there are pessimistic
| guerrillas ready to charge the moment there
/ is a wavering in the ranks. The spirit for
/ more mischief seems willing, bnt the pock-
| etbook, it is to be hoped, is weak. New
/ York's internal squabble is one pin upon
/ which those who opine that there will be
! further trouble now hang their hope
1 There is one truth that cannot be ques-
/ toned. The metropolitan press seems TO
be unanimously busting the jacket CT
Walter Spalding. Their victim has been
/ goaded into. writing card-a dangerous
symptom of unrest. John B. Day has the
call with the scribes, who seem to take de-
light, however, in picturing his grand slide
down the chute and out of the game. This
quarrel is not healthy one.
There are those who dream Of another
revolution, and they gloat over the broil
in the camp of the Giants A l. johnson
mysteriously hints of another uprising in
1893. Rumors, however, are not very dan
gerous now. If the League conducts its
affairs with adroitness the drafts of all
these advance agents of disaster viii never
be honored.
The characterization has a mission
Discipline will and should be enforced In
the ranks and roisterers banished from
the field. That salaries were boosted far
beyond the limit of reason is fact but
there has never been any call for the scare
about 8 sweeping and farreaching reduc-
ton. Talent viii always command good
figure. and if there is boom all along the
line this year the future need net be
dreaded BY the ball player.
If Old Proofs is so disposed he can do
much mischief during April's showery
days The season opens unusually early.
The 18TH" Is really too early. In the
olden time May Day was considered the
proper time for browning the queen and
Incidentally placing King Baseball on his
throne. Last season the Association began
on the Sth of the month, and snowflake
were offered as souvenirs at several parks
to cranks who didn't appreciate the inter
ference OF the elements. The California
league Will be the first TO get down to
championship work. The new schedule
calls for no less than 76s games and the
season stretches over eight months, begin
ming March % and ending on the 27th of
November. That is the longest schedule
ever framed by any league
IL is rather amusing to note that the
North Pacific league, embracing the four
original cities IN the circuit, has adopted
the double championship season idea Just
what call there is for such a departure
from the old method is not apparent The
twelve club organization wanted to escape
from threatened mass convention of tail
enders, a danger that the Pacific people
couldn't possibly be called upon to face
The Western league proposes to start the
race the same day that the big one COM
mences. There is no especial call for such
action, however, and it might be better for
the Westerns health TO knock around
among the little fellows for a few weeks
longer and give the dandelions and the
spring beauties chance to blossom.
The first drawing of the Western will
take place very soon at Chicago. No
blanks will be found in the hat Of Mr..
James A Williams. The result of the
Westerns experiment is just as prob
lematical as the success OF the double head
ed season. 1t will receive nearly If not
quite as much attention as the accepted
solution OF the question, How can inter
est in tail enders be revived in midseason"
There are some very good men in the lists
OF players from which the eight clubs OF
the Western are to be made up. Memories
of fights for pennants in the League and
Association are recalled by glance over
the names Veterans will touch elbows
with youngsters in that struggle.
The Eastern will lose one remarkable
figure from its councils this season-C. W.
Freeman, who carried the Lebanons along
while other magnates in larger cities vera
painting for financial breath. Mr.. Freeman
is credited with being a wealthy enthusiast
who ran the Lebanon club just because ne
loved the game He still dotes on it, but
not TO the extent of reducing his bank roll
at the rate OF si25 day just for the sake
of seeing his pets tramped upon By the
opposition There was a gentleman at
jamestown who had the same sort of novel
experience of holding the bag for the ben
fit Of his fellow townsmen Just because he
liked the game He, too. has reformed
and Mr.. Tew and Mr.. Freeman drop out
together, mourned but not blamed for
turning from paths so hot that their feet
were blistered.
While the season of 1891 was in It's death
throes Scandal reared her head above the
scene Of battle and. Officially coached by
those who should have known better,
breathed suspicion upon the game. That
was only last fall. How soon one forgetsi
IL would have been safer perhaps had
the rulemakers of the League thrown up
breastworks that would have made impos-
sible such attacks as emanated from Chi
cago last September. aimed at New York
and Boston
The events OF that month need not be
dwelt upon now, and may be dismissed
with the assertion that the ''lumpingr o.
50 many games won by Boston gave Chi
csgo the horrors. a state OF fearful mind
that neompassed their downfall II would
have been much better had the League
taken some action which would effectually
veto any more eleventh hour spur-s built
upon post ponements. Il is not too late 10
DO so now. Before any other animals eS-
cape. the door which opens out into the
waeat field had better be securely boltei
There Is a menace 10 the game in the old
hsppy-go-lucky system that has teeB in
sugue so long. RES MILFORD. il
A citizen Of Hume, No, traded horses
with friend. and was SO delighted with
his bargain that he led the animal into
tta bo~,sa r,<s-a s.D- h-S v.-ffss ,S-,.a1ri1r