Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-10-09

spring that the season is too long, and as a
result we will have Q shorter one next year;
that is, if the magnates on Tuesday meant
what they said.
The truth is that almost everything done
at Tuesdays meeting was indicative OF
'tale of woe." As result of those woful
proceedings there were many rumors cur
rent. Some rumors were that two or three
clubs could not possibly continue next year
without outside help There may be some
truth in this, but if there is it cannot be
expected that Pittsburg will contribute any
more. The Pittsburg club has been one of
the greatest sufferers under the 12-club sys-
TEN. 1t has paid thousands of dollars to
impecunious clubs and received only hum
dreds in return. No matter how the ques-
tion may be argued, the fact remains that
there are cities in the big League circuit
that will not pay visiting clubs expenses,
and that means q very big loss to the Pitts
burg club. because when the visiting clubs
come here they make money. If the old
League circuit had been in existence this
year the Pittsburg club would have been
very great gamer, and so would all the
eight clubs that made up the old National
League. But things are changed, and now
adays magnates are only wishing to get
out even"
The Professional Football Scheme.
During the past few days there have been
any amount of rumors about the organiza-
tion of a professional football league. As
far as can judge, the talk will not amount
to much, except preparing the way for such
an organization next year. That such
scheme will be tried sooner or later I have
no doubt, and when this football season is
ended l anticipate that there will be
stronger desire than ever to form profess
sioual league. -
In some respects the notions regarding
this proposed league are all right, but
there are some mistaken conceptions re-
garding it. The main object of its promot-
ers is to put something on the field that
will take the place of baseball during the
cold weather. That is all right, but when
it comes to making up the team and arrang-
ing plans, ETC., many difficulties will be en-
countered. As far rs am aware, the rules
of the proposed league will be Rugby rules,
and that means that difficulty will be en-
countered at once. 1t is safe to say that
every prominent Rugby player in the coun-
cult to find good Rugby players who are not
amateurs. The question then arises, will
these amateurs become professionals merely
to join professional League? Some will,
but venture to say that the good players
will not.
There Is another important feature in the
question. Professionalism is in almost all
branches of sport in the country rapidly
dying The amateurs are giving the public
q better article nowadays than the profess
sionals can in outdoor sports, excepting, OF
course, baseball. In football the amateurs
would be so lar ahead of any professional
league that could be organized that the
latter would have hard time to exist at
all.
True, it may be charged that there are
few bona fde amateurs who are prominent
performers. and that the status of an anna
teur should not be injured by playing in
professional football league. Whether this
should be or not I'm not going to argue to-
day, but do contend, just as have con-
tended before, that, practically speaking,
most of our leading amateur athletes are
professionals. Some of them live on their
merits; they live en- their profession
Whether a club keeps Zimmerman to travel
round the world contesting for watches or
ponies, or o party of professional sport
ing men keep him to contest tor
money, may be question to argue,
but Zimmerman is being kept
all the same, and depend upon it, he is
being heavily backed to win whenever he
starts and where there is an opportunity to
bet. Who backs him leave my readers to
Judge. Well it may be considered incon-
sistent when the cases of Zimmerman and
others are considered, and when it is also
known that amateurs cannot plav few foot
ball games in a professional league.
John L. Sullivan's Dragging Story.
This charge Of drugging John L Sullivan
reminds me of john q. Heenan's 9 case when
he fought Tom King. In that memorable
battle Heenan was drugged beyond all
doubt, and he got such a dose of it that it is
claimed by his friends that it eventually
killed him. But Heenan acted like a
drugged man and not like Sullivan at all.
The circumstances Of Heenan's case will
bear repeating now.
The battle between Heenan and King had
proceeded to the sixteenth round, think,
when Heenan had King almost beaten.