Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-10
The Local Ball Clubs Presi.
dent Explains Whit
ney's Case.
HOME CLUBS PROSPECTS.
jim Hall Makes a Strong Statement
About Bob Fitzsimmons.
CRICKET PLAYERS NOW ACTIVE.
Oxford Again Wins the Great English
University Boat Race.
GENERAL SPORTING NEWS OF THE DAY

President Temple, of the local ball club,
made statement yesterday which some
what knocks the bottom out of Arthur
Whitney's very strange claim. During a
conversation with the writer, the President
said:
''Our attorney assures us that Whitney
and his lawyer are acting as though they
had no brains. Whitney's contract with
the club was so plain and so definite that
there is no misunderstanding 1t. L notice
that he now claims to have had verbal
agreement with Mr.. McGunnigle to the
effect that he would play here the entire
season. L care not if he had written
agreement, because it would be Worthless.
McGunnlgle did not sign Whitney and had
no power to do so. Why, Whitney for
warded his contract to me to sign, and that
contract is the only contract that the law
will recognize. When he sent his contract
here he did not even mention or refer to
any other conditions than what the contract
named.
Something to Know.
whitney and his friends should post
themselves on these points. 1 even wrote
to Whitney about two months ago, stating
that he could have his release if he
would return our $500, and he replied that
it would iniure his reputation more than
$500 worth to be released by us. He did
not then mention any special agreement
that he had made with anybody. The truth
is, don't believe that he had anv special
arrangement at all, and if he had it was
with somebody who had no power or no au-
thoritv from US to make it.
"Now about his contention that the con-
tract containing the Today clause is all one
sided and therefore illegal. Is it? Why,
not bit of it. The contract is as fair tor
Whitney as it is for u.s. 1t specifies that
We engage Whitney to play a GER
tain standard OF baseball, of which
we are to be the judges, and we are
TO pay him a certain amount for
it; that is, he does the work and
we pay. If he fails to come up to the stand
ard we can release him in ten days, and if
we fail to pay him he can leave us in Is
DAYS. So you see both of US have obliga-
tions to fulfill. Well, nobody will for one
moment contend that Whitney is at present
up to tie standard required bv us. We have
tried him and he is a complete failure,
simply because he has evidently not tried in
any shape or form to get into condition. He
is a very foolish man for acting as he is and
that he will find out when he goes into
court.
Tried 1t on yondy.
"TIe tried the same dodge on Won der Abe
and tailed miserably, simply because he did
not fill the bill as a player"
The President had much TO say regarding
the prospects of the team. He said: II
have, indeed, great faith in our team being
among the first four, as / think they will
have team batting average OF nearly .290
/ am well satisfied with the bows, and 1
think that there is a mistaken idea about
Farrell. He is not very much over weight
if he is any at all. He is big man and 6
feet tall, and only weighs $50 pounds. 1
wouldn't like to see him get too light. But
Charley will be all right. / would like to
go to Cincinnati and see their first game,
placed Louisville near the bottom of
the list, but that team has been improved
considerably since then by the addition
of Pletfer But / still think that st. Louis,
Louisville, Washington and Cincinnati will
be lighting hard for the first place in the
second division of the clubs
Regarding the anticipated expenses of the
club Mr.. Temple said: 1--WE have made no
definite estimate vet, but on rough calcu-
latlon l figure that our expenses will be be-
tween S70,O 900 and $780, 900. That is, indeed
large amount of money to be responsible
Tor and it will require lots of admission fees
to pay 1t. Our patrons should look at the
matter in this light. But L expect the
season to be a good one, and if our team
keep near the top We'll be all right.