The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-08-11
HE DROPS TOPOETRY
Hot Weather Drives o. P. Cay
Tor to Versihcation.
THEN He FALLS INTO PROPHECY.

Methods and Old League and Associa-
tion Clrcuits--A Comprehensive SUM
mary Of tho Baseball Situation.
they say its very hot when the mercury is
boiling.
And business takes a rest IN the middle Of
the day,
But though the heat excessive prohibits US
from toiiing.
II never gets too hot 70 see the baseball fei-
lows play.
wrote that poetry all by myself and
.yithout the use of ice. realize the danger
went up against in doing IL so soon after
the recent hot spell, but the prose part OF
the national game is 50 quiet now that one
has 70 break into poetry occasionally TO
find some excitement.
II too early in the second championship
season 10 waste space and brain force IN
trying 20 predict with any degree OF GER
tainty the outcome among the clubs. We
all have our opinions even this early, ana
most Of us divide them up among the
Philadelphia, Brooklyns, BOstons and
Cinciunatis as probable winners, but there
Is little developed so far in the race upon
which 10 base any degree Of assurance.
For many years 1t has been an aphorism
worn threadbare, If there are threads IN
aphorsms, that baseball is very uncer-
tain" The truth of that saw is empha-
sized by the results of every championship.
IL was aptly illustrated in the last series.
One Of the newspapers In Cincinnati last
spring offered prize OF s25O to the reader
who should first place the names Of the
twelve League clubs in the order IN which
they would finish and send the list 20 the
Office Naturally such large prize brought
out thousands Of efforts. It took the work
OF a good sized force Of clerks several days
20 examine heguesses which were sent in,
and Of the entire lot there was not one cor
rect prediction.
It seems that the gigantic failures OF the
New York and Chicago clubs upset the
talent badly One Of tho thousands who
tried got seven of the twelve right, but
missed on the eighth and his effort was
the nearest 20 success Of any made
However. the task with twelve clubs is
not 30 easy as IL may be imagined ut a
rough estimate. There are more possible
combinations in the arrangement Of twelve
clubs than you have hairs on your head,
and when say ''yOu," l am not addressing
any Of the occupants Of the first row near
est the ballet.
One of the strange results Of the first fort
nights play in the second season was the
records made by the Boston and New York
clubs. The latter, after winning the first
championship, fell to a 800 per cent. rec
ord, whereas the former, after ending tenth
IN the first race, took a jump TO third
place But a baseball race generally re-
sembles a horse race; that is, the start
from the post often sees the poorest horses
IN the front and the favorites behind. It
IS only after the far turn" is made that
merit begins to tell and the powers OF en-
durance are tested
The season in financial sense is bound
to be a gigantic failure. The barrels Of
money which the chiefs dreamed about
at Indianapolis last winter, when they
brought about the consolidation Of the old
League and American association, were
dreams indeed The cash sums are on the
other side Of the ledger.
And still the magnates profess to be I'M
able to understand the slumpin their bust
ness. 1t doesn't occur to them that when
they pulled the game from the high and
honorable pedestal on which the late Viii
liam A. Hubert and A. g. Mills placed it
they alienated the patronage of a very
large class Of people whose money former
" poured into the club treasures but
which is now diverted 10 other channels Of
amusement. 1t pays to be square aud hon
orable IN all business, and baseball Is
business in itself
The lesson is being learned as well as
applied A result will be the return next
year to the old League methods, the old
League and Association circuits as near.y
as may be, and a revival Of the 1889 euthu.
siasm. II not, then all signs fail in hot
weather.
The complaint about the excessive sal
aries paid or promised to professional
players il we'll founded. But it is the fault
OF the contract itself that salaries have
run up TO such ruinous proportions. Every
contract is one sided in endurance. The
clause which gives the club the right 10
terminate the contract at any time with
out cause at ten days notice has induced
players 10 demand unreasonable salaries
as al offset.
The question has lately arisen Could
not clubs better afford TO make their con-
tracts absolute and equally binding with
both parties thereto provided that salaries
all around were thereby made sure aud
much smaller The player who could as
sure himself Of the receipt Of 1880 or &, 900
IN salary when be signed his contract
would sign with much more willingness
than be would feel in writing his name TO
s., 600 contract which might be termi-
mated by the club before $500 of the s., 900
was paid 70 him.
1t was this unfair feature Of the profess
sional contract which few years ago ran
mp the advance money abuse to such ruin.
Gus proportions. To secure themselves
against the release clause the player would
demand an advance before he signed, and
thus have some advantage over his club.
Under the present monopoly advance
money has been laid away as "a lost art, and
baseball contracts become merely memo
Tanda of the amount Of salary the players
get so long as their services are required.
The hotter it gets the better are the re
ports which come from the Southern
league Baseball in the south and on the
Pacific coast does not appear 10 be suffer
ing from the slump which has marked the
barch OF the season in the central terri
tories and Ia some parts Of the east. This
Is additional proof that the trouble. what
ever it may be, does not spring from gen
eral causes, but is based upon sons GER
tain faults which can be remedied
That is work FOR the magnates 70 do next
winter Meanwhile they must do some
very costly thinking.
The old time baseball patrons are becom-
Ing impressed with the fact that ball play
mo today IL uoC az M HIGH rnevit and av