Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-12
A REVIEW OF SPORTS.
Uneasiness Among the Mag
mates Regarding the Base
ball Situation.
FAULTS OF THE BIG LEAGUE
More Samples of the Local Teams
Proverbial Misfortunes.
A BUSY HORSE RACING SEASON.
Corbetts Medical Certificate on His Form
and AbilitieL
FAULTS0 OF THE BIG LEAGUE
A BUSY HORSE RACING SEASON.
Corbett's Medical Certificate on His Form
and AbilitieL
BkTTTTnnS BETWEEN JOHNSON AND DIXON

eruption Is looked Tor DIV some people al
any moment Magnates are stealthily
meeting each other, and as usual stoutly
deny that they are meeting at all, or, if
they do admit that part, they emphatically
state that nothing OF importance is being
discussed. A day or two ago MI. Byrne. of
the Brooklyn club, was at considerable
trouble in visiting newspaper offices to
state that everything is all serene in the
League, and that everything must remain
so for ten years. because that has been
agreed upon.
Past experience has taught all of US to
place very little reliance on what mag
mates say when it comes to their denying
any contemplated change OF big kind
In this instance, as one of the baseball pub
lie 1 am very much inclined to believe that
there is something in the wind" and
denials do not 60 far with me. A day or
two ago New York authority had the fol-
lowing to say about the situation:
During the past few d3ys the magma tes
have been moving about town as though
Chicago detectives were on their heels One
by one the men of the Le'gue have dropped
into the city and have held short conferences
on topics that are likely to cause sensa-
tion in the ranks of the 12-club organiza-
tion within a few weeks. The fact that
John T. Brush, A. G. Spalding. Frank De
Robinson all came To the city at the same
time, and that they met quietly with repre-
Eentatives OF the Brooklyn and New York
clubs makes iC look very suspicious.
'W hat scheme thew have on hand no one
knows but themselves Their actions indi-
cate tina; some underhand work is contem-
! Il IL
ground that none of the old Association ren
have heard anything about the mysterious
meetings, or at least none of them have
been in attendance. The directors of these
four clubs have for a month been dissatis-
fed with the condition of their teams.
None of them now show signs of getting
any but the tail-end positions. They have
tried to strengthen their teams, and have
appealed TO the strong clubs who have
superfluous PLAYERS for their release. But
these appeals have been in vain, and there
seems 20 be lack of patronage on account
OF poor playing This has made Messrs.
Won der Horst, Won der Abe, Wagner and
De Stuckv very much displeased, and they
have complained very bitterly"
4 Change Very Desirable.
From the organization of the big baseball
monopoly known as 12-club league the prin-
clple OF 1t has been opposed in these reviews
Nobody can for a moment contend that it is
now going along verv satisfactorily when
there is such a verv big gap between the
leaders and the tailsmen. There is such a
thing as dividing interests up too much and
this has been done by putting II clubs into
one league.
1t seems very safe to say that had there
been distinct National League and dis
tinct American Association things would
have been much better and the quality of
ball playing equally as good in the respec-
tive teams on much more equal terms This
notion of tavoring huge monopolies and
running them mechanically is a very bad
one; the principle is so unsound that it can
not be expected to be successfully operated.
Il baseball is to succeed at all it must do so
by competition because we have already
seen the utter failure of the plan OF the
''pOol' system of players
Whether or not the magnates Will hold
meeting shortly to discuss the situation is
not definitely known, but the fact remains
that feeling against the 12-club arrange
ment is growing stronger every dav. As
far as Mr. Byrne's statement that the
12-club system has been adopted for II years
is concerned, it goes for very little 1
never knew a baseball arrangement that
could not be broken all to smithereens the
day after 1t was agreed upon ii any of the
parties desired to have it annulled We
never know what an hour NAV bring forth
IN baseball The business is more the sport
o. caprice than anything L know of, and
lack OF public interest in it at any time is
always likely to prompt changes that other
wise would never have been thought Of If
harmony among the magnates is the great
Geslderatum l firmly maintain that it is
Just as easy to have harmony with two
major organizations as with only one, while
the tendencies for the progress of the game
are much healthier under system of two
organizations than under the standstill or |
retrogressiye influences of trust or monop-
oily in the shape of one organization.
More of Pirtsb urg's ProverbiaI Luck,
Just when things were beginning to look |
bright and cheerful for the home baseball |
club and lis patrons mistortunes again made |
their appearance and changed the aspect of |
things considerably. Baldwin was getting |
into prime pitching form, Calvin was doing |
well, and Smith was also beginning TO pitch |
his best The team generally were getting
their eye on the ball, and il did look as if |
the team were going to step right up to the |
front.
But in the midst of this Calvin got dis
abled and Woodcock and Camp proved fail-
ures, and that reminds me that almost
every season when the prospects of our
team loOks brightest something makes its
appearance that changes suddenly the
entire complexion OF things. We have this
condition Of affairs once more, and let me
say that the team have really done we'll
unuer the circumstances Depend upon it,
that team Is coed one who can keep about
the .590 mark, and that is just what the
FliSourEs are doing with practically one
goou pltcAeE True, these misfortunes
Drlng deieal, and these defeats make many
Of US almost dlsgusted with ourselves for
taking an interest IN the game at ALL But
let Us reflect a little before we say unkind
things about anybody. 1t is never fair to
censure crippled man for not keeping pace
with me best OF pedestrians, and Certainly
IL is Just as unfair to rail and abuse team
OF crippled ball players because they can
not hold their own with thoroughly
equipped and powerful team. l am not
reasoning thus as a way of apology for the
local team Not at ALL L am simply point
ing out what is true, and most assuredly all
Of US are not beyond being Influenced by
the truth.
Efforts to Make Things Better.
In reply to the foregoing remark about
mis- ortunes, L fancy L hear some people
saving: Its all very well to talk about
hard luck and mistortunes. but when the
local club has had so many of them there
ought 10 be some precaution taken to meet
this misfortune, and certainly there ouyht
to be something done 10 repair them at once
if those precautions have not BEEN taken"
Now, this Is all very true as far as it goes. |
but the club directors took every precaution |
they could to be prepared against misior-
tunes. Had all the good PLAYERS been signed
by the local club that have been tried tor,