The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-10-26

IN the spring, summer and early autumn
are. for the most part, improvident. Par.
ticularly Is it the characteristic of those
who came up from comparative poverty
within few years to be the commanders
OF 1000 $4,000 and 81, COO salaries
There are men who received 5000 each
in baseball salary last summer who will
borrow money before spring to pay their
board bills. Very few of the $50 League
players, comparatively, will go home with
enough money saved to pay their winters
Keeping. And yet these $50 men have been
paid i'll cash since the LIST OF last April not
less than 100000
Winter to Il baseball player has more
terrors than it has to q hairless Mexican
dog. There was n time when he could al.
ways beat the game" and control some
advance money against the following sea.
son, but that snap is obsolete. The foxy
magnates have him at their mercy. lie
is now lucky to get his salary when it falls
due. as was proved by the New York club
when they recently repudiated the last
half months ''pay" of their most valuable
player, Amos Rusie. 1t has come to that
state i'll baseball business where the mag
mates, owing to the peculiar constructor
OF the players contracts, have everything
their own way.
What do baseball players do during the
winter Mostly nothing. And they do it
so gracefully too! Their professional life
is school which teaches them the art of
doing nothing with skill and ease
Kelly has signed an agreement to start
the horses AT n ST. Louis winter race track
Hutchinson will go home to Cedar Rapids
Ia, where he usually gets some work TODD
in n railroad freight office. Arson PLAYS
billiards and talks about some champion.
ship he intends to win. probably next year,
he never talks about those he has won or
nearly won. Comiskey hibernates in the
bosom of his family ut Chicago Ewing
gees to Cincinnati, where he gets fat
enough to kill by butchering time Ward
stays in Now York, where he hobnobs with
actors. among whom he is very popular
John is Il dudish figure on Broadway and
Fifth avenue every fine winter day Those
players who have families join them after
the playing season. Those who have no
families beat their way through to spring
AZ best they can.
Amid all the talk of young blood Arson
stands forth as the Napoleon of the profess
sion. 1t may not be true that he wears a
double set of false teeth and wig, or that
he was the first white child born in Iowa.
But your uncle Adrian is no longer in dan
ger of tearing the skin every time he lifts
n wing, nor is the tip of his breastbone
pure white cartilage. In spite of his full
ness Of years, however, he quits the season
the most talked Of figure in baseball for
the anticipated events of 1893 Every
spring newspaper men write columns to
prove that Arson is entering his last year
of active service. Every autumn they are
profiigatc with use of ink discussing his
prospects to win the championship for Chi
cago the following season
is tha nplu n ko ko,
member of n League team every season
since the League was organized in 1876.
What Il contrast between horse racing
and baseball. Recently sat among thou
sand baseball patrons who hooted, groancd
and Missed Mt the umpire for half an hour
because he Numbered in u decision, which.
however, did not affect the game. Next
day ! WAS on the race track when the
judges by a mistake displaced the horse
which came in third and named an out.
slider for that place, yet there was not n
hiss, groan, nor loud word of protest
from the crowd of 5000 spectators. In
the bail game there was not dollar
bet on the result. but in the horse race the
judges blunder caused the loss of hun.
dreds-maybet housands-ofd dollars to men
who saw their one-two-three horse denied
the place he won. In the first case it WINS
purely sentiment. enthusiasm and partisan
feeling which was outraged; in the latter
case sentiment and local pride had nothing
to do with the blunder. It was a matter
of mere business Yea
Some Of the magnates have been to
Europe this year and others are going,
but the expenses of their trips will nor
come out Of club profits. This is the third
successive season of bleed" for baseball
hackers They have gone down three
times in succession, but every one of them
has expectations Of riches for the future.
| This faith in the "to be blessed" in some
| instances is marvellous.
Take the case of Mr. Won der Horst. of
| Baltimore. He has been in baseball for
seven years and never played to winning
| season His six seasons prior to the pres
| ent one had cost him So, 900. and this year
| he will probably add $4,000 To the sum
Yet lie is among ;he first To discuss his
| plans for 1893.
The old League magnatcs remind me of
| the hunter who always had a strong desire
| 20 capture bear alive One day he came
| upon bruin which stood erect and had
| his forelegs around the limb of tree
busily engaged at sharpening his claws
| Slipping upon the other side the hunter
| grabbed paw i'll each hand and held the
| brute fast, At first he danced with de
| light. soon lie grew serious. Anon he
began to pcrspire and grow red in the face
Then lie called loudly for help, and his
| cries attracted second hunter, who came
running up. Why do you want Lelp2'
said he us he took in the situation "You
| have caught the bear" bet your lie
have" painted hunter No. |. Now. To-.
COTS sake, help me to let him go"
We'll. tine sly old League maenatcs
caught their American association bear al
Indianapolis last winter. They chuckl,d
over their capture all last spring. Byn.il-
| summer they began to sweat more freely