The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-08-13
OTHER PEOPLES THEORIES.
Wiseacres Who Assert That Game
of Freezeout Is Being Played
TO a Finish.

times, and unless something to resuscitate
1t be done and that right away. soon moth
ing will remain 10 tell that the game ever
fOurished here but large amounts of un-
paid salaries and fair stock of misft uni
forms.
Los Angeles as league town is as dead
as all Aztec mummy.
The Electric Railway Company has
abandoned the team. Captain Glenalvin
has packed his grip and started eastward,
and the rest Of the players are busily en-
gagged in trying to think up some sort OF
cooperative scheme by which they may
gather in an occasional neal and thus pro-
long thei lives.
Sacramento. which, by the way. has
never been great bail town since the old
Alta club gave up the ghost and players
iB that section of the country ceased
scRmpering over the diamond in their bare
feet, is little better off than the citrus belt
eli ty, and even Oakland and San Francisco
are on the downward grade.
OF course there are reaS0 ns for this con-
dtion of affairs. but they are hard to get
at. With excuses it is entirely different
Every body who ever had thing to do
with the game has some sort of an excuse
to offer, that is, everybody but your Uncle
Harris. Henry never was given much to
talking, and now he says less than ever.
He finds it all he can do to attend to a
thinking jCb upon which he is at present
engaged.
Robert Weland, the president of the
league. discusses the situation quite freely.
Hard times, ""World'S FAIR, Too much
baseball are the excuses he supplies, and
they seem quite reasonable until John j.
NJ one diS>ects them.
None is the Nestor of baseball out this
way. and was president of the league for
so long that now he does not seem at home
Hard times? Rot Worlds Fair
Bosh. Too much baseball? Fudge" lays
Mr.. None. It's bad management; that's
what it is. Why, | remember"
And the little man went on to tell that
oft-told tale of the days when the game
could only draw 70 cents worth Of spec
tatorS; but as that has long since become
ancient history, 1t will be eliminated from
this story.
Concluding bis tale of olden days, dis
cussion of the affairs of to-day was re-
sumed.
Now. take this fellow Wieand" (Mone
always refers 10 his successor as a fellow
who Is he, and what has he ever done
for baseball? Why, The people don't know
him any more than they know Geischen, I
OF Moore and Lindley; so, of course, they (
don't take any interest in what he is
doing.
''As president of the league he is a rank .
failure. He seldom attends a game; i
never can be found TO give the umplres |
their assignments. and does not even at
tend to the advertising. There was not |
an adj In daily paper this week.
Il tell you these peOple made ii mistake |
when they threw me"-but here MOnes |
natural m odesly asserted itself. and be |
dropped 'that fellow" to devote moment /
or two to the club managers.
What do Geischen and Lindley ana /
1loore know about managing baseball |
teams? Nothing. They are running in /
debt every day and killing the game. |
Lindley made rank failure in Los An
geles and disguised the people so that /
where thousands attended game last /
year hundreds do not go now. Why, the /
man could not even ray his bills. Moore |
is almost as bad. he could not make |
his salt in Stock ton, even when the club |
was winning, and now he is worse off |
And as to Geischen-well, pity him.
Nav, was never very friendly with /
Robinson, and l tell you that If he and |
had stayed in the business things would |
not be in their present condition. 1t is not
hard times or anything else. but bad man
agement from one end to the other that 10
the trouble, and everybody knows It,"
Then the eX-presdent ceased his talking I
bad management did not stop, however. I
1t expressed the sentiment Of many peo-
pie who frequent ball games.
Strange as it may Sem about every per-
son who few months ago shouted with |
joy because Robinson and Finn retired |
from the game is now anxious to have |
both come back, and is loud i'll his declara- I
ti0ns that the existing powers are running |
the game and that the return OF the others |
would prove its salvation.
Joseph T. OBrien, commercial trav- |
eler and baseball fan" of the wore sort. |
in discussing the situation during the
game at Haight street. said:
when Robinson was forced out of the
game, because he was financially embar- |
raised, baseball was given deathblow.
During the last five years have witnessed |
TO small number Of games in interior
league towns, and l say unhesitatingly
that Tom Robinson was the most popular
manager in the State with lovers of the
sport.
"Many times have l seen him bring his |
club to Stockton, Sacramento. San Jose or
Los Angeles after one of the other teams |
had concluded a most dsa strous engage
ment in the town and just pack the
grounds.
lie was hustler and people liked him
and his team. but now the club draws no
better than any other"
Entirely fferent from the foregoing
views Is the one taken Dy lew peOpIp
who claim TO be on the inside They hold
that the existing condition of affairs is due
to a little game Of freeZe-out which has
been played, and advance some plausible |
reasons in support of their opinion.
1t is argued by them that early in this |
season it was discovered that the league
was going to prove failure. None of ih. |
interior towns made money from the start, |
and as the year advanced their losses
grew heavier. Between Harris, Finn and
Robinson, it is asserted. there existed
compact by which the proceeds of each |
year were divided evenly.
When it was discovered that the interior
clubs were going to prove failures an en-
deavor was. so the story goes, Immediately |
made to take them off The trio's hands ana
burden someone else with the losses. That
the clubs were disposed OF everybody
knows and right here Is where, so the
wise ones maintain. the joker mes IN.
"a oltfn II. 4