Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1893-04-27


fortnight the start Of its northern neigh
bors OF the National league.
This new baseball organization of the
south Is pointing with pride" to it's short
history. Last season it was the only minor
league in the land to play out it's entire sea-
son with an unchanged and unbroken mem
bership, and to be able to say at the close
OF its championship that it's clubs had dis
charged every dollar Of obligations entered
into. In the early part of last year the
Southern league was not considered as a
certain quantity by any means, because
professional baseball in that section of the
country had been tried SO often and had so
often failed; therefore players gave their
preferences to the Western and Eastern
. leagues rather than to the Southern league.
That nothing succeeds like success' is
peculiarly illustrated herein. This year the
preference among all minor league players
was given to Southern league clubs, SO
that the latter had, to some extent q pick
from all the minor league players who hap
pened to be free to seek contract wherever
the best terms could be obtained and the
best advantages generally would offer. The
consequence is that all the teams of the
new south" are stronger than they were
last year, and as q result the interest at
every point is considerably increased
Last year the league consisted of only
eight cities and clubs, but at the annual
meeting four new applications for member
ship were received and granted, thus MAX
ing 12-club circuit for 1898, the new
members being clubs at Nashville, Charles
ton, Savannah and Augusta. Many of the
friends of the league believe it was a mis-
take to increase the membership, because
a 2-club circuit is sure to be more un-
w1eldy than one of eight clubs
The circuit of the Southern league covers
a great deal of territory, and each team will
be compelled to travel about 5000 miles
during the season. There is no lump"
however, which cannot be made by one
nights journey, or at least in night and
half day, SO that no playing time is lost by
travel.
The teams of the Southern league have
shown up well in their March games
against the visiting teams from the Nation
al league. The Baltimores met defeat twice,
and the Clevelands and the st. Louis
Browns each ''got it where the chicken
got the ak" in one of their first games. In
several other instances the big brothers
from the north were thankful to be able
to crawl out of small holes.
The Eastern league occupies territory in
a latitude 30 high that its championship
season must necessarily open nearly one
month later than that of its southern
neighbor. The organization started last
season with ten cities on its circuit, but
only six Of the ten finished the second series
Of championship games-namely, Albany,
Troy, Binghamton, Buffalo, Rochester and
Providence. The clubs at Philadelphia,
Elmira, New Haven and Utica did not play
out their quota of games, and when the
league got ready to organize for 1893 none
of these four cities signifed desire to try
it again. The city Of Erie, always good
baseball center, was awarded q franchise
The Eastern league will begin the season
with eight clubs and team salary limit
of q, 800 month. The season will not
open till about May 1, and only 112 games
will be played by each club.
The New England league starts into 1893
with more confidence among its clubs than
has existed during all the years of its ex-
istence. The cause of this is the decided
success which attended the organization
last year. For the first time since New
England league was organized the clubs
went through the season with only a
single break in the circuit and that was
merely transfer. Portland, Lowell, Lew
iston, Brockton, Salem, Lynn and Woon-
socket stood ready to continue business at
the old stands this spring. New England is
and for many years has been q fertile field
for the propagation Of baseball interest and
enthusiasm.
The California league will of course be
continued. 1t has never been of extensive
territory, but what 1t lacks in circuit it
makes up In faithful enthusiasm The Cal
ifornia army Of cranks is depleted only by
death, and this loss is not only made up
but more than offset by the new crop, which
grows as easily and prolifically in that eli
mate as flowers. Sacramento has probably
dropped out of the quadrilateral circuit per-
manently, while Los Angeles has come in
to stay. The three cities of San Francisco,
Oakland and San Jose furnish the other
corners. The California league has been a
yeritable baseball academy for turning out
PLAYERS who afterward graduated in the
National league.
In the Pacific northwestern territories it
looked for short period last winter as If
professional baseball would have to take a
rest this year, but within the last few
weeks q new plan has been acted upon
which puts the game again on a solid footing
in that quarter. The Pacific Athletic asso-
citation has been incorporated to take the
place of the Pacific Northwestern league.
The cities of Seattle, Tacoma and Portland
of the old circuit, with new membership
near by, will form the partnership or incor-
poration. Spokane of the old circuit Is
dropped because the long journey across
the mountains makes it an undesirable
member to the others.
The Worlds fair at Chicago has given a
black eye to professional baseball within
radius of several hundred miles Of that city,
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