Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-16
WHERE THE BLAME LIES.
Review of the Base Ball Season in WASH
ington.
Whose the Fault That the Club Did
No Better-Disappotntm
of the Public.

Only two weeks more and the base ball
season of 1893 will have ''fnis" written af-
ter 1t. 1t has been a particularly disap-
pointing season for Washington. 1t is true
that the local team has finished SO often
IN last place that the public should have
grown philosophical enough by this time
TO expect nothing else. but hopes were
raised unusually high by the work Of the
club In the spring and the confident as
sertion of the manager that the team would
nnish among the first six was eagerly be-
heVed. There was the same hope last year,
but the public was partly consoled. for the
team finished the first half Of the double
season in seventh place. It was seen then
tnat Washington was not altogether a
Jonah town and better things were ex-
pected this year.
II Is the favorite pastime of disappointed
oase paIl patrons to hold "post-mortem
examinations" on the cause Of failure. The
usual post-mortem has been held on the
washington team. All sorts Of witnesses
,, peen admitted, many doubtless that
were biased and prejudiced. Now that the
bitterness of defeat has somewhat lost its
eose 1airer judgment may be given than
nag oeen rendered in many instances.
uham r should be borne in mind that
Wnen Mr. O'Rourke was given the man
asehent OF the club he was given full con-
troll. This he has frequently asserted and
~ iact mas Claimed that he would not
UuneL~i Use nave taken the position. Nor
would ne have retained 1t il he had been
IN antertered with by the owners Of the club.
rms ne has also declared. Far from tI,wart-
ing .ns MN he has declared that he has had
Thera e 10y cooperation OF the proprietors.
Ihere mas been the best feeling between
t .nem ana MIN: They speak in the highest
terms OF MS fidelity and earnestness and he
. .penAs IA correspondingly high terms of
once there was an attempted interference
WIN MIN Secretary w. r. Wagner at
tempted to release Pitcher Duryea. but the
owners promptly disavowed the act and
m nsmth rresident Young that the act was
unauthorlzed and willie" Wagner was de-
posed and Earle Wagner succeeded him
ihere nave been differences of opinion he
aver werh b owners s,s and manager but the man
IKE to have had Joyce, but Mr. O.Rourke
esvidentiy doesn't like Joyce's style for he
disapproved Of getting him. "
MI. hourke was much pleased with the
WIN y. the team in the spring and he de-
ciared that there need be no cbanaas U.
peneVeo that even with occas ionaI had
Playing the team would do better than n
W., Wou.a With getting new material-necessar-
ny experimental and from a minor league
or cast-offs from the big league In this he
ana the owners agreed, and II Is hardly
necessary TO say that the vast majority of
, I, base ball patrons also agreed with
A'ciyoHc remembers the dire fqjl,r~
OF last summer and fall when SO MANY new,
ening the team. "a "'ie"s' III
From the first doubts were held regarding
lne Pitching talent, but 1t was hard to see
where any better could be Obtained All
pitched excellently at times and even when
Duryea was first released as the poorest of
me lot there were several clubs eager to
Suap nun up. 1t Is now admitted that XII
len should have been retained and maid
what he wanted, but at the time general
Farrell. -''' 1''
by the signing Of Esper, the star pitcher OF
the Philadelphias the season before.
linen John Stricken, who was well known
as remarkable infielder. was signed to use
were Initiated by the Nessrs Wagner hut
We're approved by the manager before they
were fnaily taken. They received the unani-
nous approval of the local public. Neither
piaseI mas strengthened the team as was
fully. -"i''A
The club. however. played good ball and
won fair number OF games until the Chit
Cages and Louisvilles came. With the loss
OF those games came a general roasting
OF the club. The specta tors turned against
them and rejoiced in the visitors success.
whether that took all the heart out Of the
yea, Team ana an desire to win cannot be said.
but 1t Is certain that the players were very
angry at their treatment, which, they de-
ciared, was undeserved. They rejoiced
when they left town.
Then came the disastrous western trim in
which all the eastern clubs but Boston and
Philadelphia suffered severely The other
clubs. however, began to win on the home
grounds, but the local team failed to better
its position. Whether II was because the
local public was Indifferent to it's success
or not can only be surmised. The atten-
dance fell off, The club seemed to put no
life In its game Last place was assured
Possibly the club could have been
strengthened at times. But 1t did not ap-
pear so to the manager. Doubtless he
erred. but he is willing to acknowledge his
mistakes and will not make someone else
shoulder them. He did what he thought
was best. He has had thankless Job and
is glad to lay II aside. He will not shirlx
the blame and is the last one to claim that
the owners have been Indifferent to the sue.