Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-06-29

peCt them to he hard To beat. But II Is
scarcely probable that til team will stay
in the lead to the end Of this trying pc
Rod. If the Philadclphas We're not SO
badly crippled, l would look to see them
heading the other ii clubs at tho end of
the western series, for they are good road
team. But that club has just met with
its annual lump of misfortunos. Glenn
cntS who ranks as one of the very best
and most useful catchcrs in the land, is
laid up with broken ankle and will prob
ably play no more this year. Captain AL
lcn than whom there was no better short
stop on the diamond had his jawbone
shattered by ~ pitched ball and may not
play again. Aliens parents arc in good
circumstances, and they have always OPP
posed their sons desire to play profession
ally. The shortStop'S friends believe he
will now retire permanently from the ball
field. Thompson was absent from the
team moro than II month with disabled
hand, and the minor injuries to other
players were far in excess of the share
which usually comes to Il baseball team.
This is only the annual i'll luck which
has hefallen the Philadelphia team year
after year and which eliminated last sea-
son in the 1>rustration of Hamilton by ty
phoid fever just when the club needed his
services most.
In an experience of Is years with pro
feSsional baseball have never known such
u general demand in the National league
for good baseball players rs there is at this
time, and the demand is not only for one
class of players, but covers nearly every
position on u nine. 1t is therefore going
to be profitable year for minor League
clubs which develop young stars of any
material worth. The eyes of n dozen League
managers are searching the ranks OF tho
minor league teams on the lookout for
corners. But the fact that most of the Ma
tional league caStoffs are eagerly grabbed
up by the clubs in the lesser leagues does
not argue in favor Of the theory that tho
crop of new" stars is excessively large.
The CincinnatiS want strong material
powerfully bad" us they say in Ken
lucky. yet thoy released Motz, Murphy,
Cross and Mccarthy to the Indianapolis
Western league team, where they imme-
diately doomed up as giants indeed in the
new company they found themselves with.
New York wants Il third basenan or al
outf1elder; Brooklyn wants pitcher; Bos-
ton wants several pitchers and catcher;
Philadelphia wants n shortStop, catcher
and pitcher or two; Baltimore would
give good money for q pitcher; Washing
ton would not pass by pitcher or q few
infielders; Pittsburg needs pitchers and a
catcher; Cincinnati would DO pleased to
get whole new team with the exception
of Halliday, McPhee, Vaughn and Smith;
Louisville wants first bascman, q catch
or, a pitcher and an outfieldcr; st. Louis
wants are general and constant; Arson
wants few good pitchers, a second base
man and a left fielder but he will not nd
NIT it; Cleveland could use another good
pitcher. That Is about all the National
league clubs need just now, but the demand
may grow as tho season advances
The fact Is self evident that there is a
mighty dcarth of talent among the young
er players of the country. Never have there
been so many minor professional teams on
the field as there are this summer. and yet
the class is below the former average.
If the material was in sight, National
league money would bring it to the front,
for the clubs of the major body arc max
ing money in largo bundles, and good
prices are ready for the release of players
whose abilities are not doubted. Schmelz
of Washington had nearly 80 Of tho pick
of minor league players of 1898 on his list
last spring, and out of them all he found
not moro than half q dozen capable Of
playing major league ball.
The success OF the Baltimore club, how
ever, encourages the other National league
clubs to skirmish for young stars. True,
muCn on Cne suSSSSS 40 uoS Va
tho fine pitching of McMahon and Null
lane and to tho catching of Robinson
three stars who have been in tho League
some years-but the phenomenal work OF
tho youngsters, McGraw, jennings, Bon
ner, Reitz, Kelly and Keelcr, has caused
q widespread desire among managers to
make q few finds OF the same class
OF oil these young Baltimore stars Hen
~ T. Rcitz, the second h.scman. Is prob
ably the most valuable and tho most es-
teemed In the profession generally. He Is
pushing McPhco hard for tho honors Of
the head of second bascmen and promises
to dethrone the Cincinnati king just as
McPhce himself few years ago caused
Pfeffer and Richardson to abdicata IN his
favor. Reitz Is really new star he
played his first professional game In 1890
on tho Sacramento team. In 1891 no went
east and played at Rochester in tho East
ern league part of the season, but Went
back to tho Pacific coast in midsummer,
whore no remained till 1898, when no was
engaged by tho Baltimores and at once
sprang into national prominence on tho
merits OF his playing. His greatest field
ing feat was the acceptance Of IT chances
In one game in June of last year. Reits's
stopping stone to the profession was the
Chicago City Amateur league, whence so
many National league stars have come.
If the major clubs could unearth a few
more Reitzes, Elys, Abbeys, MERGERS, Ora
dys, MoGraws and Ryans, it would be n
glorious thing for professional baseball.