The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-04-15

er Kennedy of the l1rooklyns and Amo
Rusc of the New Yorks All Of them
however, sacrificed business ambitions 70,
the good of the game and will play ball
again this year if they starvc. What noble
sentiment! Still know several merchants
manufacturers and farmers who would cN-
change prospects with any one OF these suf
fcring baseball paupcrs and take 40 per cent
oil the salary for the chance
remember the remark of New York
jude who was called upon in 1880 10 try Il
cast wherein Il League club was appealing
to the law 10 compel II ball player 10 keep
conditional contract. and the bail plavcr
was setting up Il defense of oppression and
slavery. When the testimony showed that
the club offered the player and stood ready
to pay him 5000 month, the learned iudoe
leaned forward on his woosack, looked
long and earnestly AT Inc defendant, figur-
ed "A little on his own salary by dividing it
by !? and noting that the uuuticn; was
considerably less than the ball playcr's sti-
pend and then remarked soto Vocc 10 the
clerk. 81 have made II mistake in my voca-
tiGu.n
On the average baseball salaries are not
50 high as they were three or four wear,
ago by 80 per cent, but they are more uni.
forna. They run from 81 800 To j.! 500 Il wear
nov. whereas in the days of strife and dis
astcr slins were paid ont from II .auG to
So o. know OF very few salaries this
year which run in excess OF :. 800 and in
most of these exceptions the extra money
is PAID for extra services rs catcher or man.
aSer TWO thousand dollars seems To he
the average salary in the League Al that
figure there Is Il chance for each club TO
make money this year and ilsct the last
-four years of disastrous losses say last
four because, although no money was lost
by the League last year, the big debt which
remained to be wiped out ate up most of
what otherwise would have been profit.
This season the chances are that thon-
sands of dollars will he mndc in the league.
The clubs are literally clear of dcbt, and the
"bOom'' of last season is going TO be almost
doubled. Ii may be noticed that make
the statement without any saving clause.
There Is good ground for such assurance
The spirit of baseball revival is in the mir
and it pcrvadeS the land. 1t is heard on the
streets, III families, in the stores and shops.
on the cars and in the schools
Where there was one amateur semipro-
fessional or professional club last year there
are two this In 1883 six leagues and asso.
Citations included all the professional base
ball clubs OF the country This year before
championship season is opened we have
on he list the National league, the East
ern league, the Western league, the West
ern association, the Southern league, the
Pennsylvania State league, the Connect
cut State league. the New York State
league, the Tri>tnlc league, the Virginia
State League and other state leagues too
numerous 10 mention. The baseball rage
really seems o be epidemic
y, sides all these professional clubs the
great army of amateur association, which
have been formed throughout the land are
attcsting to the genuine popularity OF the
sport
Another sure Indication of the popular re-
vival Is the spacewhich metropolitan news
papers are dcvotng to baseball reports and
gossip this spring y measurement Of
space devoted TO such print will show that