Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-06-02


which he mado in street car lines. 50
when he dro;prd the baseball emancipa
ton speculation he reached out after more
street car territory with which to retrieve
his baseball losses. Among the territory
which fell into his monOpolistic possession
was Allentown. Mr. johnson straightWay
proceeded to clrctrify Allentown with the
buzzing, humming trolley wire. Where
the trolley lines conferred he arranged n
pleasure ground. Then he looked about
for attraction to induce people to come to
that particular spot, The trolley cars
would do the rest.
He hit upon baseball as the magnet.
Allentown owned n franchise in the Penn
sylvania State league. Mr.. johnson got
that franchise. Then he set about getting
a team. He thought Of Kelly. Kelly was
the man to bring the population to u focus
just where the Allentown trolley lines con
vcrgcd.
The king was put in charge of the
Allentown club. Mr.. johnson argued
that in Kelly he had a manager who could
raise more royal ruction in II day than
most men of mcndacious disposition can
in u year, and he had Mr. kclly's measure
to ~ skin tight fit.
Kelly took charge of the Allentown
club, and in less than IL week Allentown
name WIS On lips from tllc ti'llii tl thc
Mississippi to Lake Itasca and from Cape
Cod to the Golden Gate. 1t was not an
advertisements for Il day either, The Ion
ger Kelly remained in charge of Mr. John
sons baseball interests at Allentown the
greater grow and spread the fame OF that
city.
Being the king" he acted upon the
old monarchial theory that the king can
do no wrong. That is why when things
did not go to suit him i'll Il game at Har-
risburg recently he jumped the capital
and took his team to Allentown Boss
johnson, however, ordered the nine back
to Harrisburg next day for the remaining
game OF course this little eccentric de
vice of Mr. Kelly was worth several hun
drcd dollars to the club, for nearly every
body in Harrisburg went out to the ball
park to see Kelly "sncak back When
he went to bat, somebody presented the
king with Il nursing bottle filled with
sweet milk as IL token that he was baby.
Mike first satisfied himself that the milk
was sweet; then he put the bottle carefully
away in enc of his pockets and used it
that night in the construction of II milk
punch.
All of which shows that a man ; useful
ness on the hall;;clt does not always con
sist of his abilities to play the game ecicn-
tifically.
Rain and cold have up to the present
tmc played havoc with tho baseball bust
ness cast and west, but particularly in the
west. In the National league clone y
games were postponed by sin in tn" first
five weeks OF the season. When II is re-
memhcred that in most of these instances
there arc no open dates on which the post
poned contests can be played off, he losses
can he correctly estimated away w into
the thousands. Rain Is one OF h" chances
with which baseball investors must con
tend. 1t practically disrupted the West
crn league in milseasOn in 1S!H. The
carly months Of the season in the NiSai5-
sippi or central valleys were unusually
wet and disagrccablc that year, and clubs
fell 50 hopcll5aly behind financially that
most Of thcm gave W the contest carly.
Too much rain in the spring is moro dis
astrous to baseball business than i IS IN
the fall, for tho spring and carly summer
are nearly always the harvest time Of base
ball profits.
Tho Kaleidoscope life of II baseball
pitcher was once moro illustrated recent
", this time at New Orleans. Pitcher
Chard Of tho Southern league not long
ago shut the Now Orleans team out with
out hit. Straightway his fame went
abroad, and the name of Chard was for
time synonymous with wealth. Several
DAYS elapsed, and Mr.. Chard once moro
faced the same team fondly dreaming that
he would repeat his coup d'etat. But he
didn't On the contrary, they punished
his delivery for IA hits and 10 runs, while
his side scored cipher. Aftor all, base
ball fame is merely beautiful soap bub-
BILE.
Last year Chicago and Cincinnati were
quarrelmg over tho possession of Pitcher
Thomas William Parrott The dispute
was taken to the national board for arbl-
tration, and Cincinnati got him. During
tho latter part Of 1893 PARROT did good
work for Cincinnati, but this season, so
far his work has been indifferent.
PARROT Is ono of the few pitchers who
are useful on nine in other positions than
In the box. Last winter, being native
of tho Pacific slope, he spent his time in
California playing with the Oaklands.
While with that team he not only pitched,
but played first and third bases and short
stop and did cxccllently at each place. He
Is a fino hatSman rs pitchers go, and should
his usefulness as n pitcher desert him he
would still DO n valuable man in other
places on nine.
Pitchers who can mako themselves use
full or valuable to team outside OF their
special pOSlIlOn are anu nave DeeL rhfe
OF those now in service know Of but few
besides PARROT.
Taylor of tho Philadelphia Is q fair out
fielder and good batsman. Tony Mullane
can play almost any position on nine
Indeed there Is none which he has not filled
and filled with credit. He has oven caught
behind the bat. But Tony is an indiffer-
emit batsman, and that fact would destroy
his usefulness in any other position than
that OF pitcher.
1t is we'll established fact that few
pitchers have ever been valuable batsmen.
Devlin was hard hitter. So Is Stiyctts.
Foutz, Caruthers and Crane were fairly
good with the bat. Sc are Kennedy and