The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-01-14
BASEBALL THIS YEAR
How Butte Enthusiasts Size Up the
Situation.
YAEGER AND MILLER TALK
The Former VIII Not Rush into the
Proposition In a Hurry, and
the Latter Suggests
Plan of Action.

There have been q number of articles
in various state papers recently respect
ing the organization of baseball
league to include seven cities OF Mon
tana, and Sheridan, wyo. The propo-
sition, as outlined in the Helena Her
aid. is that the Montana towns to be in
cluded in the league shall be Butte.
Anaconda, Missoula, Helena, BoZeman,
Billings and Miles City.
Favorable comment has met the
movement generally over the state, but
nothing has heretofore been heard
from Butte regarding this move. and II
cannot be said that much interest has
been aroused in the proposition here.
Butte is looking forward to a great
football season and great horse racing
season, and there is not much room
left for baseball cranks. Still there
are a good many in Butte who still
consider baseball the great sport Of
sports and would undoubtedly give a
good team loyal support.
The chief hackers of the Butte team
which won the championship of the
Montana league three years ago were
Dan Jaeger and w. j. Miller, gener-
ally known as Sack" Miller, from the
fact that he Is a persistent preacher OF
the efficacy and wisdom of sacrifice
hits. These gentlemen, with the other
stockholders, lost quite few thousand
dollars in getting together a good team
that could win the championship and
in keeping IL up to the end of the sea-
| son. Mr.. Yaeger said yesterday that
he thought he had had enough expert
ence in baseball and did not care to
experiment any more until Montana
| should grow big enough to support a
baseball league.
I'VE had no kick on the support in
| Butte" said Mr.. Yaeger. THE cranks
| gave royal and enthusiastic support,
| and the papers did everything possible
to push the sport along. Butte could
take care of itself but it couldn't keep
up the whole league"
Mr.. Miller said in regard to the new
| league:
There is only one consideration on
which Butte could and would go into
another baseball venture. and that
would be on the proposition that each
| city should stand on its own bottom.
We tried the plan of dividing gate re-
! ceipts, and the result was that while
the receipts in Butte were ample TO
support its own team and make a light
| profit on the season, when IL came to
| dividing the receipts with the visiting
teams and getting in return a portion
| of the receipts in other cities, II was a
| losing game. was delegate from Butte
| to the convention that formed the
! Montana league. I advocated giving
! eacn WISHING team SOO. L HnallN sue
ceeded in getting a proposition through
! that each visiting team should have
| SIS. and the home team the balance OF
| the receipts. But then Missoula ar
rived and knocked that proposition out
| on a reconsideration.
II know how the baseball cranks feel
and ] can safely say that the only
proposition on which Butte will again
| venture into baseball will be on the
! plan of each team having its own re-
/ ceipts. On general holidays of course
such as the Fourth of July, the re-
! ceipts should be divided, but on other
! days the home team should take the
| receipts on dts own grounds. except
| perhaps a small guarantee of $50.
| There are bts of baseball cranks in
| Butte and the schedule could be ar
| ranged so as not to conflict with foot
ball or racing. You can't get too much
entertainment for Butte. The people
here are hungry for sport. But we
VIII not undertake to hold up the en-
tire league again, and the cities that
go into the scheme should do so or
the understanding that its home re.
ceipts must support its team. 1t must
not expect to support its team by what
1t will make when 1t plays in Butte.
would like to see baseball in Butte once
more and will help the plan along or
the basis 1 have outlined. but on nc
/ other plan"