The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-09-07
NO CROOKEDNESS
IN BASE BALL
It's Honesty Is UnassaiIable and '.SellinS
Out" Is Unknown.
BUT RUFfIANISM HAS INCREASED
Comparison Of the Sport to Horse
Racing Is UnfavOrable to the Lat.
ter.. Racing Involves Many ThOus.
ands Of DOllars..This Year Has
Been n Successful One.

This year will break the record for
disorder on the base ball fields. for
fighting and scrapping between the
players of opposing clubs" writes Cay
lor. This state of affairs is not con-
fined to the major league. where every
conflict, whether small or important.
is duly chronicled. But the spirit of
pugnacity has gone out among. the
junior clubs. President Crane of the
Atlantic league has frankly admitted
that an umpire who undertakes to do
his duty in any game between the Pat
erson and Newark clubs of New Jer-
sey takes his life in his hands and
courts death or disability.
There is one shining proof standing
high above this professional disorder
in base ball-the honesty Of the game
is unassailable Indeed it Is the over
strained intensity which puts the
stamp of honesty upon every game
played In the old days Of sell outs
and rottenness, prior to the Organiza-
tion of the National league. such
thing as fight between opposing
players was never heard of. They were
more likely after a game to go away
together and divide their spOils In Sc:
cret friendship. 1t is significant that
at this same time the other great out
of door sport-horse racing-is under
suspicion.
COMPARED WITH RACES.
THE press of the east is almost UNI
anmius in the charge of combina tions
nd bn hn
conducting racing on the Atlantic cir
cult. All all that legislation can do
and all that honest judges, stewards
and racing magnates have done has
not succeeded in putting horse racing
on that plane of unquestioned honesty
which has made base ball so strong
and popular with the American peo-
pie.
only once in long time is there
even q charge of dishonesty made
against professional baseball, and then
1t Is usually 50 frailly founded that little
attention is given to the accusation.
Something of this kind followed the
recent loss of game in Philadelphia.
When the Baltimores went to the bat
in the last inning. the score was Is to
. against tItHi, put tHcy Hliiut y ilioIc
runs and won out "A most extraordinary
victory. Some hysterical supporters of
the Cincinnati club--Baltimore'S only
rival-threw out hints that the Phila-
delphias had presented the game to
Baltimore to help bring the champion
ship east. But an analysis OF the game
would not let such u charge stand for
Il minute A club which had a desire or
an intention to lose game would not
90 about ii by taking a lead Of l5 to =
ana keeping. ii up to the last inning. A
game lost that way is ten times more
harmful in effect than one which is lost
from the start or early in the game.
NO PUBLIC BETTING.
"rhere are thousands Of dollars at
stake whenever horse race is run. and
in some races $4,000 changes hands.
Therefore there is Il rich incentive for
combinations Jobs" and crooked work,
50 much so that stewards. judges, and
jockey clubs are kept constantly on the
alert to foil dishonest conspiracies. In
baseball there Is no such temptation.
No public betting on the game exists
in any part OF the country. and probably
no other spoft in the world is so free
from private wagers among its sup
porterS and patrons.
"The season OF 1896 is near enough
to its end to put on record the fact
that, in spite of fears which beset pa
irons of the game last spring. the year
has been eminently successful in base
ball. The principal leagues and asso-
.,i b,,,. -, tl..i,.
dulles or stand ready to finish all obli-
cations during September. The West
ern league probably stands at the head
of the minor leagues in point of finna
cial success The st. Paul club will
come out with a $l5 900 profit. and pro-
badly the other clubs in the circuit.
with one exception. win make money
in less amounts The Western asso-
cations season has not been so pros
porous as il was last year. and the
same may be said of the New Eng
land league. But the Eastern league
has made no backward STEP while the
new organization, the Atlantic league.
is an unqualified success.
AN interesting study i'm the national
game is the relative strength which
tdih t'iiIS nave dSdlIlSl tdcIl otDt +.
The Baltimores beat the Clevelands in
the race last year and will do it this
season with ease. Yet Tebeau'S men
have what is known as lead pipe
cinch' nearly every time they meet on
the diamond I'm the 12 games played
between the two teams this year the
Clevelands won eight and tied one
Ever since New York has had a club
In the National league it has been an
easy prey for the Philadelphias. but it
could always whip Anson's Chica gos
with ease and confidence. 1t is said in
Chicago that every time the Colts went
on the field against the New Yorks
when Rusie was programmed to pitch
they were beaten before the game be-
gan. This year with Rusie out of the
way. the Chicagos came nearer than
usual in tying the New York series
But Clarke makes a very good Rusie
substitute against Anson's men,"