The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-10-14


tralan baseball players TO America next
summer for tour of all the principal cities
where professional baseball is played. NJ.
Spalding expressed fear that the Aus
tralans might prove to be SO "easy" for
the Americans that no interest would be
taken in their games, but their sponsor,
who is we'll acquainted with the playing
strength Of Americas best teams, assured
MIR. Spalding that his country's team arc
highly proficient in their art and can "give
a hard argument To oven tho Baltimore
or Cleveland mines, so much has profes-
sional baseball grown in Australia during
the last few years
1t may yet be that the United States and
Australia will furnish continuous employ
mont for tho best stars of the diamond.
Tho seasons of tho two lands DO not con-
fict--while 1t Is summer here 1t is winter
in Australia, and vice versa. Christmas
and New Ycnr's day I'm that land would be
the great holiday schedule plums rs Me-
mortal day and Fourth Of July are in the
United States. Once baseball becomes as
well established in Australia as it Is In the
United States the stars of either land need
not spend half their time loating. AS soon
as the American season closes, Oct l, they
would start for sydney or Melbourne, where
they would find robins just opening for the
spring trade and violets clearing tho decks
for actiou-provided robins and yiolo.s do
business down there. Then, when March
ushers in the antarctic winter and the
Australian season ends, these continuous
performing stars would hurry back TO
America and report for action on the north
ern diamonds Australia is more progress
iye--more up co the go ahead ideas of the
United States-than is England, and there
Is no good reason why in very short time
an Australian league Of clubs cannot be
made self sustaining
The above plan would DO q good thing
for the pockets Of the star players, but
not so good for the players themselves per-
haps Gleason, second base man of the
New York club, refused to accompany the
Baltimore players to England because he
believes that ball players, to be at their
best during the playing season, should
have absolute rest during the other six
months Of the year. In other words, he
holds the opinion that a ball player, like
race horse, can become "stale," to use q
professional expression, from overwork
In support of his theory ho recalls the fact
that every one of the bali players who
made that celebrated trip around the world
foil away materially in his work during
the season of 1890.
The Spaldng tourists visit to England
had it's good results too. Since that day
there has been baseball league in Great
Britain every year But the league doesn't
pay, Is not self sustaining and makes slow
progress The English are not given to
adopting now ideas with n rush. In their
slow minds baseball does not begin to be
the sport which cricket is, and the best of
plays are passed with expressions OF "Very
clevah, "Excellently played, bah Jovep'
and "Ah, how neatr' And, then, over
there tho crowd upholds the umpire In all
his decisions whether they believe them to
be right or wrong. That alone Is enough
TO throttle the game.
The English idea Of baseball Is well IL
lustrated by the captain Of a team In tho
state OF Washington. The club got finan
cially embarrassed in midsummer, and
several English capitalists recently located
there were induced 10 back the team for
the rost of the season. These new mag.
mates were on tho ground when the first
game under the now administration was
paycd IL Was their maiden experience at
baseball contest During the struggle
on tho diamond the three English mag
hates sat in ono corner of the stand by
themselves, looked on with many owl
ionccs OF distress and discussed the situa-
tion ia low tones among themselves lt
happened that the umpire was very un-
hir 60 the home club, and the local cap
hin did great deal Of violent kicking.
As soon aa tho gamo was ended the