The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-09-05


cles by winning sixteen straight" The
Raltimores in 1894 exceeded the Phil
lies work by making eighteen success
i've wins. The Boston's unbroken chain
of thirteen conquests during the West
ern clubs first Eastern visit is the best
any major league club could do in that
line this year.
The Phillies hold the 1897 record for
successive defeats, the number being
twelve, just one short of the Cincin-
nati's record of thirteen last season.
The miserable showing by the Phila-
delphia team during this period con-
WINGED the owners of the club that
some of their players were soldering
and conducting themselves with utter
Indifference to the clubs interest.
Therefore Col. Rogers. the president,
announced that the salaries of all the
players retained for next year would
be graded according to the class of
work done by each one from Aug. ~
to the end of the season. The result OF
the proclamation was astonishing. A
number of the men on the team imme-
diately became inspired, and instead Of
their previous slouchy, Indifferent style
with good effect all around. Now a
dilemma stares President Rogers in the
face. Is this not positive proof that
these players were Lying down. dis
sipating or purposely Sinking their
duty? If so-and he keeps his word
he will reward the very men who were
the guilty ones by not reducing their
salaries for next year. 1t seems to be
a case in which Col. Rogers would be
justified in Furnishing instead of re-
warding these men Notwithstanding
the implied meaning of his pronuncl-
amento.
The Philadelphia magnates did an
other good thing for the welfare or
the game. On Aug. "a they went to the
umpire before the game began and ask
ed him to remove from the game any
PLAYER who made an unnecessary Kick,
whether he might be Philadelphian or
visitor. The umpire gladly acted
upou, this advice, and Capt. Cooley, of
the home team, was the first victim,
being sent to the bench in the first in
ming Thereafter all went along with
ont disorder. If the other magnates
had this same courage Of Roach and
Rogers, the tN>Ol UGLY PAN' -
would soon be settled.
To show how senseless is most oI
the kicking against umpires' decisions
ONO has but to read the remarkable
confession of Arson, recently made Tor
publication.
This leader among ball players con-
fessed with great frankness that two
thirds of his controversies with the
unpire were not held with any expec-
tation that the latter would reverse
his decision--in fact with 1uli
knowledge that the official under the
niles would not dare make such re-
vareaJ-but the object was solely and
ul1relv to induce the umpire TO give ms
club the best of it in some future de-
cision. When Arson confeSses to US
ing such means to attain such ends,
what can be expected of the less con-
scientious less honorable captains OF
clubs?
The annual agitation of abolishing
the Temple cup series has opened UP.
II began about this time last season,
and the agitators claim they had eight
clubs pledged to vote for the shelving
of the trophy and the ending of the
yearly scramble among a minority of
the teams to get into the series, but
when the winter meeting was held the
question did not so much as get
hearing. The opponents of the cup
contest are owners of second division
teams. who smart under the apparent
lv poor work of their own players
while they watch the magnificent
struggle of the four teams which have
a chance for the rich prize. These
magnates argue that it affects the
playing of the losing teams to know
that two of the leaders will have the
means provided of enriching it's play
ers in a postchampionship series The
argument, of course, is fallacious.
losing team will always play like
losers and cannot be affected by such
an influence. On the contrary the cup
series has made the final struggle
among the leading teams more excit-
ing and more interesting to the base
ball public than before 1t was inaug-
urated. Formerly there was but one
trophy to fight for-the pennant-and
that was valueless to the victors them
selves. Now at least two teams have
a monetary incentive to beat out the
other ten. There is no more reason
why there should not be a reward for
the second or even the third club in
the race than that there should be no
second or third money in a horse race
Take away that incentive from the
track, and in most races the finishes
would be with one horse in front and
the rest pulled up in the stretch. II.
is so with base ball. A team enter
ing the stretch as the New Yerks and
Cincinnatis did this year, with the
pennant a "cinch" for either Balti-