The evening times., 1897-02-24
Sketches of the Moving Spirits
of the National Body.
WILL MEET In BALTIMORE
Like Tennyso1's Brook, "Uncle Nick"
Young VIII Go ON as President of
the League Until the Great Um-
pire Calls Hin Out at the Home
Base-A Faithful Official.

1 IWelNe IHtH WHO 1utt IHe
dcstinies of several hundred players are
more or less famous from baseball stand
| point As in every organization, two or
| three men pull the strings and the others
| dance. One man, however, stands above
| the conflicts OF the big Five and the
presldent-secretary of the National League
and Association OF Baseball Clubs.
Magnates may come and go; franchises
may pass to other hands; cities which
have possessed league clubs may be
| dropped from the map, but President
Mick" Young remains president" through
| all changes.
| For twent y-six years Mr.. Young, OF
| this city, has served the league we'll
| keeping it's records and promulgating them
| from year to year; performing the arduous
duties attendant upon annual schedule
making and Strengthening out tangles in
| cident to the exchange Of players among
| the big and minor leagues.
A year ago Mr. Young was presented
| solid silver service, costing $4,000, by
| the league In honor Of his twenty y-five
successive years OF faithful labors in the
| Soden, of Boston, mo madethe presentation
speech, summed up the esteem IN which
Mr.. Young is held by the magnates when
| he said:
'Tn Mr.. Young we have an accomplished
gentleman; courteous and affable; an able
diplomat: an honest man, and one of
| Gods noblemen. To know Mr.. Young is
to hold him in high repute, and wherever
-
example of honesty and integrity
1t is almost unnecessary to say anything
about Ned Hanlon. Not only in Champion
Vile, but wherever baseball is known, he
has earned fame by raising the Orioles
in one short season from an apparently
tail-end position to an as apparently per
manent place az the head Of the list
Baltimore cranks worship Hanlon as
eleven other magnates fear him. and in the
last few years his remarkable discernment
in signing aud discarding players has won
him the flattcfing sobriquet Of Coll
brick Eddie Mr.. Hanlon i S an old player.
and received his first lessons in champion
ship team work as member Of the Detroits
ten years ago.
President Freedman, of New York, has
received more knocks" in earnest, per
haps, than any other man in the business
Won der Ahe has been frequently knocked,
but somehow or other one cannot take Der
Boss" president seriously.
Mr. Freedman set about making radical
changes in the running of the Giants
when he took them in hand two years ago,
and has 1ispla yed a wonderful amount Of
nerve when freqEent storms have encom-
passed him. His firmness is illustrated in
the Rusie case Rather than remit $500
fines which he thought justly imposed he
has virtually thrown way an asset worth
$4,000 to his club.
President Robson, of Cleveland, is one
of the leaders of the Little Seven" He
is noted as one OF the ''slickest' pollti-
clans in the league, and if there is any
fight due a the approaching meeting he
viii be right in tt.
There are other troubles claiming his
attention just now, however. Cleveland
cranks are sluggish or ungrateful for such
d team as they have, or something else,
and Sunday ball is to be tried. II this
doesn't brighten up finances. il is said. Mr..
Robson will leave the town and take his
grand stand with him.
IL has also been confidently asserted in
the last few weeks that Mr.. Robson has
become financially interested in the st.
Louis club. and big exchange of players
may result
Presidents ByTne of Brooklyn and Brush,
of Cincinnati, are both followers of the
Little Seven's'' fortunes. The latter is
also the owner Of the Indianapolis team
of the Western League, and would not be
averSe. it is said. TO helping that city to
a nice big league franchise.
President James A Hart is the owing
spirit of the Chicago club, and, as
maker of rules, is not a decided success.
He is chairman of the committee which
will ask the practical al olitiou of coaching
next seasonal proposed change which has
set the cranks bowling from one end or
the country to the other. Mr.. Hart is
member of the Big Five but he should
leave rules alone, which have been tried
and are "sol!d in popular favor" say his
opponents.
]. Earle Wagner. OF Washington, has had
considerable experience in running base
ball club. He came to Washington from
Philadelphia, where he owned the old Ath-
letics. and succeeded in making the Senators
play a better game than the residents OF
the city were accustomed to.
Philadelphia's Leader, MIR. Reach, is
member of the Five" and his influence is
felt strongly In baseball circles.
No man in the baseball business has suf-
fered more from the gibeS of his friends
and enemies than has Won der Abe. OF St.
Louis There was a time when the Browns
were famous aggregation. but late years
Der Boss, has somehow lost hi grip, and
the present status of the st. Louis team is
not enviable.
FROM away back in old association days
Won der Abe has stuck to the business,
taking losses and gains asthey came, and
ever the butt OF jokes, some good and
some iIl-nattfred. until he has come to be
looked upon as the harlequin OF the league.
Deacon Soden, OF Boston, has consid-
erable Influence as the head of that organi-
zation In league politics he is a Fig
Five man.
President Kerr, OF Pittsburg, is not prom
inent in deliberations of the body. He
has vote, but more often it is cast by
proxy He did not attend the annual
meeting in Chicago last fall, and he has
recently said ne did not intend to be pres
ent next Thursday.
President Pulliam, of Louisville, Is the
Youngest magnate of them all. He was
recently elected to his office, and will at
tend his first meeting as a baseball mag
n q To this woak