The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-02-21
THIS YEARS SAINTS
GOSSIP ABOUT THE ST. PAUL BASE
BALL TEAM FOR
1897.
MAKEUP OF THE MILLERS.
THERE ARE SOME GAPING HOLES
WHERE SCHRIVER AND WEIR
DEN WE'RE.
SOME OF THE CHANGES IN RULES
Promise to Make the Game Much
Smoother and It's Annexation
More Comprehensive.

While every other city in the league
is claiming to have the best team in
it, Manager Comiskey Is laying low
with regard to his own aggregation.
But that does not mean that the Saints
will be behind the game when the sea-
son opens. Manager Comisiey has
given it out cold that the 1ne thing
which kept them down toward the last
Of last season will be abolished this
year by a system of strict discipline.
A few days ago he sent ten contracts
to the following players: Mcbride, 1e-
Gently Of Columbus, heavy hitter and
a fast outfielder; DR.. Harley Parker,
who is in on the Chicago deal and will
no doubt play here, although just at
present he is haggling for more money
la Roger DenZer with Chicago; Scott
Stratton, Frank Kraus, Tony Mullane,
Connors, Phyle, Fricken, Isabel and
Hoar.
Not all the contracts have come back
signed, but they all will, unless, per-
chance, the team should be thrown
down by the league on one or two of
it's deals.
The sister city is already Boosting,
but it is a good deal like whistling to
keep up ones courage, for in losing
Werden and Schriver the Mill City
team was hit hard in vital spot An
effort has been made, however to rem
edy the defects.
The new players are Cassidy, first
base; Kagey and PhilIippi, pitchers
Partridge, Outfield. Partridge Is a Man
kato amateur who was given a trial
last year and was declared by the fans
to look like Abraham Lincoln. Cas-
sidy was bought from Louisville for
$3.50. He played with Ellis in 1895,
Phillippi IS young pitcher who played
last season in amateur mines in South
ern Minnesota. Kagey is a sOuth-paw
who was signed early last season by
New York, but dropped out and spent
the rest Of the reason with Ohio clubs
winding up at Defiance.
The addition of these players makes
the list Of men look like this: Catch
ers, Moran and the unknown; pitch
ers, Hutchinson, Carney, Figgemeier,
Kagey, Baker and Phillippi; infield
first base, Cassidy; second base, Pick
EFT; short stop, Ball; third base,
Kuehne; outfeld, Lally, Wilmot and
Partridge.
The club will leave Hot Springs April
~ e1AhO WAL1 PAo@S ~ 1@OIAA0 vi 1APA - y
7 and 8; Quincy, 9, 10, Ii; Burlington,
IL, 10, IA; Des Moines, 16, II and Is;
Dubuque, 10 and 20. These exhibition
games being concluded, the team will
open the Western league season in
Milwaukee or Kansas City April II.
Some Of the changes in the scoring
rules adopted at the recent league
meeting give good promise of removing
that variance in published scores which
has many a time baff1ed the novice
who was trying to decipher the mys-
teries of base ball literature. Stolen
bases have been cut down, perhaps
slightly, by the striking out of a por-
ton Of the rule, but what any indivI-
dual player may lose by that he will
gain in the fairness which will come
from all scorers using the same rule
hereafter.
Another change which is more radi-
cal, and yet not without worthy feat
ures, Is the rule which requires that
learned runs" shall comprise those
earned ''by the aid of base hits only"
This will greatly reduce the number
of earned runs, but it will bring the
figures down to what they are aimed
to be, a clear record Of the batting
done off the pitcher. 1t will look rath-
er queer in the scores for time to
see the small number Of earned runs
ascribed to pitchers who have never
been able to keep them down before.
but the comparison will be strictly
meritorious when 1t Is finished.