The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-04-16
MILLS And THE LEAGUG
Caylor Relates Some Interesting
Inside History.
MILLION DOLLAR ADVICE IGNORED

WlILlON DOLlAh ADVlCE lUNVhLD
What the New Instructions To Umpires
Are Supposed to Mean - How Fake
Stories Are Put In nCirculation--Possible
Effects of the Rusie Case.
The instructions which President Young
umpires, preparatory to the opening of the
championship season, have tendency to
temporize tho new coaching rules. He
tells his umpircs In the same sentence to
strictly enforce the rules, but not to be too
aggressive about 1t. If the rules are to be
strictly enforced, aggressiveness on part OF
the umpire Is absolutely necessary. There
fore am inclined to believe that the um.
pires will lean strongly to the latter part
of the Instructions and not make radical
departure from their policy OF last season,
which was tinctured with a great deal OF
leniency.
Probably Mr.. Young has hearkened to
the voices OF the captains and OF the root
ers which have gone up in grand chorus
since the Baltimore meeting, protesting
against the literal enforcement Of the re.
yised coaching rule. The almost universal
cry is, "Do not make Quaker meetings
out of baseball games or you'll kill OF in
terest. If plan could be devised hereby
happy medium would be reached be-
tween senseless yelling OH the coach liDes
and just enough chatter TO keep up the ex
citement, 1t would be a happy day for the
national game.
AS it is, there is bound to be trouble on
tho umpire's bands during the first few
weeks of the season. He will be placed be-
twixt Scylla and Charybdis, and only the
patient, moro experienced and conservative
members Of the staff will pass through
safely.
The anteseason months Of this year will
go on record as noted for the large number
OF ridiculous baseball stories which have
been spread broadcast through the land!
Two parties are blanablc for this state OF
affairs-viz, the advertisement seeking
magnate and tho grab all space writer's who
stand ready to make u story out OF any
thing which may be given to them. The
most silly Of all these fakes was the 70
port that the Brooklyn club had offerej
the Cleveland club 100000 cash for its
players and franchise The story on its
face was absurd. In the first place, the
represent nothing but the
Cleveland team. The Cleveland franchise
without first class team would not fetch.
a dollar under the hammer, because its
owners have time and again declared that
even with a second place team the city
would not support the club.
In the next place, the Brooklyns third
base man, center fielder and right fielder
are far superior to the men who cover those
three positions for Iebeau's nine. That
leaves the 500, 600 to represent the release
of Tebeau, Childs, Mexican, Burkett, Zim
mer, Young, Cuppy, O'Connor, Wilson and
Wallace-ten players, two of whom are at
least second class. The days of $40, ,00O
payments for "a players release have passed
forever. Especially has the time gone by
when any one club will pay that price for
each Of ten players, including men like
Wilson and Wallace. In the third place,
the Brooklyn, club has repeatedly an
that, on account Of the negative
action of the minority stockholders, IL was
not in Il position TO expend dollar in
its team. In spite of these
three patent arguments against the truth
Of that story, it was given widespread
rredence, and thereby tho parties who
started it off attained some secret end.
A similar story was set floating in
which II League clubs were going to pay
Rusie's last years salary and thus coInpro
mise his case against the New York club,
this too, i'm the face of tho Leagues ac-
ton at Baltimore, where the body pledged
itself by vote Of IL to To aid the New
York club in resisting Rusies suit for re
lease.
Should the court order the rebellious
pitchers release from reservation there is
not a club of the Il which, if it consulted
no outside interest would not like TO sign
him. Yet that decision, coupled with Ru-
sie's subsequent engagement by another
club, would 80 seriously affect the future
interests of the other clubs that it Is very
doubtful if his triumph i'm court would re-
store the player to the National league
The magnates have learned the lesson of
what selfishness costs and learned it well.
II has lately been published that former
President A. q. Mills resigned from the
League in 1855 on account of pressure of
business. That is mistake. He resigned
for principle, and the story has never been
told. i will here add IL to baseball history.
I'm 1884 the Union association was or
ganized for the avowed purpose of break
Ing UP tne NdtlOHal iehpue anu tnG reserve
rule. One Of its acts was to use large cash
bonuses and exorbtant salaries to tempt
League players to break contracts The
only players to succumb to the temptation
were Mccormick, Briody and Glasscock of
Hhe National league club at Cleveland.
They Jumped I'm Tndscason, and as u
the Cleveland club was bank .
rupted.
The Union association failed mt the end
of its first season, and tho treacherous
Cleveland trio were blacklistcd. At the
spring meeting in 1885 several League
teams were found To be weak and propo-
sition was made to rcinstate the blacklist
sd trio and distribute them where they
would do most good. A. G. Mills was the
Leagues president and he had originated
the reserve Yule as we'll as the national
agreement Against the proposition to re-
instatc nc earnestly protested and warned
the magnates that such mistake would
some day cost them dear II they made It.
Over his protest and against his warning
the players were reinstated. At the close
sf the session Mr. Mills resigned and de-