The Saint Paul globe., 1897-05-30
the road. Their record in this respect

is notorious.
Philadelphia's recognized team is
playing spotty ball-that is, making a
brilliant run Of victories and then In
dulging in a string of defeats. This
uneven work has characterized the
clubs fortunes during the last three
or four years. It can only be ascribed
to weakness In pitching and a blunder-
ing base running business. The Pitts
burgs, all in all, have furnished the
real surprise Of the spring: 1t was
generally believed that the team had
been weakened by late trades and
changes, but its showing so far in the
season does not carry out that theory.
The pitching Of Killen, Hawley and
Tannehil1 has held down opposing
scores, and the nine has batted in
enough runs to win a large percentage
Of games The teams Eastern trip
will serve to give a real estimate Of
it's general comparative strength. After
starting with a most brilliant record
the Louisvilles took decline which
indicates that they are sure second
division candidate. Still, the Colonies
will do much better than last years
team did.
In spite Of Nick Young's second
proclamation to his umpires COM
manding them to enforce the kicking
rule to the letter under penalty Of los
ing their positions, the umpires do not
do it. Occasionally captain or a.
player is benched for persistent1y de-
flying the rule, but if the Instructions
OF Young were carried out to the word
mines would be completely changed in
some instances by the umpire's orders
1t frequently occurs that the umpire is
surrounded by the entire nine of a dis
satisfied club, whereas the rule ex-
press1y prohibits any but the captain
from questioning a decision OF leaving
Io 0L h1%
the bench.
What is still more significant Is the
apparent increase in strained relation
ship between umpire and player In
the Western league two cases have al
ready developed where the player as
saulted the umpire on the field Both
assailants were fined $100, and the
Western league directors found it
necessary to issue decree making
similar offenses hereafter punishable
by expulsion. IE the National league
the. pugHacity-. seems to be on the UNI
pire's side. After recent game UNI:
pire Hurst visited the dressing room
of the Washington team and invited
Secondbaseman O'Brien to settle a
quarrel of the ball field right there and
then with the fists. Club officials inter-
fered and brought about peace. UNI
pire Mcdonald called upon Capt.
Tebeau at his hotel in st. Louis after
game in which Tebeau expressed his
opinion rather plainly of McDonald's
honesty. Mcdonald wanted to make the
matter personal affair and fight it
out. Tebeau, profting by his exper-
lence last year, declined the issue.
1t is surely ludicrous-aIl this in
creased trouble between umpire and
player-when one views it in the light
of that last winters legislation which
was expected to make autocrats of the
umpires and automatons of the play
ers. One might just as well try to
take the fighting spirit from a bull
dog by kind words as to attempt to
suppress the kickers among base ball
players.
Gradually the old timers are drop
ping out Of the game to give room to
younger favorites. Pfeffer, Connor
and Beckley were all sent to the bench
within two days. They may get back
into active work again for a brief
time. but it is the beginning Of the
end with them all. Ewing has retired
himself. Mcmahon is shifting. Stivetts
and Clark are on the market. Fucker
IS left at home. In every instance a
younger. more popular player has
pushed the old favorite off the track
Man born of woman is of few days
and full Of trouble, but fame born on
the ball field is like the bloom of the
century plant-very scarce and much
more feeting.
20. P. Caylor.