Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-15
IN BASE BLL CIRCLES
nsF.2
All the "Blussg',. Are Satisfied to Play
foE!ths' Wagners.
MAKING DEAssss ON TEE QUIET
Different Candidates for the Va:
Ian
cancyon thHiBoard of Arbitration.
AN OPINION FROM BALTIMORE

With Jack Doylet positively located in the
east and making the statement that he will
be with the Washington team next year, a
great deal Of apprehension has been re-
moved from numerous local base ball en-
thusiasts 1t was foregone conclusion
that Doyle would report to Messrs. Wagner
and Brown this spring at the time speci-
fled in the contract, or even sooner if de-
sired by the local management The re-
port that Doyle had a chance Of going into
business at his home in Holyoke, mass,
and would drop ont of the game entirely
is on a line with similar stories circulated
by players looking for raise in salary al
most every spring. AS Doyle has admitted
in an interview that base ball is his BUSH
ness and that he will continue in the game
as long as possible, no criticism can be Of
fered against his natural desire to secure
as large remuneration as possible for his
services. With Doyle inside the fold the
Washington team for the coming season
can be said to be completed. All the men
reserved and claimed have expressed .Aem-
selves as being perfectly Willing to play
under Captain Tom Brown, and as Mr.
Wagner is known to be liberal with the
players, there can hardly be question
that satisfaction will reign supreme over
the entire club.
A noticeable thing about the Washington
club the coming season is the increase over
last year of the money that will be ex-
pended for salaries. The senatorial aggre-
cation of last year was far from being a
cheap team; in fact, there We're only about
three clubs in the entire National League
outfit that oLtcassed the Sena tors in the
matter of salaries, but the pay roll for
1888 will doubtless place the club almost
equal to the Baltimore and Boston teams
which have the reputation of paying the
top salaries of the big league. Capt. Brown
is Il full limit man, with a slice on the side
for managing the club; Doyle is also top
Eotcher in that respect and Reitz Farrell,
Mercer and probably Mcclure and Selbach
in the same class. This is a big aver
age of top limit men for one club. The re-
mander of the team will run down to
almost miner league salaries for the new
and untried talent secured by Mr.. Wagner
during the winter. 1t was the intention of
the local management to compel several
players of the Washington team to sign
"condtionar' contracts for next season,
but as a majority, if not all, of the players
who had Eeen marked fer discipline have
teen released, sold or exchanged, contracts
of this kind will not be in vogue in this
| neighborhood this year.
Either the CfntiEnati club has given
Louisville some assurance that DUSTY
Miller and Little Richie will be members
of the Colonies next season, or some of the
newspapers in the latter city are publish
ing rumols as facts A Louisville paper
the other day published a list of the team
that will represent that city the coming
season. as follows Dexter and Wilson,
catchers: Cunningham, Clarke, Fraser
MCGEE and Newton. pitchers; Carey, first
base: Smith, second base Richie, short
step; billiard, third Uase; Miller, right field;
Wagner center field, and Clarke, left field
1t will be seen from the list that Richie
has been placed at short and Miller in
right field. The article stated that Man
| ager Clark contrmplates playing his men
~. Mt q VI "a n q q
of these two Cincinnati players is piece
of news to the Newspaper men in the cres-
cent city. Manager Ewing, not later than
Wednesday, said that neither OF these
men had been traded OF sold He admitted
| that q trade of Miller and Richie for
Pitcher Hill was on some weeks ago. but
| that the negotiations failed of a successful
termination. 1t may be that Capt. Ewing
| is playing one of his old tricks and that
| the deal has been closed but there is moth
| ing TO show that such is the case. The
manner in which the rumorS of that deal
| suddenly ceased might lead one 10 believe
| that there was some truth in the report
| but, then again, it may be a case of the
wish hcing father to the thought. Not
withstanding the denialS printed to the eff
| feet that Richie will be member of the
Cincinnati team next season, there is little
| doubt that both he and Miller will be
snapped before the season opens.
There is much speculation among the
| leading magnates and other officials of the
| National League as to who will be select
| ed to succeed the late Charles Byrne as a
member of the national board OF arDltra-
ton. For many years elections to the ma
| tional board have caused much strife in
| the big league, and there is no reason for
| believing that there will not be lively
| time when this matter comes up at the
spring meeting at st. Louis, when the va
! cancy on the board is to be filled. There is
not a magnate in the league who Would
not be glad to get place on That board
which is supposed to be the high court OF
| base ball. The first assumption is that Mr.
| Byrne's successor is to be selected from
| the east as the west now has three men,
| bers on the board, while the east has only
| two In fact, leaving out President Young
| who is not supposed to represent either
| section, the east has but one-Soden OF
Boston-to offset Messrs. Brush, Hart and
| Robson of the west. 1t appears certain,
| therefore, that the vacancy will fall TO one
| of the five eastern clubs-NeW YORK. Phiia-
| delphia, Washington, Brooklyn or Baiti-
more, The two men who probably con-
| slider they are most entitled to the honor
| and between whom the fight is to be hard-
est are Freedman of New YORK and Rogers
| of Philadelphia. Both these men are am
| bilious and jealous of their regulations Tor
| influence in the base ball world. Freedman
has always insisted that the New YORK
| club should be represented on the board, or,
rather. that it is preposterOus for New
York not to be represented. lie mas al
ways been turned down, but 1t may be that
he will be able to Cqueeze IN lnlS Tine
Col. Rogers believes that mis- legal knowl-
| edge would he of great value to the board,
| to say nothing of! the fact that he is pres
| ident of the club in the supposed best ball
| city of the league Hanion is also men
| toned as a candidate, and some writer's
appear to think that he mas the best chance
| of any of the candidates When this cleo
| ton is taken into consideration, the old
controversy between the Little Seven
| and the big Five should not be lost sight
| Of. Freedman and Rogers are members of
| the big Five.", The dark horse in the
| race for this position on the national board
| is undoubtedly Earl Wagner of the Wash
| iEgtons. Mr.. Wagner is in close touch
with Mr.. Brush! ithereal ruler of the Lit
| tie Seven" and. it, the Washington mag
nate really wants 4he honor, it is only a
question of expressing the desire.
Albert Mott the Baltimore correspondent
| of the Sporting Life, has the following to
say in this weeks paper:
About forty miles southwest Of us there
| is little Baltimore suburb where John
Heydler lives, and they are quite ambi-
| tious about base ball They import lots Of
| talent to crafty ambition. They have Mr.
Wagner-Mister, you notice-and plain
| Tom Brown. They have corralled fascinat-
inc Iaok Dnvloi T,ohi,erv Harry Raitx opd