Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-07-09
ST. JOE'S new BERTH.
Believed the Western Association
Will Be Recognized With
out Her.
TOWN HAS BEEN AN INJURY.

1VWu dAO b1tN AH lNJUh1 d.
Northern Clubs Suffer Much in Financial
Way Making the Missouri Trip and Will
Have More Compact League Next Year
Other Notes Of Interest to the Sporting
World.
|nASEBALL managers in organizing
III 4 successor to the Western as
ISOLATION next year will not be
confronted by that long Missouri
jump. which has been one of the
greatest financial drains which the
clubs have been obliged to stand in
the past, as it is apparent now that
st. Joe is permanently launched with
in the folds of the Western league,
the Omaha franchise having been
transferred there. T. j. Hickey, pres
ident of the defunct Western associa-
ton, engineered the deal. Mr.. Van
Brunt, the operator of the st. Joe
street railway, was at his back with
the necessary dough.
Mr.. Hickey has had good thing
during the several years which he
has presided at the helm of the West
ern association. His salary has been
5000 per year. He conducts profit
able business in his home town be-
side. There has been a growing
tendency among the northern towns
to part company with st. Joe and
form more compact league. Mr.
Hickey has been in almost absolute
control of the situation. aud of course
any proposition of this kind was i'm
mediately sidetrackcd by him. He
undoubtedly realizes that the feeling
against his town-purely from geo.
graphical standpoint-has reached that
height where the continuance of the
Western association depends on her
keeping out, and has taken advantage
of the first opportunity to land in a
new berth.
Baseball can he made to pay in this
part of the country if the expenses
are kept reasonably low. Railroad
fares cut a large figure. Hence the
argument that the towns should he
close together holds good. Rock Isl.
and found the game loser this sea
son, but she has the consolation of
knowing that she came out about as
well as her neighbors. and even bet.
ter than some of them. Peoria, for
instance, quit $4,000 in the hole.
Quincy owes her players hall
months pay. And SO on all along
the line.
But Rock Island is ready to unite in
the forming of league for next year
Other Notes of Sport.
Daily and Brennan fight at Clau.
Groth hall, Davenport. tonight.
Schrecongest, who caught fol
Quincy, is playing with Mansfield.
Most of the ball players have left
town, several OF them having secures,
positions with other clubs.
Rock Island fans remember the
clever playing of Harry Berte, OF.
tumwa's shortstop. The Sporting
News says of him this week: Harry
Berte. the brilliant shortstop OF tn,
Ottumwa club of the Western assoc
citation, was born 1T Covington. XIV.
May 10, 1872. He learned to play
baseball in Cincinnati, Ohio, ant
showed such skill that the Mobile clul
Of the Southern league signed him a.
its shortstop for the season of 1894
He batted .2S9 and his fielding percent
age was $50. In 1895 and 1896 h,
was member of the Richmond team
of the Virginia State league. In 1879;
the official averages gave him field
ing average of 1882 and batting av
erage of 1903. His record in 1896 wa:
.2l9 in batting and .935 in fielding
He signed with the Quincy club of tn,
Western association in 1897 and lee
the shortstops of that organization
with fielding average of .925 in %
games. He had an off wear in bat
ting, however, as his average of 23(
indicates. When the Quincy clubw
succeeded by the Ottumwa club thi.
lspring. Berte was among the player,
transferred and did excellent work fol
that team until it's disbandment.'