The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-27
TAKES A SHOT" AT MOTT
PERTINENT REMARKS OF THE b.
CYCLE CHAMPION, EDDIE BALD.
Concerns the New Method of Counting
Percentages-"PIugg Bill,
Martins Record.


ionship, as follows:
1t took heavy load off my mind when
l discovered that I was again the recog-
nized champion. l had been worrying all
the season about the blooming thing. and
could not seem to push ahead You see
that theatrical game 1 am going into this
winter is going to take a whole lot of BOOM
ing, and | knew that if 1 could quit the
season again in the lead of these other fell
lows 1t would help the thing along. I saw
a chance to do something at the Indian
apolis, l.. A. w. annual meet Well.
worked hard. and 1 am glad gained
enough points to get the lead. Do not think
lot one minute that have that champion
81 pat. You see, only have small lead
IN the point table, and championship race
is run at every national circuit meet With
the winner scoring six points and the Sec
o oitn man TOUR points, 1 will have to get
either hrSt or second in every championship
race
The poor kid, that is what the boys call
GGardlner, was SO sure of the championship
tnat he would have bet on it. / do not
t ti he will figure in the lead for it again
this season. Major Taylor and f. A. Nc
Fariand are the men have to watch. The
oarky is riding like fiend. None of the
men are particularly stuck on Jerry Mott S
method of finding the years champion
me scheme is all wrong. The only redeem
ing feature to 1t Is the clause compelling
promoters to put up $50 as first prize. / say
this, Notwithstanding the fact that I
Jumped from third place to the. lead for
the championship, through his liberal dis
trlDutlon of points. That is just where
some of them got the worst of it. The an
nual championship meeting is no different
IMAM any other tournament, except that it
is conducted on very large scale
Just why winners should score ten times
the number of points at the annual L. A.
w: meet has never been explained, to my
satisfaction, at least, by Uncle Jerry He
means wen with the boys, and likes to see
them all get along and work in a friendly
way Tor the championship, but somehow
never could agree with the method of scor-
ing. me people do not understand it.
They see the scores in the papers and take
things for granted. In previous years the
way or picking out the champion was the
real thing. The champion was determined
by the number of points gained in any kind
or race he ran in on the national circuit
and also by the amount of money he was
supposed to have won during the year.
think have made as much money out of
the game this year as any of the other boys,
although have fallen short on the $50
championship prizes The old way is the
in every race. By the present method it
matters little to me who rides in the other
races as long as can win the championship
event If l thought for one minute that a
handicap race was going to spoil my
chances in the championship, why / would
ride in the championship event alone. This
year has been a bad one for the boys. Very
few of them have an money laid away out
OF the seasons earnings. think next year
will be better one. as there will be no war
to occupy the minds of the people, and they
will pay more attention to sports. Every
one is looking for a change in the govern
ment of racing. There will be a change in
the way to determine the years champion,
anyway"
MIDDLE DISTANCE RACING.
According to reports from the Eastern
tracks middle distance match racing prom
ises to die premature death. The two big
ASSOCIATE who have posed as promoters
are discouraged over the poor results of
their hard work, and are ready to give up
the ghost and quit the game. The National
Track Team Association which has sup
ported the largest and best equipped team
in the world since the opening of the sea-
son, has decided to abandon the racing field,
and the star riders including Eddie Nc
Duf1ee and Tom Linton, will either give up
or Independently the rest of the season.
Linton will most likely return to Paris i'm
mediately. while McDuffee will be managed
by former attache of the association as
an independent.
The American Cycle Racing Association,
Which controls Taylore and several other
riders, are as Disguised as the larger asso-
citation. Money has been hard to get with
them, and many of the pacemakers, man.
ayers and others are clamoring for a set
tlement. They will give two other
races during the season, but it is because
they are compelled to do So They have a
through the latter's manager, Dave Shafer,
but it has proved an elephant on their hands
so far. Now that Michael and Shafer are
at outs, and there is little likelihood that
they will come together again. this contract
is worth less than Spanish fours. Michael
VIII ride couple of more races, and then,
all reports to the contrary Notwithstanding,
Will join the horse race colony where he
has an offer awaiting him to ride for Phil
Dwyer at Sheepshead Bay
French Taylore is anxious to return to
his home. He is thoroughly disguised with
his treatment in America. He has never
won notable victory. and yet he has
broken the worlds record for one mile as
we'll as one hour, and has broken records
in nearly every race in which he has COM
peted. The racing season has been failure
throughout the country The big associa-
lions which have placed money in the sport
have lost heavily, while the track owners
wear elongated faces for the same reason.
The season was to have been closed next
month with a series of great tri-cornered
races between the best of the middle
lance champions who have been in this
country all the year. McDuffee, Linton and
Michael were to have been selected. but this
affair will now be declared off, and the rae
ing men will follow rhe circuit or ride
where they please on their own response
bility. Michael is now in New York, Linton
and McDuffee in Boston, and the other
racers are scattered all over the country.
II is reported that the tracks in New York,
Boston and Philadelphia will meet early
and form an impromptu association to con-
whether this will be accepted by the racers
is another matter. Some of the best of
them anticipate a trip to foreign countries,
and are already making their arrangements
TO that effect 1t is estimated that the Ma
tional Track Team Association lost over
200 during the season, while the Interna-
tional Cycle Track Association lost half
that much. and ii is hard TO estimate the
loss of the American Cycle Racing Associa-
ton, which not only controlled racing men,
but tracks as we'll. Z