Omaha daily bee., 1898-11-13
BASE BALL MEN IN WINTER
How Stars Of the Diamond Manage to
Tide Themselves Over the Cold
Spell to Another Season.

What becomes OF the ball tosser during
the winter Is a query that many a fan puts
to himself during the bleak months after
the seasons close. OF course, a portion of
the diamond push engage in their only work
OF the year during the six months inter-
lude between the seasons, but, as a matter
of fact, not more than 10 per cent engage
in any occupation during that time. a
large majority Of the players send home
their winters nest egg during the season,
but their savings are eaten up in the fall
and winter. The average fan is OF the
opinion that the ball tosser draws a salary
of about 81 a second during the National
league season from the various major league
clubs. But the ~princely salaries went out
with the Brotherhood. The days before 30
were the golden days for the swell salaries,
and during the Brotherhood years the play
ers Of both the league and brotherhood
lolled In ~luxury's lap. John Clarkson, the
once noted twirler. espoused the brother
hood cause, but jumped to the Boston Ma
tional league club. He signed a three
years. contract for $1,000 a year. and of
this amount he was paid 81, 900 before he
pitched a ball. Buck Ewing has earned
$22. 900 in three years on the emerald dia-
mond. But the virgin flood no longer
uOWS III 6Olucu uOOuSs " tHe DILL player
Of today is a resident Of Easy street at a
$4,000 salary and considers himself we'll paid
at 81, 900. OF course, the base ball life OF
the average player is covered by the mar
row span of eight or ten years, and during
the summer of his career he Is supposed
to save thousands. The present generation
Of players is more frugal and thrifty than
the Mr.. Goodfellows of ten and twelve years
ago. though the ball playing push of the
sos was paid twice as much as the up-to-
date ball tosser.
At the coming meeting Of the big league
magnates next month q scheme to break
from the present twelve junction combina-
ton is bound to be sprung. Base ball
writer's in the east, some of them Of con-
siderable prominence, are assigning as o
partial cause for the lack of patronage dur
ing the past season the load that the or.
ganization is carrying in the shape Of q
string Of tail-enders. For example, they
point out that the fans In Baltimore, Gin.
cinnati. Boston or Chicago cannot be over
burdened with interest in a game in which
the opponents are teams like st. Louis
Washington or Brooklyn and some Others
that might be mentioned. To remedy this
they advocate a reduction Of the number Of
IalitTo-tudt Is, d return 10 the Gays OF tnS
dual association when the league and the
American association flourished like tn,
green bay tree. BY this they mean tn
splitting up Of the present twelve clul
league. together with the addition OF othel
cities, into a couple Of eight-club leagues
With one or two tail-enders in each they
commended that the remainder OF the part,
ners, ten or twelve in number, would pros.
per as do the scant half dozen of today
There Is horse sense in this suggestion ant
1t is being seized upon by the magnates al
a possible solution Of the present ~inancia
problem. But, while the idea may b,
preached at the coming meeting. it vii
probably not be consummated until the ten
year compact expires. II at all. 1t would
take two or three years. anyway. for tn,
deal to be put through.
Chauncey Fisher. ex-manager of the
Omaha, and later the st. Joseph team, ha.
been drafted by Baltimore for next season
Thus does Chauncey make his second entr,
into fast company, and It depends entirely
upon himself how long he stays In bon tor
base ball society. AS IA manager he wa,
not a glittering. scintillating constellation
but as a twirler his work in the Western
league placed him in the top notch class O