The evening times., 1898-12-30
Wild DREAMS OF
SPORTING WRITER'S
The Situation in the Baseball
World.
Impracticability Of the Alleged Dis
solution Of the League.
Makeup of the Washington Team
Makeup of the Washington Team
for 1s99-Promising Young
Players Secured.

ington Club have sprung some surprises
upon the Washington public that have oc-
casioned much talk and speculation. To
add to the anxiety and feeling of unrest
that prevails among fandom, comes the
wild and untamed pipe dreams of baseball
writers-that the present twelye-league
organization was upon the eve OF dissoiu-
tion, and that Washington and some Of the
other league cities would be relegated to
some minor organization.
The impracticability. not to say impos-
sibility, of the consummation of any such
scheme should be sufficient answer to
these foolish and senseless rumors. By
virtue of the articles of agreement legally
enacted, the present twelve club organiza-
tion is body corporate organized for the
purpose of conducting the business or
| baseball under certain rules and condt-
tions, as is prescribed by their constitu-
| tion and bylaws. Each member of this
| league is endowed with certain inalienable
rights and privileges among which is the
| right of membership for certain num-
| ber of years, contingent only upon a
| faithful compliance with all rules, laws
and covenants prescribed for their gov
ernment, control and management. Thus
| it will be seen that each club in this or
ganization is possessed of certain vested
rights in their franchise and properties
that cannot be impaired by subsequent
legislation without their consent To say
that the league or any part OF 1t can an
null or set aside any of its covenants or
agreements at will is proposition too
| foolish for serious consideration.
The league can, in its legislative ca
pacity, elect to buy the franchise and
| property of any Of its members, provided
| that member gives his consent to SAID pur-
| chase and Sale-but not otherwise. or
course, a case might arise where it would
| be prudent and for the best interests OF all
| concerned to purchased the franchise and
property of club member and transfer it
| to another club. yet this could not be done
| without the consent of such club; there
| fore, to reduce the membership of the
present league to ten clubs would require
| the purchase of two clubs, and TO reduce it
! to eight would require the purchase OF
| four clubs.
| Is there any sane man conversant with
| the business who believes that the reve-
nues derived from the game are of such
great proportions as 10 justify so large an
| outlay of money as this scheme would in
| yolve?
The gentlemen who own and control
ball clubs in the National League are rec
ognized as men of fine business sense and
| integrity who have successfully managed
large and important enterprises. whose
| shrewd business instincts and foresight is
guarantee that they would not counte-
! nance a scheme that would seriously Grip
pie or destroy a valuable property in which
they had invested a large amount OF capi-
tai Would they be so foolish and unwise,
| il they had the power to do so, to reduce
the present membership of twelve clubs to
| eight or ten clubs, and thus invite, if not
provoke. another baseball war, with its
attendant loss of money, 10 say nothing OF
the injury 10 the morale of the nation S
greatest game? The idea is preposterous
and does not deserve serious consideration.
| II can therefore, be settled as fact that
| the twelve-club League will endure to the
end of its term, and II may be safely pre-
| dicted that at the end of that time new
| organization embracing the same MEMBER
ship will be formed.
| With reference to the makeup of the
Washington team, which has about assum-
| ed permanent shape, more surprises have
been introduced. which. from an ante-sea-
son standpoint, promises good results. Re-
alizing the difficulty in obtaining desirable
irfielders by purchase, Arthur irwin has
been compelled to exchange some of his
\ stars In OrQer 10 DUllu up Il tSdIu LHdt Wiz
be reasonably strong in all departments.
The exchange of Reitz for Padden, Sla-
| gle and O'Brien, as a starter, was an ad-
| yantageous one for the Washington club.
| While ReitZ is a finished artist at second
base he is not the aggressive player Pad
den is known to be. Padden is recognized
as second baseman above the average,
and il will be found that second base has
| been strengthened rather than weakened
/ In O'PrjaD w have
sters of the first magnitude, who are al
| ready artists in the in and out field, one
OF whom will take the place of Selbach,
and those who have seen them play say
that the German Ambassador will not
seriously be missed, if he is not entirely
eclipsed by either of these youngsters.
Hulen comes highly endorsed by COM
petent judges, who have seen him play.
If any credit can be given to the judg
ment of such men as Ban B. Johnson,
president of the Western League; Jimmy
Manning Walter Wilmot, Connie Mack
and others, then Arthur Irwin has Sc
cured a competent short stop.
Mr. Irwin has wisely concluded that
in consideration of the fact that Mercer
| is a pitcher and all-around ball player
| fleet of foot $40 point batter. and
| withal brainy fielder. thoroughly con-
| versant with all the fine points of the
game, to play him at third base In the
few games he has played at this sack hi
has shown an aptness that indicates ht
will become an artist. Mercer will bt
! given a fair trial at that position and Mr.
Irwin believes he will prove another thirt
| base phenom. Everything is in Mercer'i
| favor and it does not look as though h
| would fail of success.
AS for Harry Davis, at first base, he i:
comparatively stranger to Washington
fans, yet without doubt or question ont
of the star first baseman Of the league
; This statement may seem extrayagant ant
not warranted by the previous perform
| ances of the man. Circumstances hav
prevented him from getting PROMINENT.
> | before the public; he has been so unfortu
, nate in being shifted about from club t
club in sales and deals, that the opportu
nifty for him to establish himself has b.
| tho routati ions of baseball events heen de