Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-19
Jack Doyle Again Reported as Leav-
ing Base Ball for Good.
CHICAGO COVETS HANDSOME JACK''
Won Der Ahe's Imprisonment May
Drive Him Out of the Business.
B a S E BALL Cos S l P


hotel and cafe in Holyoke. his native town.
The letter also said that Doyle had made
arrangements to embark in the cigar man
ufacturing business which Is of such mag
nitude that it will take all his time, and
that he will probably give up baseball at
least for this year.
The above information is important II
true, but the word probably gives Doyle
a nice little loophole to crawl through in
case he should change his mind and decide
that $500 is better than taking chances
of getting 5000 and losing the little nest
egg he had laid away for rainy day. But
the idea of Jack Doyle keeping out Of the
national game when he is able to play is
absurd When the gong sounds In the
springtime Jack will be on hand. The only
question that is bothering the local fans is
what club he will be with. Bluffs like the
said to be up Doyle's sleeve at the
present time have been made before, and
in many cases have been pulled off sue
cessfully. As an ordinary player Doyle
can hardly demand more than 81, 400 for
his services. but with the additional re-
sponsibility of captain added to his work
an extra $500 or SO would naturally come
his way. This additional perquisite will
not be forthcoming from the Washington
management. as Tom Brown is already in
charge of the Senators, and his supervi-
sion has been entirely satisfactory, both
TO his employers and the public.
Knowing the situation of affairs In WASH
ington. the question is, has jack Doyle been
holding his head close to the ground and
listening to the rumbles that nave ema-
mated from Chicago during the past week!
Manager Burns of the Chicago club, needs
q first baseman, since Arson has been re-
tired. and has not been backward about
expressing a preference for Handsome
Jack" Burns and Doyle are fully con-
Versant with the fact that the Wagners
will not sell exchange the new first base
man under ordinary circums tances. But
tori IL
ize and IL is not beyond the bounds of rea-
son to believe that just such situation
would please Doyle. on account of the extra
compensation he could secure in Chicago,
and also Burns. it would strengthen his
club wonderfully. Under these conditions
Doyle could give ii out that he will not play
ball this season. especially in Washington,
hoping thereby that Burns would buy his
release from the Wagners, taking the
chances 81 on Jack getting back into the
game in Chicago uniform.
Tactics of this sort have been played be-
fore. but not on George or Earl Wagner.
When the Wagners opened negotiations for
Doyle. his release went begging. as all the
other league magn9ieS were afraid of Han
lOn.but the Washington club owners braved
considerable displeasure in releasing two
Popular men to secure Jack. and it is safe
gamble that the new first basernan will
play ball in Washington next season or
tempt fortunes smiles in the cigar business
at Holyoke. No other club in the big league
Will get him. the Nessrs. Wagner know
too We'll the drift of opinion among the
base ball patrons in Washington, and that
the latter would sooner see the Senators
carry the banner in the rear Of the cham
pionship procession than hear of of
treir number being sold under any circum-
stances whatever.
X is TO be hoped that all these reports
ard talk abou; Handsome Jacks retire
msnt are without substantial foundation.
but should he labor under the IMPRESSION
that he can play Earl Wagner for 'rube''
the quicker he awakes from his pipe dream
the better it Will be for his nice little bank
account.
The Evening Star is enabled this week to
give the local base ball enthusiasts their
hrst glance at the counterfeit presentment
OF outuc!der Richard McHale. drafted last
fall from the Toronto. Eastern League
team. McHale has been nicknamed the
Rabbit. ON account of his peculiarly
swift gait in getting over the ground. his
ability il this line being abreast of the best
base runner in the Eastern League Rich
ara : capabilities as ball player are reck-
Gned very high in the departments of field
ing. base running and playing the game be-
tween the lines. just the sort of man that
captain Brown can depend upon to carry
out instructions in close and exciting
game, while with the bat he is far from be
ing weak hitter. His record last wear
was Just little inside the 300 mark but
then DeMontreville came from the same
league with just this sort of a record and
turned out to be one of the best batsnen in
the big league. All the critics that have
seen McHale play. both in the field and at
the bat, declare that he is d natural born
player and that his ability at the bat will
be on the increase in the National League
instead Of decrease The Senators new
outffelcer has been passing the winter at
his home in San Francisco. occasionally in
dulgins III a game with the clubs of that
city. thereby keeping himself in frst-class
trim. ard Il can be depended upon that IL
Will take very little spring work on the
diamond 70 put him in proper shape for the
brUiSing work of the coming summer Can
tain Bro5.n has given it out that he will
play no favorites the coming summer. and
that the new men who show unmistakabl,
signs Of ability will be placed on the regu-
Lar team that will represent this CITY
Brown ias been slated for center field but
should &lcEale put up good game of ball
curing the spring games. better. in fact
than Captain Brown believes himself ca
pable o. doing. the new man will be as.
signed 20 the center garden and the captain
pilot his crew from the bench McHale is
spoken Of very highly also from social
standpoint. being quiet. gentlemanly fell
low, who makes friends the first &C
quaintance. all of whom stand by him upon
further development of his genial DISPOSE
ton.
There is a great deal of silly talk about
the case of Won der Abe in connection with
his arrest and Imprisonment in the case of
w. a. Nimick. who was his surety in the
suit of Mark Baldwin against the magnate
for damages for false arrest. From the
time Won der Abe was taken in charge at
St. Louis and brought to Pittsburg there
has been a more or less continuous yell of
outrage and other charges flying through
the air. From St. Louis and Cleveland
there was a perfect howl. but il does not
appear in evidence that those who have
been bowling the lOudest have been active
In efforts to help the ST. Louis man out of
his predicament. 1t doesn't cost much to
howl. but IL takes money to pay mans
debts. either when IL is d question of ordi-
nary expenses or the cost of litiga ton. ST
Louis has been sending great wads of
money to Pittsburg every day since Won
der Abe was arrested. but ii never reached
the smoky city. Advices from Pittsburg
yesterday say that the st. Louis magnate
Will be kept In prison until next Wednes-
day and perhaps longer. If the ST Louis
people imagine that their base ball repre-
sentative II going to get out of iail be-
cause they are standing around base ball
Headquarters reversing the decision of the
United States judge at Pittsburg they need
TO read up the laws on the subject The St
Louis magnate will remain in Jail until his
obligations are legally adjusted and all the
bowling in the world will not make him ap-
pear better. His friends who are doing the
talking may think what they choose about