Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-10-16
DECAY OF LEAGUE.
THE ATLANTIC NOW SEEMS LIKELY
TO GO TO PIECES.
STATE LEAGUE BEING PERFECTED.
The Magnntes Think Local CLUBS
VIII Revive the Interest Which
WINS Displayed I'm Former D"''-
Gossip of the Players.

| baseball Is n live topic now with the
sporting enthusiast Ever since the no.
tice of the formation Of a Virginia
League much interest has been manifest
| ed. and there has been no end Of specu-
lating as to what the finale will be-
The gentlemen who have the Virginia
League in hand are good businessmen,
and seem to know just what they are
about and despite the fact that the own
ers Of the Atlantic League franchise say
that that club will be here next season,
all Of the Virginias are working together,
with a view of having Richmond, Nor
folk, Newport News. Portsmouth, Roa-
noke, and Lynchburg combined in one or
ganizaton. Much interest has been man
Tested. and the most enthusiastic crauks
declare that the Virginia League means
return Of 1894. 1926 and 1896 interest.
Then the league was in minor class, but
now the promoters propose to ask for
Glass "B' protection. OF course, the
salary limit will be smaller than in the
Atlantic. and hotel and railroad bills win
not be so large; neither will there be a
lot Of baseball crowded on, md then
darkness, before the game is played
again. 1t will be case Of good ball each
week The selection OF players, of course,
will be a problem, but certainly there
are Tannehils. Elberfelds, Paddens, Nc
Jameses, Stalls. McGanns. Willises.
Scheckards, Wrigleys, and others like the
old Virginias now in the National
League.
ATLANTIC LEAGUE GOING DOWN.
It has been stated that Richmond pro-
Nla.n+ 10
League. but in the five weeks since the
close of the season five Of the best play
ers have been sold, leaving only six men
under reservation. Jack Chesbro has been
released to Baltimore Louisville has Sc
cured John Bishop; Pittsburg. after 1t
tie hustling, has gotten Frank Sparks and
Spike Shannon, and Detroit, of the West
ern League. has purchased Gus Klopf.
Klopf was captain of the Richmond team.
He was purchased from Galveston last
season. Detroit is a minor league club in
the same class with Richmond.
In the current issue of Sporting Life
there is an interesting letter from Lam
caster, which says that that club is for
sale. In last weeks issue there was
card. signed by Paterson players declar-
ing that they had not been paid for their
work for more than month, and Were
consequently not subject to reservation
the last meeting Of the Atlantic League
it was decided TO sell the Hartford fran
chise to the highest bidder. but there has
been no offer made public. Norfolk, il
seems, has withdrawn from the league.
Thus 1t seems that the Atlantic League is
not in the very best condition.
DIAMOND DUST.
Virginia League or Atlantic League,
Richmond will have baseball next sea-
son.
Charlie Gutenberg is not under reserva-
ton, because there was no such clause in
his contract.
John Chesbro is here with his wife. He
is at work at the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, fol-
lowing his trade, pipe-ftting.
"Reddy" Foster and Tommy Hess are
here. Foster is in business, but Tommy
is taking things quite easy.
Shannon, it is understood, will be used
as utility man by Pittsburg. He is cer--
tainly comer-coming fast.
Ralph Seybold is at his home in Jen-
nette, Pa. 1t is rather strange that he
has not been picked up.
Three Of the Lancaster team have been
taken in the big league. Philadelphia gets
Chiles and Wilhelm and Madison go TO
Pittsburg.
Boston had an easy time winning the
flag again, though Baltimore fought hard
for the place Richmond beat Boston in
March,
Heydon Readings catcher, sold to Bal
timore at the end of the season, caught
several games for the Orioles, and his
work was quite acceptable.
Manager Wells, when last heard from,
was travelling in the interests # pub
Westinghouse. 1t is understood that he
owns rights in certain publications.
Frank Sparks. when he left here to ac-
cept a position in Alabama declared that
he was done with baseball. VIII he act
as Eberfeld and Lever did and report 10
Pittsburg?
With the exception of Norfolk, all the
other Virginia League managers are the
same that piloted the league before 1891
They were successful then.
Seybold, Hargrove, Leahy Hess Dun
don, and Vigneaux are the only players
Richmond has under reservation, and at
least three of them are good bargains.
II am in favor of doing away with the
bunt hit in a way" says Manager Selee.
Il would ike 10 have a rule passed which
would not allow a batsman TO bunt when
first base alone is occupied. If first and
second are occupied the rule should al
low him TO bunt, or under any other cir
cumstances except when first base alone
is occupied. The change in the rules
would help both the hitting and the base
running"
Private Claude b. Martin, the best
amateur baseball player of st. Louis,
, whose wife said that he only enlisted
, that he might have another excuse for
staying out nights, published the first
newspaper in English ever produced in
Porto Rico. He captured Spanish print
ing office, set his own type and wrote his
own copy. Martins newspapers are now
worth $40 apiece. He weighed 2}5 pounds
when he went 10 the war Now he weighs
l7S and he's the biggest kicker in BaJ-
terry A.
Anent the lack of interest in baseball.
q big league paper says: There was
something very akin 10 a panic in the
office of an afternoon paper to-day.
About o'clock the telephone in the ed;-
torial-rooms rang. An Office boy an
swered the call, and then came running
into the sporting editors room.
Here's a man who wants to know the
score he shouted breathlessly. In a
moment all was confusion. Seven or
eight men fell over each other in an effort
to get the telephone TO find out who the
enquirer was 1T was the first time the
question had been asked over the tele-
phone for two months"
The Baltimore Sun says:
THE last Boston trip of the Orioles is
typical of the whole season. The two
games here were not lost because Bos-
| ION uroVed the CtronQer cluh The FAD