Worcester morning daily spy. (Worcester, Mass.) 1888-1898, 1898-01-30
COUNTY BASE BALL.
Excellent Prospects for Good
Season of Sport.
Representatives of the Local Teams to
Get Together and Make a Pro,ec-
tive Agreement.

Get Together and Make Protec-
tive Agreement.
The Sodens and the Freedmans Of
county base ball are beginning to lay
their plans for the summer season. 1t
is the early bird that generally gets the
worm, and the aspiring nnagnates of the
county have already instituted a still
hunt for that worm although 1t will be
at least three months yet before the
county mines get into shape for the
summers campaign of victories and de-
feats. The outlook for county base ball
next summer seems brighter and better
than ever.
The central Massachusetts, league bub-
BILE has exploded. The efforts Of those
who thought, honestly enough, that a
league was the best thing for the inter-
ests Of the minor teams have seen their
error. While the scheme undoubtedly
had a few good features. its weak
points outweighed' everything that
might be said in its favor. Players,
suspended from minor leagues could
agreement. On the other hand, any of
the minor leagues could appropriate
county league man. and he would have
to go or be tabooed. Likewise, it was
seen that league would be clumsy
thing to handle; that internal dissen-
sion among rival managers would be
drawback to all harmony; and that be-
fore the end of the season, some teams
unable to hold the pace would drop out.
Of
the organization itself.
But with the passing of that scheme,
another plan has sprung into promi-
hence, which, on the surface, looks
feasible. 1t has as it's object the draw
ing up Of a friendly agreement with
which it is desired to have the teams
of the county comply. The plan is to
issue general call to representatives.
of eight of the leading base ball asso-
Citations of this vicinity, asking the at
tendance of delegates at a meeting to
be held in this city, about the middle
of next month. At that time methods
by which some of the heretofore dis
agreeable and disastrous features of
county base ball may be overcome viii
be discussed and mutual understand
ing reached.
The following teams will be invited
to send representatives to talk over the
whole question and take such action as
may, in the opinion of the majority, be
deemed expedient: The Lyceuns. the
Fairmounts, the CITATIONS, the West
boroS, the, Websters. the Spencers, the
Whitinsvilles and tine East Douglas
team In this way the managers of
the various teams can have a better
understanding and can get together for
tine good of the game and their own
advantage.
Naturally, the matter of players will
be one of the most important things.
The idea on this point is to have the
managers agree that there shall be no
dickering with the players on other
teams after once a manager has Sc
cured them. Too often in the past in
ducements of bigger money have led a
good man to leave a team with which
he had been playing for a number of
games, for some other county organiza-
ton This has been done more than
once, almost at the very hour of the
game, leaving the poor manager to
hustle about and get the best that was
left
Continual and constant changing dis
satisfies the teams supporters, and
works havoc In the team itself. A nine
that is accustomed to playing together |
can defeat nine better individual |
players who lack team work So it is |
desired that If a manager wants a |
player that holds a position upon an |
other team in the agreement, he shall |
not go to the player and f1aunt couple |
Of additional dollars in his face, but ap-
proach the manager and make the DEAL |
If it can be made satisfactorily, upon a |
business basis. OF course Manager No. |
is not obliged to relinquish the man |
to manager No. ] unless he so de- |
sires. An attempt may also be made |
at the prospective meeting to have the |
managers agree to keep back something |
of the players salary each week. This
would prevent the player from jumping |
team and getting into the game with |
some nine that might not be in the |
agreement. 1t would be a protection |
from teams outside of the agreement.
Those who are most interested in the |
game in this country, believe also that If |
a rough draft of a schedule for the sea-
son could be agreed upon before the |
season opened, it would be to the adj
vantage of all concerned. 1t might not |
be possible to make a permanent and |
unalterable schedule so early in the |
year, but this question could be dis |
cussed. This would prevent a grand |
hustling for games every Friday night, |
as occurred more more than once be- |
tween the county teams last season. If |
the clubs could meet upon mutual footing |
and each manager be willing to make a
few concessions for the good of all the |
others, every one of the teams would be
the gamer in the end.
1t may seem to some that the list Of
towns that have been enumerated |
would not, all of them, be sufficiently /
strong, to enter into such az agree
ment. AS matters stand today, Whit |
insyilIe is the weakest one Of the lot, |
and 1t is doing no injustice to the enthu- /
siasts in that town to say that there |
may be no team there in SO. Whitins- |
vile started into the game last season !
with a rush, and soon the whole town
was fairly crazy over the game. But |
those who were at the helm did not |
have quite enough of the practical ex-
perience to make 1t a success, and the
result was that when the season closed,
the balance was on the left side of the
page, and the figures indicated some
thing like $500 in the hole. Two hum
dred dollars to pay for team for a
single game, and then be defeated at
that, is more than any association in
this vicinity can stand.
Both Westboro and Webster appear
practically certain to be good ball towns
in 49, 1t was not SO many years ago
that Saturday afternoon games in those
places paid well and drew big crowds.
In Webster the game seemed to die a
natural death, owing principally to lack
of ball grounds. But now the story comes
that the new street railway company
there stands ready to fit up a base ball