Omaha daily bee., 1898-12-18
Weaker Cities Will he Dropped from
T~weIve-CIub Arrangement and Old
National and American Re-Es-
tabIished as Near rs Possible.

6edsOu Ol 1osS Opens.
According to confidential information that
has leaked out the magnates are working
up a scheme to control professional base
ball all over the country. The plan is to
band together sixteen OF the largest cities
In the control OF the national agreement,
these cities to be divided into two sections
OF eight clubs each. The premier
circuit will consist Of Boston, New
York. Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Chicago,
Cincinnati, Pittsburg and St. Louis. The
secondary bunch will be made UP OF Balti-
more, Washington, Buffalo. Cleveland, Louis
VILE, indianapolis, Detroit and Milwaukee or
Kansas City.
The plan seems perfectly feasible. BY
transferring the Baltimore players to
Brooklyn one Of the cities has been gotten
out OF the way. Cleveland will undoubtedly
be willing to move to st. Louis. In fact
Q clear indication that this is the next move
was given In the turning down Of Won der
Abe In favor Of Muckenfuss. Louisville Is
more than anxious to sell out for financial
reasons and all that the league needs do
is to buy the club up. That disposes Of
three Of the undesirable quartet and 1t only
remains to put another away. The Senators
are likely to be the individuals picked upon,
inasmuch as base ball has not been highly
profitable In the capital city Of late.
AuIidu " AubOu, uue uduuy Oh INC DhBe-
ballists. is hankering to hold the man
agerial helm Of the Browns next season.
Anse has demonstrated that a yoke Of oxen,
aided and abetted by a charge OF dynamite
and q 13-inch persuader. would be in
adequate to keep him out Of the profession
in which he has grown up. AS to the ques-
tion of whether he will succeed in making
the rifle, 1t seems likely that the answer
depends upon the solution Of the tangle in
which the Browns are now enmeshed. The
Grand Old Man is said to have made his
preliminary advances to Chris Won der Abe,
VIII IL not at present the ace in the st.
Louis pack. but with the money that Anse
can command 1t may be that he will be able
to step in under any management. Money
Is the quality that will take in any negotiat-
lions made In connection with the st. Lotus
franchise.
Jimmy Slagle, the hard hitting center
fielder Of the Kansas City team. will not be
a Pirate next season after all. for he figured
in a deal with Washington In which he
landed in the Capital City. while Secone
Baseman ReitZ Of the Senators win don the
Pittsburg uniform next season. The occasion
for the transaction was the weakness exist
ing at the Pittsburg second sack. which has
been the hole through which many a game
has crept since the days Of Fred Dunlap, a
decade ago. .Reitz 10 one Of the best second
bagmen the game has ever produced, and Is
an excellent emergency hitter, as he has al
ways Rugged the 80 mark. A a consequence
Of the deal the Senators will have an outer
garden that in all around work will not be
surpassed In the league. Setback Is a wonder
in fielding and rounds to at the close Of every
season with a stick average of about 1870.
Freeman is q terrific slugger, and, as a con-
sequence, Of his work In thirty games, he
was the second man in the league when 1t
came to making up the averages. The men
who accompanied the men In the deal were
Padden and O'Brien. The former Is a good
infielder and a poor batter, while the latter
- an excellent emergency man.
II the minor cities will agree to the six
teen-club plan It Is expected that a new
ironclad agreement. to hold good for ten
years, will be drawn up and signed by all
interested. A national board of arbitration,
composed of representatives Of both cir
cults, would Of course be q necessity and a
worlds anpionship series between the two
pennant winners almost q certainty. In a
word. the magnates want to establish the
ola League Aid American association cir
cults as nearly ay possible, but under such
q compact that there will be no conflict. no
eninity and q total absence Of anything
calculates to produce another base ball war.
Unlecs the thing can be done with perfect
harmony It will not go through. 1t has been
secretly pointed out to all concerned that
the national game is In a bad way and
heroic measures mus. be resorted to in order
70 bring Jack the old days Of prosperity.
One Of the sensations connected with the
league meeting was the announcement that
John b. Day will succeed Andy Goose Freed
man as manager Of the Giants. There seems
to be . little question that this means MOTH
ing more nor less than that Freedman Is
to be thrust entirely behind the throne Of
the New York club In answer to the de-
mands OF the other club arrangements In the
league. The latter have made 1t plainly
apparent that they did not believe that New
York could ever be made . winner as long
as Freedman is allowed to indulge in his
paretic breaks. With the metropolis as a
loser, the other club owners looked into a
very dark financial future. the brunette hue
OF which Is expected to be scattered by the
restoration OF Day. 1t was under the Day
dynasty that the New York club as an in,
vestment was in the June Of Its financial and
artistic bloom. The Giants have won the
championship only twice in their history and
each time Day was at the helm.
Van der Beck. the Detroit magnate who
has made offers to buy the Cleveland and
Louisville players and franchise. seems to
have decided to back out of the transactions
entirely. When 1t was shown 10 be i'm
possible for him to secure the Spiders he
threw out his def to the Kentuckians and
was quickly called. He was expected to
be on hand In New York to put up ZONE
portion OF the $40, 900 he offered. but he was
. missing quantity.
Manager Selee OF the Bostons IL con-
sidering a scheme to take a couple Of ball
teams to the Philippines next winter. He
has figured out that twenty OF the best
players could be put In fine winter condi-
tion at little or no cost by making the trip
at the close Of the regular season.
FOR LOVERS OF GUN AND ROD
Warm weather Gives the Hunters .
Chance to Take the Field
Once More.
The cold weather Of the last couple OF
Weeka has had n decidedly disastrous aHact