The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-12-21
Manager Mack of Milwaukee
Thinks There viii Be Eight
Clubs in National League
FAV0RS A SHORT SEASON
IN MINOR LEAGUES
In That Way Teams Of the Two
Leagues Could Meet And
Increase Interest

d "The national league will be COM
posed of eight clubs. That is my opin-
ion, anG. have good reasons for form
ing such an opinion" These were the
words of Connie Mack, manager of the
Milwaukee club of the Western league,
last season. Manager Mack, who be-
longs in East Brookfield, was in Wor-
cester yesterday and talked at length
with The Spy man on the future of
base bail in the big and minor leagues,
+ What Manager Mack doesn't know
about base ball, can't be learned from
the fellow next door He has a quiet
tip on what is liable to be done by
gthe magnates of the big league, and is
positive IN his declaration that the cir
cult will be cut down, although he isn't
giving away the source of informal
Ftion Manager Mack is discreet, in
which he shows wisdom, and that quail
ity has not only gained for him
AN ENVIABLE REPUTATION
in base ball circles throughout the
country but gives him such a high
standing that whenever he wants any
thing he comes pretty near getting it.
He thinks Baltimore and Washington
will be dropped in the east, although
he does net pretend to guess at the
means that will be employed. He
thinks the management of the league
clubs that are not desirable to the
powers that be in the league will sell
out.
Manager Mack is heartily in favor Of
the idea advanced by Brush of having
the season of the important minor
leagues 10 EaetayY, ooI XMacta,,1, ~,
new American, shortened to three and
a half months and the leagues then
play a series of games against each
other. Manager Mack thinks the
plan not only feasible but an excellent
one. Nothing better could be thought
Of" said he, ito arouse a national in
terest in the game. AS it is now, our
teams in these two leagues make three
trips to every other city Except in a
few cases where there is a struggle be-
tween certain teams and a close race
for position, there is not a large amount
of interest on the third trip"
Base ball patrons usually see
enough of team in two trips. If Mr..
Brush's idea was adopted there would
be only two trips, which would take
just about three and a half months.
Then a series of games between the
leagues could be played. If each club
other league, there would be As games
which would take about a month and
half, maybe a trifie longer, so that
the real playing season would be prac-
tically the same as it is now. The
mileage and travelling expenses
WOULD NOT BE AS GREAT
as might appear at first sight. If the
plan was adopted, the eastern clubs
could jump west when the three and
half months season was finished, and
make complete circuit, each team
playing three games in every city Then
all teams would come east and each
of the eight clubs of the western league
could visit every eastern club in sue
cession.
Eastern base ball lovers would thus
be interested in the playing of western
clubs and vice versa. They would thus
have a better knowledge of the game
as played in other parts of the coun-
try. The interest that would be aroused
would be lasting. You know if a person
sees a team play a game or two, he will
be far more liable to follow the work
Of that team than if he never saw it
but received his knowledge of it's play
ing from the newspapers"
Manager Mack thinks the Western
league, with which his club plays, is a
trifle stronger than the Eastern league.
He told how he had an argument which
changed the opinion of base ball au-
thority on that point. The man said
he thought the Eastern league the
stronger. and to prove the truth of his
assertion, said it gradutes every year
more men to the National league than
does the Western Manager Mack ac-
knowledged that it does, but he says of
the men graduated from the Eastern
only a fractional part make good with
the big league. The Western league is
waiting for those men, and when they
fail to retain their grip in the big
league, the Western gobbles them up.
He said also the plan of the Western
is to fill up it's ranks with players who
are JUS
TOO SMALL FOR THE BIG LEAGUE
"Of our 100 men in the Western league,
he said more than so are National
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