Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-17
IN THE BASE BALL WORLD.
The baltimore Syndicate Out In the
Cold and Gossip of Players.

The Baltimore Syndicate Out In the
Cold and Gossip of Players.
The deal whereby a Baltimore syndicate,
headed by Third Baseman Johnny McGraw,
was to obtain control of the Orioles for
next season has fallen through. President
Vonderhorst, the chief owner of stock in
the Baltimore club, was apparently anxious
to sell few weeks back, but he hastily re-
considered his determination, and Sunday
night wired his chief lieutenant, Manager
Hanlon, that the option on the clubs fran
chise would expire Monday night. McGraw
did considerable hustling Monday to close
up his syndicate lines, but failed. owing to
the absence from the city of several of his
best men. and result asked for an ex-
tension until tonight. This request was re-
fused by Mr. Vonderhorst, who teegraphed
to this effect from New York, in which
city ne has been for the past week. 1t is
now limited that Mr.. Vonderhorst has been
in consultation with Messrs. Brush, Rob-
ison. Soden and Abel, and a result de-
cided to retain his control of the Baltimore
club. With Vonderhorst holding the rens
over the Orioles next year 1t will be much
easier for the league mogus to get control
of the club than it would be had they to
deal with a syndicate, especially if the
said syndicate embraced one or more bright
lawyers who would be willing to fight the
league in the courts.
The several clubs that will train in the
south during the early spring are already
selecting the grounds to practice upon, and
the first days of March will find them hard
at work assembling for action. AS al
ready stated, the Washington club trains
at Hampton, Va, and leaves Washington
about March 10. Manager Hanlon has not
definitely selected the training grounds for
the big Brooklyn aggregation but as the
old Orioles have previously secured good
grounds at Macon, Ga, the chances favor
that city. Boston, in charge of Manager
Seiee, have already selected their grounds
at Durham n. C. Manager Ewing goes
south very early and will do the thawing
out act at Columbus, Ca, the training the
club received in Texas last spring not being
completely satisfactory.
The Louisville club viii make it's longest
spring trip, and will bring up at Tampa
Fla. Little Rock, Ark. will welcome Man
ager Watkins and his big band of Pitts
burgers, while Manager Tebeau, with his
band of Indians, thinks too much of Hot
Springs to train in any other locality. The
Chicago club Is hesitating between two
unique training grounds-Mexico and Porto
Rico-but final decision will be forthcom-
ing during the present week. Philadelphia
will train in the south, but grounds have
not been selected yet, and the New
Yorks are in the same boat.
Jack Crooks, alias THE King and Moon
Face" has retired from the base ball ranks
He will report to the manager of big east
ern wholesale house, and in the future
Jack will represent it in the northwest
Il got out of the game before the knockers
could get me-" declared Crooks recently
though they tried hard to shoot it to me
last spring. l may not have been as good
in '9I as l once was, but didn't see many
infielders picking 'em much better than
did, or slamming out many more 'bingIes
than the king got out. I am sincere in
my determination to retire from the nation
al game. and it won't be of the Patti kind
Johnny Ward who was a pretty fair sort
of second baseman, got out of the game
before he was run out, and I figured that
his was a pretty fair sort of an exit to fol-
low"
1t is said that the Chicago Base Ball Club
has released Second Baseman Jimmy Con-
nor to the ST. Paul team, of the Western
League. Manager Comiskey of the Saints
remained in Chicago several days after the
recent Western League meeting and was
In consultation with President Hart a num-
Der of times. Comiskey wanted two or
three of Chcagos extra players, but was
particularly anxious to get Connor and 1t
is announced on the authority of a Western
League official that he finally landed the
second baseman, the only condition at
tached being that the ST. Paul man should
succeed in making terms that would be
agreeable to Conner himself.