The times., 1899-01-09
BASEBALL GOSSIP.
Much Talk About the Game for the
Coming Season.

The littsburg baseball scribes are PAIN
fully exercised over the deal of Reitz for
Padden. SIagle and O'Brien and somewhat
divided in opinion as to whether or not the
deal was advantageous to Pittsburg. As
they were not consulted with reference TO
the deal. they should not hold themselves
responsible for results. II the owners of
the club are satisfied. that ought to fix the
responsibility and settle the matter The
Washington end OF the transaction is in i
very happy and tranquil frame of mind.
The owners of the Louisville club have
finally decided that they will hold en- TO
their franchise for at least another year,
consequently Fred Clark, the manager,
was summoned to that city few days ago
and instructed TO select some desirable
place for spring practice. The team play
ed a very strong game At the close OF last
season and if they are able to begin the
coming season as strong as they ended the
last, they Will prove formidable antag
onist TO all comers.
The fact that Manager Watkins failed to
attend the recent meeting at New York.
and that Patsey Donovan did and was in
close touch with Mr.. Kerr throughout the
proceedings cf that meeting. has given
rise to the rumor that Mr.. Watkins tenure
of office as manager had come TO close.
While this incident might Justify such a
conclusion. il is not at all conclusive proof
that any change OF management in the
Pittsburg club will occur. Mr. Watkins is
said to have a contract that has two years
yet to run.
Ii will not be surprise to the knowing
ones in baseball matters should the Lou
isville and Washington teams, with their
fast youngsters, take prominent place
in the League race during the approaching
- al sff fs,1n
eral clubs are made up, have about reach
ed the zenith of their baseball fame and
must soon pass into oblivion. while the
newcomers will make a hard fight 10
climb the ladder. Keep your eyes on the
recruits.
AL Selbach. in a talk with a represen-
tative of the Cincinnati Enquirer. made
statement that Will require all his spare
time next summer to satisfactorily eN-
plain. When asked what he thought OF
the Cincinnati team he answered: II tn nk
ii is one Of the best in the League, but
some OF the men are troubled with yell
low streak" The men of that club will
probably call upon him TO definitely To-
cate that yellow streak.
In these piping times of baseball prog
nostication nothing has been heard from
Scrappy Bill Joyce Can it be that he has
shaken the dust of the diamond from his
feet and gone into training for political
prefernent in his native village. st. Louis.
upon basis OF Is TO II Or has he con-
cluded TO eXpend portion of his hard
earned capital in some real estate or rail-
road scheme. with a view of developing
some unknown or unseen resources that
only await the attention of brains and
money? Facts is facts" and 'Scrappy'
is equal to any emergency that may con-
front him.
With Reitz traded. Selbach sold and Mer-
Ger and Mcclure on the market. many peo-
pie think that Wagner is getting ready TO
sell out and quit the big league.-Phiiadel-
phia Inquirer Inasmuch as Mr.. Wagner got
three stars for one II does not look as
though he were striving very hard to get
out OF the business. He could have sold
Reitz for a large cash consideration, but
refused preferring the deal he made.
Therefore many people are sadly off in
their conclusions. and it can be added
that Mcclure and Mercer are not on the
market
While it has been given out that terms
for the consolidation of the Baltimore
Brooklyn clubs had been agreed upon. the
fact remains that no agreement or articles
of consolidation have been legally prOmul-
gated. There will be several whereases,
provisos and other qualifying clauses to
settle before this proposed consolidation
becomes fact. Some interests are involved
that will be difficult of solution. There are
other owners of the Baltimore club besides
Won der Horst and Hanlon, who may have
something TO say-at least enough TO ma
teTially block the proposed arrangement
Therefore the matter is still in a state Of
bewildering uncertainty.
Old Reliable Jim Mcclure spends some
OF his days upon the ice, up in Michigan.
spearing fish. He has a small wigwam,
just large enough for q seat and a stove,
which furnishes sufficient heat to keep him
comfortable, which he plants upon the ice
where the water is deep. He then cuts
hole in the ice Sbout a foot square. and
when the unsuspecting finny approaches
the opening for little fresh air and in
yestigation, Jim, with unerring aim.
strikes il with his harpoon and lands ii in
his hut. One hundred pounds of splendid
bass per day is the average of Macs pis-
catOrial accumulations. At other times
Jim INDUCES in shooting ducks quail and
turkeys with which the country around
and about Albion abounds, and he is quite
as expert with the gun as with the har-
poon. Jim always shows UP in good con-
dition when he reports in the spring.
Frank Hough. of the Philadelphia In
quirer, says: Nick Young is jollying the
Washington fans into the belief that they
will be in an intact twelve-club league
next year Uncle Nick never was and is
not now a iollier, nor can the Washington
fans be jollied. They are better posted
with reference TO the twelye-club league
organizations than many of the sporting
scribes who profess so much knowledge.
With reference to the ST. Louis baseball
muddle. the whole story can be told in d
sentence. Chris Won der Abe has long
since disposed of all the equities he pos
sessed in the chubby mortgage and 9TH
erwise-and is still debtor in a large
amount 10 sundry parties. E. c. Becker.
who has heretofore been Won der Ahe's
friend and financial hacker. now owns
large majority OF the stock which he
bought and paid for in the honest coin
OF the realm. In crd-r to protect his in
terests as well as the interests OF others
involved. Becker Joined in petition ask
ing the court TO order a sale of the prop
erty, the only way known to legally settle
the question OF ownership of the club. as
well as 10 arrange for the liquidation OF
all Indebtedness. The statement there
fore that has been made by soreheaded
Journalists that II is 4 scheme of the Ma
tional League magnates to defraud Won
der Abe out OF his rights and drive him
out of the League is as contemplate il
is untrue.
Arthur Irwin and Ed Hanlon agree In
saying that baseball could be put on d
paying basis By arranging an Eastern and
Western circuit as follows: Boston. New
YORK, Brooklyn, Providence, Philadelphia.
Baltimore, Washington and Pittsburg in
the East: and Chicago, Cincinnati is
Louis. Milwaukee. Kansas City. St Paul.
Detroit, and Indianapolis in the West. By