The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-01
CLUB OWNERS DESERVE
MUeH BETTER FORTUNE.
MESsRs. robson AND BECKER OF
ST. LOUIS BASEBALL TEAM HAVE
NOT HAD A SUCCESSFUL SEA-
SoN-N0TES AND GOSSIP OF
THE GAME - McGRAw
AND HIS PLAYS.

work Then Il gave no promise Of future
reformation. What difference? Who iar-
ticularly is hurt beyond the club owners.
players. manager. yes. and a few mis-
guided folks who bet upon the club finish
ing somewhere up In the race?
Let the club be- If 1; plays good bail
why St. Louisans will be very glad. People
Will go TO see the games. and the American
baseball and Athletic Exhibition Company
Will make some money.
Yet one cannot help feeling a mite sorry
for the owners # the local baseball club.
They displayed some of the traits Of game
sportsmen and clever showmeE. They paid
good prices for what they deemed :,ood per
formers. Some Of these alleged stars We're
brass bricks of raniest and most verdi
grised quality. But the intention was good.
The money paid for these fellows vas good.
The bal! they have played was I'D i. The
club owners. between the street ca strike
and the bad playing Of the team. nave been
in a very sad Xix. The team is :he most
expensive In the world. IL Gust rure
money 10 get 1t on the diamond Ihis year
than any club in the League. II mas rot
paid running expenses so far II viii lard
ly pay expenses as long as the street car
strike lasts. as long 81 boycott affects
rapid transit II is too bad.
iIr. r. De Haas Robson. chief owner of
the ciub. has been called the Prince For
tuEiatus, The LORD Darlington of baseball
MI robson is rice gentleman. he Is d
native PittsDurgian, al times 4 rssioen, OF
Iowa and Cleveland. The newspapers OF st.
Louis invited him and his Cleveland base
bail cub TO St Louis. Through the press
The sporting editors hOwlsd and appealed
Tor Mr.. Robson 10 come AID take lar. Won
DER Ahcs pace. Not th&I they loved Mir.
Robson 50 very mucn. though he was then
recAunec a very good fellow and stood We'll
win The fourth estate OF baseball They
wanted his Cleveland team. Good teams
could NOT be made ia q cay at that time.
JoAnnie McGraw had not managed Baiti-
more and made dead one live one"
over hisht- So the sporting writers OF 81.
Louis wanted Nj. Robson because they
wanted his team. They made IL impossible
Tor any one else to take the position made
vacant by the retiFal Of Mr. Won der Ahe.
But that is another question.
Mr.. Robson spent money with a liberal
hand TO get 81. Louis winning team. It
cost him $5Y,tsJ TO put his Grub IN the lelu.
That 10 more than II Will cost many club
Robson gave sl6,0o for Robinson. Keis,er
and McGIawt 5000 for AlcGann. 5000 for
Donovan ana odds and ends FOR several
players like Thomas. Ills training a. Hot
Springs cost some $500.
Mr.. RcbiSon's salary roll Is $4,000 month,
or $S4,0VO season. His players are the
men drawing money of-ener than any man
liz the game. His Office force and ground
Keepers are the highest paid men Ia their
lines the game knows. There is nothing
cheap about the St Louis Baseball Ciuo
except its playing. The street car strike
and poor piayi.s nave sadly aurt home at
tendance. Poor playing has injured attend
ance abroad, Weather has been bad. Many
good dates have been lost \ great deaf has
been going out: very little has been coming
in
1t IS too bad. Mr. Robson has had very
little luck recently. Things have broken had
Tor him. Ills team Is unlucky. The wea her
81 10 t=@ hav FlT-I
lavishes her favors with such an indsc-irn-
mating mitt has been passing him By for a
i92ag time. He does not deserve so badly.
the line Of his virtues and faults you find
large preponderance on the side of virtue
re takes MS medicins without a whimpsr.
lie IS the best loser in the world II ne IS
not grateful TO his friends he is not viE9ic-
i've towards his enemies If ne forgets a
poost, he Iorgives knock just as readily.
Anyhow. he shows no signs of Gisappolnt-
fnept. anger, disgust or resentment such as
ne might be expected to display at this
Mr. Robson tried to give the people of
ST Louis good BAH club that they might
enjoy themselves" and he might make
itioiy. sort .. oual killing with one-peb-
ole-sis arrangement. He got the good
team; he has the money-to get Nr. Oil
yer yer, Tebeau is MS tongs- II is up to Mr.. Te-
the die Mr.. Tebeau has never failed be-
gore; lie is up against hard thing now.
ne - Mr.. RobIson's only dependence. On |
have better luck than he has been having.
He deserves il. |
What Is the matter with John ]. Nc |
Grawl Not that he is not playin, a gooi |
third bag and hitting weli He is But is |
he running the team as he ran the Orioles |
IN lessE He IS not. Certainly he Is not |
making the very capable St Lorls team |
play the baseball the Baltimore team did |
last year.
As leader. as a captain SIR. McGraw Is |
a good deal OF a Belgian hare compared |
with the little tiger cat tho McCraw OF 1893 !
Vas Vas. sust think Of any team going to Nc
nine games. winning four straight from
MN! An inferior team. too, Yet Cincin-
ndll comes 10 st Louis and with McC,raw
captsfniEg the st. Louis team wins four
Straight ana two of three Just as easy as
KISS In the dark.
Mr AcGraw is a very quiet and proper
yo;ihg man. Maybe he is feeling his way IN a |
u anse town among strange PEOPLE oh |
sn town. Mack. and feel at home Neybe 1
ne III AFRAID or tresding upon the tender |
toes OF his team mates some OF whom - |
been distinguished for an amour nronra |
mat beats understanding. Whatever T!s
,easons are, ne ii not doing himself Justice |
N leading man capacity As a PLAYER he
IS without reproach. As a leader-weI - |
In never even made decent bluff at il
Where are the plays McGraw beat S.
louis with last year? Where IS his hunt
To- ard first base. play which every man
double steal? Laid away In cotton for tie
lays when McGraw will again he at I"
" mere Is his hustle on the bags? Where?
There was one daisy play McGrav used
,ast year, he won three games from s.
Tba with II; IT may be old and venerable.
ne writer first raped to II when NTc |
IRA" was using It II struck him as n rnIir-
4Srlhs play, one that was bound TO pal,a |
uiiS IL is to rgn-making what HanIon's So.
niye hl!liIis play Is to run-gett!ng Ii com a
~ n exactly the same way. II is Calculated
20 break up the sacrifice killer" In 800
ape; mis- is the play as We saw Mr.. Jonn
). acGraw. manager of the Baltimore team |
work II. We have not had The pleasure ~
Ieting John j. McCraw, captain of the ST |
LOUIS club. even try il. We have been looL |
ts Tor 1t We have seen many chances "a |
"oth IL But we have not Seen Il mace tbis
season or even tried. Given man on firet |
anu second base. weak men at bat ard no |
me out W hat Is the play? Bunt, of course
= nat is regular and looked for esupci5Ily |
y y weak man at bat. This is how Mr. Mo
raw worked the unex pected
ne hal the man at bat: II he was had
.i anu ilsht-nanGed. so much the better
make a bluff to bunt. The batter would
~ iaI BACK In the box, crouch and edge
iose 10 Plate. get his hat no and harT}S
lose TO ball. make a bIufr to dron tba
phere Tor a sacrifice. But he took caro- nnt /
touch the bail. As the pitcher rr,ofionoS |
ne men on bases started a double steaI !
VOW look at the premises.
ne third baseman sees the bluff to bum.
te runs In TO field it, The pitcher leans for
Nara Tor the same purpose. No tali Is az
,ard Tor catcher to handle as one which /
ne patter goes at as above set forth Tba !
"a, Is before his eyes all the time The /
'ail comes from under IL as If out of tba J
round. Then the batter is far back in the
OK, close to the catcher. AS he misses The !
2ll ne ateDs hack and yyaao no