The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-02-17
Base Ball BrevitieS.

THE AMERICAN association has
now been fairly launched, and at
= the meeting In Chicago was given
Il good start towards an active career.
As foretod by all followers of the
movement, Adrian Anson was elected
president and there Is no doubt that
the grand old man of base balr' will
engineer the new organization to sue
cess. Anson knows base ball from A
to u, and If the American association
does not buffet the storms of a first
season 1t will not be his fault.
Harry Quin, of Milwaukee. is an
other interchangeable worker to whose
efforts great deal is due. and
"Muggsy" McGraw, the gingery little
Baltimore third baseman, is still an
other man who has done more than a
little for the association. This new
league will certainly have some excel
lent teams and fine players in it and
once fairly started will without doubt
prove a very formidable opponent to
the National league.
The organization of the Western
Base Ball league was perfected Mon
day at Des Moines. la. Thomas j.
Hickey, of st. Joseph, was elected
president, and the circuit will be made
up of the following teams: Des
Moines. Sioux City, Omaha. st. Joseph,
Denver and Pueblo.
Pitcher Bowling, of last years
| Louisville team, and who was sold to
| Pittsburg, together with the rest of
| the Colonels' nine, has been re-sold to
| Milwaukee. from which city he orig
| inally went into the big league
The New York management is maxi
| ing strenuous efforts to get Amos Ru-
sic back in harness for this seasons
| Giants, but at present it looks doubt
| full as to whether the big Hoosier will
again demonstrate his ability in the
| metropolis. If Rusie was signed the
| New York team would be far from
weak one. Under the management of
the veteran Buck" Ewing quite a for
midable aggregation of players are be-
| ing gathered together, and this years y
| Giants will be far more worthy of the
| name than last years unfortunate Pig
mics.
1t looks doubtful Just now as tn
whether or not Little Eva Lange
| will frolc around center field for the
Chicago team In case he does not the
Windy City fans will have the pleasure
of seeing Sandow Mertes chase flies
in the middle portion of their outfield
Mertes gave evidence of great ability
last year, batting. fielding and running
the bases in magnificent style. While
Lange is one of the best outfielders in
the business. still Mertes would very
satisfactorily fill his place.
The Washington club has started
| 1iSnnSinp
cording to Dame Rumor nearly all of
the star Senators are no longer rep
resentatives Of Washington. winnie
Mercer will be Giant. and will prob.
ably play third base. Dick" Padder
and Slagle will play with Chicago. In.
fielder Barry. who formerly wore 3
Scranton uniform for short while
will be a member of the Boston team
Barry made a most favorable impress
sion in the period he played here be.
ing loaned Scranton by Buffalo, anC
playing such a splendid game that the
string on him was pulled and he fin.
ished the season in Bison costume
Jack" O'Brien who played on the
same local team that Barry did. is re-
ported signed with st. Louis, and il
case this is so he will materiall,
| the dtteT DOtn III the Uelt
and with the stick. The greatest sal,
of all. however. is the disposing O
Pitcher Dineen and Right Fielder Bucl
Freeman. of Wilkes Barre, to Boston
Dineen is splendid pitcher, being wei
remembered here by his magnificen
work with Toronto's Eastern leagu,
team. With "a strong team behind hin
he ought to prove as big a success al
Willis, another Boston pitcher, VIII,
was recruited from the Syracuse East
ern league team. and last season de
veloped into one of the winning pitch
ers of the league.
Home Run" Freeman. as he will b.
henceforth known. last season carve,
out. or rather batted out a reputation
for himself among the heaviest hitter
known to base ball. and his name vii
go down to posterity coupled with tha
of Dan Brouthers. Dave Orr and othe
fence batters." Last season he mad
a record of twenty-siX home runs an,
an enormous number of triples an,
doubles, leading the National leagu
batters in extra base hits. This yea
even more will be expected from him
owing to the peculiar construction O
the Boston grounds. One of the out
field fences is nearer the plate thai
any fence i'm the league, and as a resul
home runs have been comparativel
easy hitting for the Boston slugger
, from time immemoria. As result
home runs by the dozen will be expect
ed from Freeman. and like the i'm
mortal Casey, when he strikes out at
critical juncture, If such a calamit,
ever should occur, even though
Somewhere in this land of ours the su
Is shining bright,
And somewhere hearts are beating, an
somewhere hearts are light.
And somewhere bands are playing, am
somewhere children shout,
There will be no JOY In Boston. for Free
man has struck out.
The binshamton Republican says
80 far as is known there is no feelin
. in town for team in the Atlanti
, league. That league had more evpel
, sive teams than the New York Stat
, league last season, but goodly shar
, of them did not finish the season. Tn
State league put up about as interest
{ ing an article of ball as the Atlanti