The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-05-06
COLLEGE BASEBALL
HAS DEGEsERATED.
PROFESSIONALS HAVE GIVEN THE
GREsT GAME 4 BLACK EVE At
THE BIG NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
ARE POORLY DEVELOPED.

ARE POORLY DEVELOPED.
IS usual. the Easter trip South, waic,
was originated in New England. where
baseball is handicapped by a Late spring.
Was taken by all the universities. even by
Pennsylvania and Princeton, whose warmer
climate would seem 10 make it less ueces-
sJry. writes The Alumnus in Town Topics.
IT. main advanta-e IS that It Yields tho
members of a team together by a series OF
hard consecutive games. The principal dis
advantage is extravassnt expenditure.
These trips do cost q big lot OF money. and
% rather knock on the head all ideas Of
simplicity. The facuItics of the different
universities feel that the spring playing
should be done nearer hcme and on a SIM
pier scale. Even the alumni, who as a
class are enthusiastically generous to
athletics, declare that greater economy
should be practiced.
During the last faw gears baseball at tho
universities has deseneratei owing to the
black eve given the game by professionals.
Rowdyism will kill any sport. and baseball
IS no exception TO the general rule. They
say abroad that any sport that is taken
up by the professionals is always in danger.
and lives only by reason of the constant
care and vatchfulness of gentlemen who
follow the sport for sports sake.
College teams nov. are not Bsarly so high
" developed as formerly. Their sloppy and
careless work plainly shows a tack of care
fuI training. Few good pitchers are de-
velorsd. Nearly all OF them are of the six
inning variety. and then up in the air
Some mines have gone through a season
with plenty Of pitching material at hard.
but no one man stable enough to settle
- ,A- an ,r4rf~a avn have talked the
situa zion over with many old varsity base
ball men, who seem TO think that tho
breahiDE up of the various university
leagues has something to do with the lack
Of interest, but | cannot agree with Them
Harvari's idea Of keeping clear of leagues
and championships seems to me correct
She arranges a game or series Of games
with any university she pleascs, ana. NOT
being harnYered by long-term
Is free to take the initiative in REFORM
movements. / ana soFry 10 say that the uni
v~ersit,.s where l should naturally look nrst
for hizL-claSs baseball are found want
Rowdy College Ball.
There seem TO be two standards Cor the
student: one for everyday life. In which ne
is gentle. honorable and courteous. the
other fu- sports. where ne is licensed to be
rough, dishonorable and discourteous; II
expect ruueEing. spilNins and dirty pan
from professionals, but am disappointed 10
md il in amateurs. 1t Would be refreshing
If We conld get a college captain VINO Is
enough of q sportsman 10 insist that MS
own nine play clean ball, come what may.
and afterwards to Try 10 arrange Wlti
Othe: captains for the eNpGnslnS OF "oJeC-
tionablc features. College baseball teams
should meet as friends. and the present
system of coaching should be abolished:
There IS no need of a constant stream &C
B.liingscate to rattle the opposing pitcher
Players should be carefully trained before
hand IN the art of base running. and icTC
to their own judgment on the field
TaLiu~ everything into GDrS.3cratIDy
Princeton has the best college nine at the
present time She has. better material and
more of IL man any of her rivals Princeton
has suffered less from falling off OF interest.
as sne concentrates her energy on football
and baseball, Having no crew and never
having gone into track athletics seriously.
she could not afford 10 let down on baseball
without running tho risk of undermining her
athletic prestige. The material this year ~
better than The average, with a plentiful
scattering of veterans. The nine has shown
a tendency to bat IN its early games, which
is in striking contrast TO the pitful exhibit
tons given in recent years by the taii-cnderS
OF mos. college mines when there were men
on bases ana u fair chance To knock out n
few runs. Princeton en- her Southern trip
showed up well In one or two games with
professional teams. Hildebrand did the best
work in the pitchers box. and was the only
man stead enough to pitch through an en-
tire game
ing: his old fault of not being able to con-
troll the ball seems to be with him still.
Scott. n new man. shows some PROMISE
Kater. of course. is catching. and Is playing
a consistently steady game. This iniield
is made tip Of Pearson. first base: Ste.n-
wen!cr Il 81. Louis. second base; Hutchin-
son. third base. and Meter of st. Louis.
shortstop. These men are far above the
average. The outfeld has Burke. Hutchins
and Watkins, Princeton has been able 10 gee
tC-ether enough material To make uy II sec
ond nine. but practice has been haif-hearted
and unsustained. and there will be no great
results
Hmrvard's Poor Prospects.
vI.r-ar.sa nr,SrsNf. do unf Look b-ioht
Just now every one is busy rowing and rot
In sympathy with baseball. Harvard grad
yates and undergraduate did not support
their nirs enthusiastically last year. Only
toward the end of the season, when the
team began TO win. was there any show
I'm sight IN the way If material. Most OF
the Old men are gone. and the new men
are an unknown quantity
with the Easter trip South. but could not,
for, as long as her riva : make the trip,
she has To do so in self-defense. The iiar-
ward mini played only two games on the
Southern trip. and spent the rest OF the
time practiCing in Washington. Harvard
has arranged a light schedule this year. as
iast years was too great Il tax on the men.
She fatty refused to play Princeton on tho
old dates in May. claiming. quite justly.
that IL was practically impossible TO get
her team into any kind of shape SO early
At first Princeton insisted on the OLD order
! OF things. but finally. was persuaded 10
| yield. OF the Harvard pitchers. Herman is
| doing the best work. with StillInau and
| Mcdonald holding out some promise. Cap
tain Reid. of course. will do the catching.
| Thd inield. consisting of j. D.. Clark.
| first base; George, second base; Ever, third
! base. and Devens. shortstop. is not much To
boast Of. | do not think the combination
can last. In the field. Loughlin. Stewart.
Jayres. Milne and Wendell are all trying
| Yale's prospects look better than for
some years at 50 early a date. Already 10
! is apparent that the nine will excel In field
| ing. But the outlook for a batting nine IS
! bad. The regular battery will be Robert
| son pitcher. and Sullivan catcher. and if
| Robertson can get down 70 anything like
| consistent nIav. they should make a strong
, pair. The iniield is Sharpe. first base;
| ouincy. second base: Brown. third base.
| In the field there are Lyon. BarnwelL
Guernsey, Cunha, Garvan and McKelyey. .