The Topeka state journal., 1901-04-08
SPORTING NEWS.
Eastern Clubs Are Considered
Much the Stronger
In American League at This
Stage of the Game.
SOMERS' AGGREGATION
VIII Be a High Salaried Affair
Say About $4,000.
New League Rules VIII Shorten
Game Twenty Minutes.

Charlotte. Va. April s-This place has
been a favorite training ground for Bos-
ton baseball teams since 1880. when Mike
Kelly brought his Boston brotherhood
club to play a few exhibition games with
the University Of Virginia boys The
regular team played against the extra
battery material. and the extra players
Kelly always chose the mixed crowd for
his team, and also invented the name
'sYatsigans," which has remained as a
baseball term for a picked team to the
present time A queer thing about base
bail is the fact that mixed teams will
Work fully as hard to win games as the
regular teams and very often have a
greater desire to win
Since 1897. however. no team has spent
any time here in training until this
spring. when Captain Collins decided to
bring the members Of his Boston Arneri-
can team for a three weeks liTnbering
up He has found it very hard to get
exhibition games. two with the Univer-
atty of Virginia being all that he could
count on.
Arthur Irwin IS coaching the Univer-
Rity OF Pennsylvania team, and was
here this week with his college boys
Irwin has a yearly contract with Penn
Eyivania. and claims to have good ma
ferial to work out a team FROM Speak
ing Of the new league rules, Irwin said
they would shorten the game by at least
twenty minutes The foul off rule
balls foulsd back to the grand-stand
shall not count as strikes. Otherwise
ne says. the new rules VIII heip the
game materially. This opinion IS given
after witnessing several games this
spring by college teams When the
rules committee Of the American league
lay stress on the point that the old rules
are all right they pay a very high COM
pliment to Messrs- Hart, Hanlon and
Reach. the gentlemen who have made
all the changes during the last hve
years
The Boston team arrived here last
Monday and got to work right away,
the weather being fine. The next morn
ing The players looked out of their win
dovs to see it raining hard The third
mor-ing was clear and cold, but of on
the high spurs Of the Blue Ridge the
snow was still visible, but Collins was
ANXIOUS to get to work and had sixteen
men doing stunts in the muddy. slip
perry grounds until a cold neavy rain
drove the boys off to the hotel
The Busto1> American team viii prac-
tice here until they leave for Baltimore
on the Esd to open the season The IDEA
of coming here so early was to keep the
boys IN line, as II was ruInored that
the old league clubs were still anxious
to get back three or four men now with
Captain Collins. I don't think the league
has any chance, AZ the players seem TO
be heart and soul with the American
and are roofing hard for Johnson's s
league.
-OnGT7E team Wall De a ElASl-c4lINAr4
affair-S34 900 for fourteen men is put
ting 1t about right This is more money
than the National league ever put up
for a like number Of men, and shows
that some one has faith in baseball as
paying venture
In a Milwaukee paper President Ban
Johnson says there viii be no reduction
in the salaries OF ball players next sea-
son Robinson Of Baltimore and Man
nirx Of Washington expressed different
views at the American meeting in Phila-
deIphia, and did it in the hearing OF sew
era1 newspaper men Robinson said the
two leagues would certainly come to-
esther by next year, and the salary or
the players be regulated Manager Man
ming had hopes Of bringing about this
state Of affairs. saying the players
would have it all unless some agreement
was entered into
In the east the teams look: Baltimore,
Philadelphia and Boston even up. and
Washington-Clevela has a fair team
and a fair leader. Detroit a good tenn
and an able leader; Chicago, a fair
team and a grand leader; Milwaukee p
good team and a plucl1y leader In the
west It looks like Chicago, Detroit, NIL
Naukee and Cleveland.
The east win beat out the west on
form. and, barring accident. viii force
Charley Comislkey to give Up that piece
of bunting.