Waterbury Democrat., 1901-02-28
BASE BALL. NOTES.

\ , winch resulred ln the suduen Wltn- drawaI of freeuman Of the New 1ork ciuu rom tie meeting. 1ne lrouuAe arose over the question Of roWuy base po4l. leasuo passed d ruie to the eiIect that II d pIayer SnOuIu lnuulSe i'll the use of oDscene language tue captain or the opposlnS ledm coaiu hIe a protest wl,n tne umpIre, wno would be cUmDeIied to remove the O1i ienuer at once. rfeeuman then ask ed 10 nave the rue aueuued so that il an uMplre refused to act promp.Iy the olnclaIs ot lne home ciuD cvuIu
 q a ter mo tnelr own hands and have the offending player ejected - ---~ g. -....,. 44le.sA.ales uudln- taGneu that tor any of them to go upon the field and usurD the prerogauVeS of the umpire would be merely cause for increased disorder. There was q warm argument, with the result that Freedman was voted down. Then, according 10 the story told by Fred Knowles, secretary Of the New York club, Freedman scored the Inagnates unmercifully. He said that they had always blamed the umDIres for dls- order, while they were really to blame themselves, and that by refusing to accept hiS amendment they showed conclusively that they were unwilling to suppress rowdy ball. After the magnates had received this blast in silence Freedman left the hotel with the parting shot that he would have until the magnates decided to estab- fish 'clean ball." When the New York magnate had disappeared one Of the magnates said: Freedman simply wanted us to make it possible for him to go upon the field as he did in the Holmes riot and we could not see 1t. The umpire has power enough and he should be allowed to exert 1t without interference. Freedman's be- haviOr was, to say the least, very childish" When the meeting recon vened for a long night session Freed man did not show up, but sent Knowles to represent him. The de- jected magnates called before them President Charles F. Power and w. H. Watkins, who are still loyal to the cause of the American association, and listened to their distressing plea. Powers and Watkins had previously been notified that the Boston end of their scheme had been withdrawn by Arthur Irwin, who declared that the association could show nothing in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washing
 ton. As 1rwin'S move killed the last veStige of a chance for the association to go on. Power and Watkins asked the league for the right to take Indian apOlis, Louisville, Milwaukee and De troit into the Interstate league. of which Power has been president for several years past. At midnight the magnates were hard at it, trying to devise a way to hurt the American league, which, by the death of the as- sociation, is stronger than ever. When the magnateS went into session yes terday morning they proceeded to officially grant several of the Protec- tive association's demands. They ac
 cepted the agreement signed by Zim- mer the president of the Protective association to the effect that all Ma
 tional league players who might jump to the American league would be suS
 pended pending a final decision by the players organization. The concessions then granted by the league included the abolition of the farming system without the players consent, the sales system without the players say so, and limitation of the option clause in the contract to one year after the expiration of the season for which the contract was signed. In 9 word, if a player signs a contract for the season of 1901 the option clause will hold him for the season of 1902, after which he is free to sign anywhere, but the magnates will see to it that be stays with his original club; by virtue of q secret agreement among the club own CTS The playing rules were also tink- cred with. The hit by pitched ball rule was abolished. It was decided that in future q strike shall have been Intentionally batted, and that two strikes of this kind may be called on one player, after which he can do as he likes. This rule was passed to do away with the practice of "fouling off the good OneS," as they say in base ball. and thereby working the pitcher for q base on balls. In order to hurry the games along it was also voted that after a team goes to bat and the bats | man is in his box the pitcher cannot deliver the ball anywhere except to the catcher. In short the pitcher can 1 not warm up and if he does throw the | ball to the first or third baseman af- | ter the batsman is up the umpire will | call a ball for each offence. It was 1 decided, too, that q pitcher cannot hold the ball before delivering it to the bats | man more than twenty seconds. Dur ing the day Manager McPhee of Gin | cinatti signed Outfelder Dick Harley. who was with the Detroit American
 league club last year. Harley was originally drafted by Cincinnati, but l | cannot expect to receive the $1,OOO ordinarily to be paid for the release of player. The Philadelphia American league club has signed Napoleon La
 joie. the best ball player in the coun- try, who was the star of ths Philadel- phia National league club last year.
 Chicago, Feb 2S.-President Ban
 Johnson. of the American league, has returned to Chicago. Regarding his
 eastern trip Mir Johnson said: II was
 sick most of the time and therefore did not go to Boston. but there was 1 really no need of it. Everything is l going smoothly for us in the east. The
 grandstands in Philadelphia will be finished in a fortnight and Connie Mack
 will be in shape to begin the season at any time thereafter. In Washington
 the weather will permit of work on 1 the grounds and stands being done
 much more rapidly than anywhere else in the league. Work on the Bos- ton grounds cannot begin until after
 March 6. when our lease becomes | opera tive there but everything pOSSi-