The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-04-07

...s.r- To me tHtH ~. var lual tii us
ir-csrstioR oc Ia-iy teams and prevailing
uncertainty it is not fashionable to indulge
81 qerrart-wigriae predictions this season
For the first time % tarea Years the s.
Louis club does un; enter the arena Is
pernant winner. 20 finish later among III,
secont--aie clubs There will be 10 liar,
Of umuets nj the coming seasons opening
TIE club seems :, be a uiCr. even agErcCa.
ton. though 81 iaes seem shy q ;hird base
man and Is q good deal 81 Z problem play
In the pitchers box and behind the bat.
THE chances are shat rot more than twc
clubs VIII beat II out at The finish. Pitts
burg. OF all the National League clubs
.aioUe seems stronger.
St. Louisans can see that their team IS
not as strong as +; was at this period las,
SEASON. They forget. however that all ;hs
other National LeasEr teans. bar Pitts
burg. are also weaker than they wer" las,
season. Though This may lower the general
standard Of the game, II will make the race
even and close. Then the unexpected is al
ways liao-e TO happen. Mr.. Donovan is a
good manager. He has a clever lot II play
crs. There are 10 Gvunkards or debauchcs
on the team. 1t being harily rid of a few
of that sort It had last season. While it
Is hardly wise to expect a championship
pennant from the club, it Is a decent accre-
CATION Of players. 1t Possesses a fine out
field. three iirst-class infeido-s. at least
Two frst-class pitchers. and three other
good pitchers, q good. honest catcher. and a
catcher who. II his arm is good. knows no
superior. The club Is managed by a gen.
tleman and d popular exponent of the
game. Good clean baseball Will be PLAYED
ana the spectators Will get their moneys
worth. 1t is ',ot an all-star club. yet il has
Tour or five stars of the first magnitude in
Burketf, eidrick. Donovan. Wallace and
Powell. Then the players are all decent,
clever Fellows. sober at all times. and there
lore always fit TO play bali. Some nice
games 'Slll be seen at League Park, and the
oest team will win. Three tines out Of
i've that best team will be the ST. Louis
tear AT least. let US hope so.
~ all means the most important baseball
cent Of the year has been the refusal OF
fte college and other amateur nlaye-s IA
accept the new rules made by the National
League. The rules are the creatures of the
'oVer-fervid imagination and ideas of crank
basebaH reporters. These reporters bgya
long been criticising the National I.sagua
Tor not making these rules Of theirs. The
Gained the League men were running Tie
game. were getting away from the people
ana losing their patronage. The club own
'e!S fnaily began to believe this. and at last
ihty tried the rules of the baseball theor-
lists. The effect showed that the baseb2II ra-
porters but lily understood the peonIe and
that their hold upon the popular pulse is
a very weak One. The people simply will
a aot nave law their rules, The baseball report
snort games. The people, by rejecting the new
rules say they do not want short mes Be
Cause George Cuppy was slow and DELAYED
~ game q DIT there was an idiOtic rule limit
ing pitchers to twenty seconds time in pre-
lirninary motion before pitching. BECAUSE
McIraW ana one or two others hatted good
strlses foul, a rule was made penalizing all
balls batted foul Intentionally or otherwise.
psoatse jennings and Mccain were expert
a. ge',ing hit by pitched balls, 4 rule was
a pitched ball no offense at al. These
amendments handicapped a lot of good play
eTs who never were guilty OF the alleged Of
lenses, The advanced parties who have
been clamorlng for the Improvement OF the
game seem to have run afoul of the public
IN whose interests these improvements are
changed. Neither does it want the foui-bali
rule changed because McGraw and half a
Gozen Others can bat intentional fouls. Nor
does 1t want all the pitchers made TO pitch
an a hurry because CupDy was q bit slow.
Inc baseball reporters seem to be getting
me me bha1onal League away from the peo-
I;e because they. have overlooked Il car
dlnal principle which underlies all legisla-
.ionLthe greatest good for the greatest
plumber. The baseball reporters were MAX
1ng rules meant TO discipline half a dozen
men. They overlooked the fact that the law
ls a tWo-edged sword. The rules meant to
1.Se.phne nan a dozen men disciplined the
eiltire game, and IN doing SO disciplined the
entire baseball public. u is time the base !
pail reporter got TO describing plays and to
ieaVihs the making of laws TO Congress.
The American League people are making
a fuss because it IS said that thinner
president of the players union, has in
Iuenced players to sign with the National
League. If thinner cid SO he would be bat
Keeping his promise made TO the National
League club owners at their last meeting. |
Anu If II Was yfwis for Woo Ip-n=ilars ,f+
;ith 10 induce members of the union to vio-
late Its rules and sign American League
contracts at a time when they were forbid
Den to do so and when such action creyious- |
ly Imperfect the union. and the fate of The !
amendments which the players wanted |
MADE in their contracts, # is hard TO see
uy 10 induce National League players 10
sign with National League clubs after he !
publicly. and on behalf of those players, /
promised that they should not sign with |
any but National League clubs. Zirnmsr !
zane cut IN the open and acted like an |
honest mar. Looking back at the whole
aaaiT 1t certainly strikes one that he
acted a creditabie part. Griffith was vice \
president and It leading member OF the |
union when he was inducing Heidrick TO
nreak Its rules by signing "A contract with
.he chicago American League Club. He 1
Vas actually. il not titularly. manager OF
tfe Chicago American club, yet he was still l
y member Of the union, melting its MEM /
0ers to desert 1t and break its rules. He I
was a manager. even though the bylaws
OF the union specify that when 4 member
assumes the management Of a team his
membership shall lapse. Hugh Duffy. an
other bright Light Of the American League,
acted as the delegate of the Boston National
League Club a the Cleveland meeting,
While he was really manager OF the Mill
waukee club. and melted his fellow-nlem-
Ders 10 fight the National League. He could
Ven afford To incite them to war. as he
hS9 provided a nice quiet berth for him
sell with the Milwaukee club.
thinner. Duffy. Griffith and Jennings We're
me leaders IL the formation of the players
Union, a body organized for the specific pur-
pose OF Wrestling from the National League
seItain notifications of the contract sES-
I'm. The Union had an ugly fight on its
nm,einoers would lose q deal of money in 1901.
linen IT was that Griffith and Duffy found
themselves soft berths with the American
league. and with great show of imperiSh-
pretnren, Go forth and fight the National
league TO the death" Not so with good
ria thinner He stuck with his fellows. did
not duck to any American League club, nor !
i.slts oil his men and won his fight. while
.ehhihgs. Duffy and Griffith were fixing soft
Spots to fail in when the expected knock
ne, ne, came to thinner. While. Griffith was
a.e5urick to violate the laws of the union
anu 70 desert IL at a critical stage of its
iiSa sience. when it was fighting for its very
NE: thinner was holding the 1nIon to-
eeether and fighting for its members.
IN return for the concessions he received
}, me union from the National League
GUNNER pledged himself that former Ma
,ione! League players would sign with Ns-
nn .ia League clubs only. To the everlasI-
~ sname OF the union II repudiated rhis
q Maybe Zinraer was wroa-.
tisht or wrong. his ALLAN and honest ;;cht
~fSA I'm Tile StnnnYt nf hfS fn1lAn-c ~, I