The times., 1901-04-07
In THE BASEBALL WORLD
DissensiOn Still the Rule i'm tie
National League.
secret Revolt Against the Brush
Soden- n-Freedmnns Combine John
son Now Being Regarded as 81 Ben
efactor to the Gnme-Ofher Gossip


son Now Being Regarded as 81 Ben.
efactor to the Gnme-Otber Gossip
| Here Is a baseball story that was out.
| lined by local enthusiast who makes q
| study of the games politics and believes
/ he is right in his conjectures 1t Is quite
| plausible and may set some of the mag
| mates thinking of what may happen wher
! the shake-up comes next fall. The wheels
We're put in motion some time ago with
view to reorganizing the National
| League. The Brush-Soden-F Freedman com
bine, in control of affairs, has marked
| for decapitation the Philadelphia club
with John l. Rogers; the Brooklyn club
| with +. a. Abel and II. r. Won der
Horst; the Chicago club. with James a.
Hart, and the Spalding interests.
According to what has been learned
from some of Freedman's intimates and
they are few in number, these men have
got to get out of National League base
BAH before the great New York magnate
viii consent to rehabilitate the sport in
New York. Brush has made up his mind
to drive Rogers to the wall if possible,
because of their long existing and never
to-be-healed feud. Freedman is after Won
der Horst because the latter threatened,
couple of years ago. to administer a
thrashing in the Waldorf-Astoria because
of alleged personal insults. Andy Freed
man is also after Abel because his Brook
lyn club is so strong that New York has
been buried under a pile of ridioule.
Freedman is Furthermore on the trail
of the Spaldings, because they had the
courage to publicly denounce his methods
of conducting the New York club, the
rpSiprn1finn nf GnaIdfncr he
local clubs treasurership being due solely
TO Freedman declaration that he intend
ed to kill the game in New York. Brush
is antagonistic to Hart, because the Chi
cago magnate has displayed shrewdness
and ability to cope with momentous ques-
tions to such an extent that he has taken
the shine off the Indianapolis politician
Now the question is, how can these OBJ
jectiOnablc persons be forced out of the
National League? John T. Brush dropped
a hint the other day that lets in a little
light. He paid Ban Johnson a compli-
ment in saying that the latter had been
successful in suppressing rowdy bali in
the American League, while Uncle Nick"
Young was solely to blame for the dis
order that has been allowed TO flourish
on National League diamonds for years.
What has come over Brush that he should
say a single word in favor of Mr. John
son?
That is the entering wedge driven in
deep by the Freedman Brush combina-
ton. They need johnson in their busi-
ness, and they have begun operations by
patting the American Leagues president
on the back In order to reorganize the
National League and leave out the peo-
pie named, Brush and his friends must
of necessity, have some substitutes. That
is where Johnson comes on, for Ban has
some able baseball men under his wing.
incidentally, the BruShites see that the
only way to beat the American League
TO death is TO offer them the hand of
friendship and then do the Understanding
trick in the dark. 1t is a delicate piece
of business, but the able tricksterS. who
have done much to kill the game with
unnecessary politics, believe they can
fixing things will be to assure Johnson
that he can have the presidency of the
new National League, with big salary
and long-term contract
1t is a picturesque plan all right, but
what is the matter with the whole plan
turning out TO be a boomerang? Is II
reasonable 10 suppose that Johnson would
be willing to sink the individuality OF
the American League and his own indie
pendence for the sake Of becoming the
empIoye of the men who have made
the public? E1Innier things have hap
pened, but il would be extremely funny
if the Brush crowd discovered when they
got within earshot of the American
League president that Rogers, Spalding,
and Abel had succeeded in getting in on
the ground floor
By a shift of the cards it would be an
easy matter for the Philadelphia Ameri-
can League club to play on Rogers mag
nincent bail park, the latter magnate and
Mack hackers having reached an under
standing. BY such a move the National
League would be shut out of Philadelphia,
unless Brush and the Wagners wanted to
put up $4,000 to start another club there
By forming an alliance with the Brook
Iyn club the American League would
gain a much desired entrance to New
York where the public is hungry for
American League ball. Such a move
would eliminate the name Brooklyn
from baseball altogether. for Hanlon's |
team would be called the New York !
American League club and the New |
Yorks' from the start.
The Brooklyn club has valuable plant, /
1 crack team, and a popular manage |
nent The Brooklyn club has not done |
much business at home in the last year |
)r 50 because of the dead condition of |
baseball and the intense unpopularity of i
he National League.
But give the people something new and |
hey viii flock TO it. The American
league is new and that's what the people |
want.