Waterbury Democrat., 1901-03-26
BASE BALL p'|R[EZES
There Will Be Lots of Base Ball
 This Season.

I,eagues-Not Yet Definitely Settied
 How the Teams Will Stand-Great
 Base Ball Story From New York
 New London Has New Manager
 Other Base Ball News.
 New York, March 26.-Here is base ball story that was outlined the other night by man who makes a stuuy of the games politics and he pelleVes that he is right in his con1ectufes. IL is plausible, and may set some of the magnates thinking of what may nap pen when the shake-up comes next fall.
 The wheels were put in motion some time ago with a view to reorganlzllS the National league. The Brush-So- den-Freedman combine in control or affairs have marked for decapitatlon the Philadelphia club. with John l. Rogers: the Brooklyn club. with F. A. Abell and H. k. Won der Horst: the Chica go club. with James A. Hart ana the Spalding interests.
 According to what has been learned from some of Freedman's intimates here. these men have got to get out of organized National league base ball before the great New York magnate will consent to rehabilitate the sport in this city. Now the question is: How can these alleged objectionable persons be forced out?
 John T. Brush dropped a hint the other day that lets in some light. He paid Ban Johnson a compliment in say ing that the latter had been successful in suppressing rowdy base ball in the American league. while Uncle Nick Young was solely to blame for the dis order on National league diamonds. What has come over Brush that he should say for publication a single word in favor of N1r Johnson? That is the entering wedge driven in deep by the Freedman-Brush combination. They need Johnson in their business, and they have begun operations by batting the American leagues presi dent on the back.
 In order to reorganze the National league. Brush and his friends must of necessity have some substitutes. That is where Johnson comes in. for Ban has some very able base ball men un- der his wing. Incidentally. the Brush | ties see that the only way to beat the American league to death is to proffer the hand of friendship. and then stab | it in the back in the dark. It is del icate piece of business, but the men | who have done much to kill the game with unnecessary politics believe they can carry it through.
 The first move toward fixing things will be to assure Johnson that he can have the presidency of the new Ma tional league with a big salary. say of SlO.OOO, and long term contract Then Johnson could shift the Philadelphia American league club into the National league circuit. thereby protecting the people who have put up the coin for Mack. Somers must be taken care of, because Johnson would insist upon it. That scheme would be comparatively easy. because Somers. after receiving big lump sum to more than cover his expenditures in Boston. would be only too glad to get out of the Hub with a whole skin. Johnson will have the power to turn over either Washington or Baltimore to the National league. l instead of Brooklyn. which is to be simply dumped" to use a common ex- presson. The proposed transfer of the Brooklyns to Washington will not be listened to by the dictator of the National league.
 | With the eastern end of the new Ma | tional circuit made up of Soden's Bos- ton club. Freedman's New York club, Mack's Philadelphia club, with Wag- her and Brush having a piece of it, and Manning's Washington club. John son will have another chance to help one of his staunchest friends, Charley Comiskey of Chicago. Hart and the Spa1dings being placed in the same box with Abell and Rogers. Then with Dreyfusss Pittsburgs, Robison's St Louis and Brush's Cincinnatis to make up the new National league circuit in the west, the triumph of the Brush Freedman combine would be com- plete.
 Spalding, Rogers and Abell would be buried. Johnson would be taken care of and subsidized, while his friends Somers, Comiskey, Mack and Manning would not suffer by the change. Then the National league, still dominated by the Freedman Brush combine, would be absolute master of the situation.
 It is a picturesque plan all right, but what is the matter with the whole | thing turning out to be q boomerang Funnier things have happened, but nevertheless it would be extremely funny if the Brush crowd discovered when they got within earshot of the American league president that Rog- CTS, Spalding and Abell had succeeded in getting in on the ground floor.
 By a shift of the cards, it would be an easy matter for the Philadelphia American league club to play on Rog- ers's magnificent ball park. and the National league would be shut out of Philadelphia, unless Brush and the Wagners wanted to put tip about S5O,- GOO to start another club there. By forming an alliance with the Brook lyn club, the American league would gain much desired entrance into New
 York, where the public is hungry for American league ball. It would be necessary to drop either Baltimore or
 Washington, for Boston seems to be an American league fixture. The American league in that way would
 have in the east Somers's Bostons
 Hanlon's New Yorks. Rogers's Phila. delphias and Baltimore or Washington l De- @t,1 yl.s<,