Waterbury Democrat., 1901-02-25
BASE BALL NOTES.

League of Professional Baseball clubs will begin their annual-spring meeting a. the Fifth avenue hotel this eyen- ing. The event takes place earlier than usual because Of the state of war existing between the magnates and the American league. According to ex- pectations the National men will adopt a schedule, which may not be made public, and they will probably grant several of the demands of the Ball Players Protective association, i The latter. taking advantage of the strained relations between the Ma tiona and American leagues, has played its cards so well that tue mag mates are forced to make the .conces- sions that were denied last December. The Protective association has among It's members about 150 men. who were in the National league last year. Of this number it is said that 140 have de clined to sign National league con- l tracts. As the American league stands ready to sign the best of players it Is only natural for the National league l magnates to haul up q flag of truce. If peace with the players is establish ed it will be up to the National and l American leagues then to get together 1 and settle their differences on a Sensi- | ble business basis. That this is the growing impression in baseball cir cles is shown by the recent statement l of Treasurer \. Ashley Lloyd of the | Cincinnati club, to the effect that the i National league men have been doing 1 too much braggfng. He says base i ball war will do no good and that | the public is for peace. Lloyd is the 1 baseball partner of John T. Brush, | the former leader of the league. As Freedman is now in control of the Ma tional leagues affairs the question of peace or war appears to rest with the | New York club president. Freedman was one of the prime movers in form 1 ing the -f1imsy American association.
 It Is not known whether Freedman will order his followers to make wnr to the bitter end on the American leag que or 90 over to the enemy with terms of capitulat tionssl Several of the magnates were fns town last night, but they were so mysterious that it was | useless to question them. The gag has been worked so consistently that when you ask one of them how's his health the invariable reply, in hoarse l whisper is: sLj
 "sh-h-h-h. sh-h-h-hshr'
 Why there should be any mystery | in baseball. if everything Is on the level. is a puzzle that the public has not been able to solve.
 Among the men mentioned as having q chance for the business management of the American league clrh in Boston are w. w. Burnham, William A. Par sons and Fred Doe. =
 Theodore Sechrist.f dhe, popular ball player, who has pitched two seasons for the Bristol base ball club. has asked for a release from the Bristol ! Base Ball association. SechriSt has re- ! off hn 1e n Lexington. Ky. and a meeting of the | Bristol magnates will soon be held to | consider the matter. Sechrist went to | Bristol in the fall of 1898 In the sum- mer of 1899 and 1900 he pitched for Bristol. For short time during the season of 1899 he was on the Hartford nine. He has been popular man in Bristol and his departure will be re- gretted.
 It is whispered in base ball circles that the S1,5OO purchase money paid for Murphy's release from the Norwich team did not go into the local clnb's treasury entirely. The story is told that several who had connection with bringing about the deal got good sized slices. It is said that well known base ball writer from one of the Ros- ton papers was given s22O. that Cap tain Davis of the New York team got a similar amount. and that Manager Murray of the Providence team also had a slice Tine Norwich club got only the balance. The truth of this renort cannot be vouched for, but 1t is believed to be authentic.-Norwich l Record ...-.
 H. B. Davenport. owner of the Nor wich base ball club. has been in com
 munica ton with Tommy Donovan of New York state. who wants to play with the team this year. It will be remembered that Donovan was captain of the Norwich team in the early part of the season when Jack Rose was manager. two years ago. He played left field. When the club began tc weaken financially he left the team and played with the Atlantic lenene He is a strong batter. a captal fielder and good all around player He would. if signed. come pretty near fill
 ing the shoes of Dan Murphy. whc was signed by New York. If terms can he arranged satisfa ctorilv he w',l probably wear a Norwich uniform this year.