Waterbury Democrat., 1902-12-27
BASEBALL NEWS.
Dreyfus Says He Has No Fear of the
 American League.

Washington baseball patrons are not very enthusiastic over the acqui- sition of .Ducky' Holmes It is con- tended that he has no arm, has drop ped off in batting and has lost his stamina.
 President Ban Johnson has added James E. Hassett of Portland Me, to the American league umpire staff. Hassett has umpired for two years in the New England league md is the only survivor of seventy-three m fortunates who officiated in that or. ganization last season.
 Instead of going to Augusta, Ga, for practice next spring. the Boston Ameri- can league players will do their train ing at the Mercer university grounds, Macon. They will have the use of finely appointed gymnasium, baths, running track, etc, besides having the varsity team to play against.
 Both Clark Griffith and Charley Comiskey say that they are positive that George Davis will be with the Chicago Americans next season, i'll spite of the fact that Davis is reported to have signed recently with John T.. Brush. During the fall meeting at Morris Park, Davis told reporter that he was under contract to play with. Chicago next year and that he would remain with Comiskey unless he could secure his release. He ad- mitted that he was anxious to play again in New York.
 Baltimore is to have baseball team after all. If not in the National or American league then in the Eastern. Captain Wilbert Robinson and Secre- tary Harry Goldman will be at the head of the new organization. and they have secured q tentative franchise from President F. J. Powers of the Baltimore would be a giant among smaller things, as her diamond fortunes would be cast in with Hartford. Prov idence. Montreal. Syracuse, Toronto and Worcester. Of course there would occur some change in this arrange
 ment, as the Eastern league club own- CTS would welcome the advent of Bal tinlore and would so change their cir cult as to make the admission of this city easy.
 Barney Dreyfuss of the Pittsburg National league club is spending the holidays in Louisville. When asked about the proposed invasion of the Smoky City by the American league, Dreyfuss said yesterday: T am not at all worried. I have a champion ship team. have the Pittsburg pa- pers and the Pittsburg people with me. I have the park and the location and am firmly esta blished, while the other fellows have not even franchise yet. This puts me on easy street. They are making claims, but am not paying any attention to them I don't think they are worth bothering about. am very we'll satisfied with
 my condition. thank you" Charles c. Pedder and s. J. Eagle, who repre- sented the Pittsburg men, W. W. Kerr and others. at the recent American league meeting iii Chicago and applied for franchise say, that they are con fldent of gaining admission. It is u,1- derstocd that Kerr and F. l.. Auten who want to back the club, have Of fered $36,50O to Angus, tue owner of me Detroit American Ieague club, for the iatter's franchise. The indications point to some sort of an understa nding by Which the Pittsburg men will have until the. spring meeting of the Ame1i- can league to close the deal with De- lfolt. Fred Postal president of the Washington club, who lives in Detroit says that the Wolverines will stay where they are for another year, and l also declares that Tom Loftus will not De at the head of the New York Amer
 lean league club, but will stay in l Washington where he has helped to
 make baseball a paying venture.
 l Secretary Hedges of the St Louis l American league club, which signed
 Matthewson and Bowerman to reg1rlar
 contracts last summer, after which l these players resigned with the New
 1ofk Nationals, says in regard to the recent conclave at Chicago: q am not l at liberty to say what was done about l fhe Mathewson-Bowerman case, b,lt
 think that the American league will
 take decided stand on the player
 question. If all the players who are
 bound to 1903 contracts in the Ameri-
 can league are conceded. by the Nh.
 tlonal league to he the property of tho
 American league will have no trou- Die 1n rounding I'D these two nen I 1 talked with a Detroit man who dis
 cussed the matter with Afathewson
 and BoWermaE last week. He said l that they declared tie terms of the | St Louis clTl were not high enough
 They were satisfied when they signed l with me, but McGraw came alone and offered them more money. which does not constitute reasonable ex l cuse to break confract' Mathew.
 son ard Bowerman have been off on q hunting trip. They are in Detroit rc4. and Rowerman, speaking Of their l plans for next season. said the otha, l day: We will both be with the New
 York National league club next season It is true. of course. that we signed l with the St Louis AmArseans and bott
 of us would have remained with that club if Hedges had Iiyed up to his ob .Iigations. He failed to make good < However. so we went back to the Na l tional. The American league ha.
 done a lot for the players and the S 1 Louis club offered to do well by us \ It is not our fault that we have signed
 with New York.