Omaha daily bee., 1902-12-21
BASE BALL IN WINTER TINE
'entle Dove Of Peace Still Brools Lovingly
Over the Diamond.
EADY TO MAKE A STEAL At ANY TIME
Indications Brighten for n settlement
of the Numerous Wars that Have
Disturbed the Magnates
for Years.
Still a-brooding.


Hopefully the gentle dove OF peace clings
to the base ball limb, and waits. And you
don't want TO overlook the fact that that
same gentle bird is giving an exhibition
OF Bobby Carter on third and Frank Genins
on first, with old Dead-Arm Park Wilson
behind the bat. II Is up on It's toes and
ready TO execute double steal on the first
ball pitched. And you can't blame the
dove, at that Doves don't like to be
stoned, and the baseball dove has been such
target for miscellaneous bombardment
during the last four or FIVE years that II
required the most persistent coaxing to get
1t to even hover, let alono brood. Now
that Il is brooding. let US hope that It will
not be scared away, but be allowed to nest
and make a home and hatch out a whole
mess Of little doves, so that peace may be
maintained for a long time to come. Ban
johnson says he's wilin', and after the
meeting OF the Johnsonites this week a
committee will be appointed to meet the
committee from the National and the
armistice will be transformed into a pro-
tocol and the protocol into a treaty. and the
business Of organized ball" will be estab-
lished as 1t was in the beginning Con-
cernlng the outlook for peace President
johnson said h. believed a satisfactory COM
promise could be reached. but he declined
20 talk in advance Of the probable terms for
such an agreement. He stated: 81 think
can say without jeopardi.lng any inter-
ests however. that there will be two
leagues and not a consolidation into a
twelve-club circuit find public senti-
ment strong throughout the country in
favor Of two leagues. and there are not
more than two or three CLUB owners in
favor OF returning to twelve clubs. There
Is none in the American. Our circuit will
be Boston, Chicago, New York PHILADELPHIA
Cleveland. Detroit, Washington and ST.
Louis. There is a coterie of men in Pitts
burg ready. to make a handsome offer for
the Detroit franchise and club. but no
transfer could be made without the leagues
ratification, and l do not know that tho
league would ratify it,"
One Of the first effects Of a peace COM
pact between the big leagues will doubtless
be reduction in the fancy prices paid for
star players Salaries of $500 and the
like are too high It may be that the rate
OF $500 or thereabouts will be maintained.
but IL is a settled fact that clubs cannot
AFFORD to pay the figures reached by some
OF the players last season. In one or two
instances, notably that of Cleveland, the
experiment proved good inves tment but
as a rule the advertisement is hardly worth
the money paid for it. Our old friend
LaJoie was wonderful drawing card last
summer, but it is a question as to whether
he will be the attraction next season. He
is trihe shelf-worn as a novelty, you
know. Good, honest. every day ball play
ers, who have the good of the game and the
interests of their team at heart are worth
far more to club than the star who is out
for tho stuff and whose main interest in
nm al Ha.r ~ b.,
unfortunate part OF the affair is that the
hard-working bali player gets from 1880
TO $4,000 for the season, while the star
who goes in for record. gets from 81 OOC
TO $500 a month.
Ned Hanlon Of Superba fame is out with
about the funniest proposition any Of the
managers have made yet. It is that the
error column be abolished from the score
table. Mr.. Hanlon contends that II the err
ror column were abolished, or f. the rule
was modified so as to eliminate errors made
on ground balls, that fielding would be
much more effective than 1t now is, for the
shirking and loafng on hits would be aban.
doned by the players who do not care tC
take chance that they may end in a blacl
mark. He would have an error charged
only for a mum of fly or a thrown ball
Such a rule would make the path OF tn,
record player one of unalloyed delight, ant
many man would go through the season
with a fielding record absolutely clear
But there iC a grave doubt as to whethe
II would improve the fielding any. shirl
is shirk, no matter where you put him
He will let ground hits get away from hin
from sheer Incidence, or because he doesn'
like the pitcher. or for any OF a number o
reasons that might be cited, and his cas-
is one for managerial treatment, for chang
ing the present scoring rules will not reacl
him. AS the rule stands unless the score
be incompetent, or biased, which Is worse
the player has everything in his favor. l
is plainly set down that in all cases o
doubt the fielder is to be exonerated fror
error II is left to the judgment OF tn
scorer IL the hit be too hot or too slow {
handle cleanly in time to make a put-out
and the same discretion exists as to throw
balls. Scorers all understand this and ar
fair enough as a rule to award errors onl