The Topeka state journal., 1903-03-09
Dale Gear Is Building Up a
Splendid Team.
Kansas City Manager of the
Blues Signs MalOney.
MILWAUKEE is LEFT.
CantiIIOn Is Five Minutes
Too Late with Claim.
Tebeau Looking for an Out
fielder and Pitcher.

Kansas City, no, March 9.-There is
joy in fandom with the announcement
that Dale Gear has added Billy Afaloney
to his corps of catchers for the Ameri-
can association blues.
As soon as Cincinnati released the fast
little catcher and Outfielder Gear wired
in a claim to President Hickey, and net
five minutes later a claim was received
from Manager CantiIlon of Milwaukee.
Gear Immediately began negotiations to
secure the man to succeed Montreville.
the big backstop of last season. who
goes to New York and he announced to-
day that he had been successful.
Maloney should be a tower of strength
to the blues. He is a good character. a
fast outhelder, a good hitter, and get
ting into new field should be the in
centive to bring out his best work. He
will be surrounded by such veterans as
Mike Grady and Billy Nance, and an
other catcher and two pitchers who are
still up to the big league standard which
Gear expects to land.
The local manager had high hopes of
securing Johnny Killing, the speedy
catcher of Hart's Chicago National
league team. but the Windy City owner
would not listen TO the request that he
release King, so Gear could sign him.
While Johnny is well satisfied with
Chicago and likes the town and the
people, Kansas City is his homes and he
was anxious to go into business here
and catch for Gear. This would have
been ten strike for the American as
sociation team, as King grew up here
and learned the game on the lots of this
city. He wrote to Hart and urged that
ne be allowed to sign with Gear but he
was too valuable A man to lose.
In the eyes of the local fans, Gear
would have been justified in taking
King regardless of the fact that he
had already signed with Hart. Last
young outfelder, who made such a
whirlwind start, but Hart did not take
this into consideration and signed him
against the protests of Gear But
from the start the American associa-
ton has refused to cOuntenance con-
tract jumping and has been a strong
advocate of honest baseball.
George Tebeau is expected back in q
few days and at that time the remain
der of the team which will represent
nounced. When he left he said that he
had a couple of surprises in store for
the fans. These surprises will come in
the form of an outhelder and sea
soned pitcher or two.
Among the local twirlers who will bear
watching this season is Ralph Gibson.
He is small and does not weigh over 100,
but he has the curves. the speed. and
the head. but he is still young and has
much to learn about the game. He has
4 drop ball which the players say IS es-
peclally deceptive. He had a number OF
three and four hit games to his credit
last season, and pitched many shutouts
His first game of note was a sixteen-in
ming game at Louisville. Durham ard
Morton are two other youngsters from
whom Gear expects good work in the
box.
Thus far kid Nichols has not an
nounced his team for the season, but ne
viii likely do this later, as it has been
his custom to give out the team all at
once He has ordered them to report
for spring training on March 29.
Gears blues will gather on April 1,
and whether it viii be in a new park or
Exposition park is a question still hang
/ ing fire. Gear has decided on a slight
/ change from the time-honOred cCstume
of blue and black for the players this