Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-09-12
THE DIAMOND.
Scramble Among Managers to
 Sign Players for Next Year.

Sign Players for Next Year. About Sixty Players Will Be Taken from Minor Leagues to Fill Gaps in Ranks of Big Fellows-Hartford Won It's Last Home Game Tester day-Scores of the Other Games.
 With the approaching end of the championship season the scramble among the big league managers for minor league stars is becoming fast and furious and already there is work ahead for the new National commis- sion. From the present outlook Chairman Garry Hermann, upon whom practically devolves the task of smoothing out matters between the managers and owners of the various clubs in disputes over players, will have plenty to keep him busy during the winter months MT Herrmanns newness to baseball is probably re sponsible for his eager acceptance of the job of chairman of the national commission with it's nerve racking duties.
 Just at the present time number of the big league magnates are spend ing their money like drunken sailors in their endeavors to patch up weak teams before another season rolls around There is a growing suspic ion. however, that stage money forms a portion of the big sums that are re ported as being paid for certain of the minor league stars. In other words, the purchases are being made with the proviso that the player make good In case the player can't keep up to the pace in the bigger organization, the bigger portion of the purchase money must be returned.
 According to all signs, in the neighborhood of sixty players will be taken by the sixteen major league clubs from the smaller clubs before the season of 1904 rolls around and an aggregate sum ranging from $75,Oo0 to $1OO,O0O will be paid for them. How many of these players, every one of whom is now heralded as a ''phenom" will remain perma- neptly in the big leagues is entirely speculative. If one-half of them suc- ceed in making good it will be most surprising. Buying minor league ball players is as much of a lottery as the purchase of yearlings on the turf. Past experience shows that about one minor league player in four makes good in his first try in fast company That this is a fact nobody realizes more than the big league nagnates. This year, however, the minor leagues hold the whip hand to a certain extent, for they know that the playing strength of certain Ilubs, particularly in the National league, is so palpably weak that something must be done
 At Hartford.
 Hartford Sept 12.-The final game of the season here was played yester- day afternoon and it wound up in blaze of base hits, horseshoe catches and an old-fashioned victory for the home talent. No special preparations were made to have a gala performance in honor of the windup of the hard luck season. but MT Mccarthy, our young catcher and pinch hitter. was called upon to umpire when the game started, as Kennedy failed to show up. When the umpire finally made his appearance one of his friends on the blaachers shouted: 'Who paid your finew Man.  Tommy Bannon of New London agreed upon Mccarthy and Long as un1pires and the Hartford man started the game Captain Ira Thomas was unde- cided for some time whether he would umpire or catch. McCarthy said he was not particular what he did, and then Captain Ira said that as he want ed to win the game he thought he would catch himself. Mccarthy made an impromptu speech when he stepped in front of the grand stand. He said: Ladies and gentlemen: The batteries for to-day are Luby and Thomas for Hartford and Paige and Armbruster for New London Thanking you one and all for your kind attention, I remain, yours truly. Time! Come on boys. who's the hitter?' ''Take of your cap" shouted Manager Reilly. McCar- thy then took his cap off and had to make his speech all over again. For the time in which he worked, McCar- thy umpired finely and his decisions on balls and strikes were the best that have been given here this season. The score:
 Hartford.