The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-03-28
COMISKEY'S WHITE SOX
 PLAY MONTGOMERY TUESDAY
Boston and New York Are Also Coming to Battle with Stickneys New Montgomery
 Ball Team. @

ican. LeasuS pennant on their hitting The Chicago club with George Davis at short, has been strengthened fully 30 per cent. Short field was one of the weak spots of the White Sox last season. but now this gan has been. filled in with one of the greatest shortstops in the, coun-
 Chicago at present has one of the strongest fielding teams in the country; blood, and although 1t is not an all star cast. nevertheless 1t looks as though 1t win take lot of beating in the American
 After Chicago Tuesday and Wednesday Al Buckenberger with his Boston Nationals will be here with such men as Fred Tenny, probably the greatest first basemen in the world, Stanley, Car ney. Pitenger, Piatt Aubrey, Cooley. Willis. Moran, Malarky. Bonner. Grem- ! minger. McKeever, Kittredge ands Ab- batchio, the old Nashville star. This team was also here last spring and the local fans are anxious to see if they. have improved any on their last years form.
 Next will come McGraw's New York Nat. Nationals with such men as Joe McGln- Montgomery uniform, Christy Mathew son. and the rest of the bunch which is likely to make things lively in the Ma l tional League before the snow flies again.
 This team winds up the exhibition dates Tn Montgomery for the 1904 season. From then on the locals will work the hardest that they know to get into shape for the sap shEr Of a.d the gong o starting the champion | the United States-the Southern. Just how the locals will show up in 1 these games with the big leaguers is l probiematical Last year M0ntgomery made a magnificent showing in the exhl- ] bition games, shutting out the St. Paul team or the American Association, the | team that won the penant in that league last year. Not much can be told from | the fans line on their home team as we'll as to afford excellent practice. and the local gang will give the big leaguers | the best In their shop.
 Baseball Brokerage. "The sale of Red John Powell by the St. Louis Americans to New York for $S.000. with a second-grade player thrown In to complete the bargain, is the first really important brokerage stunt in ten years.
 There have been dozens of sales each campaign ever since baseball became pro- fessionalized. but not since 1895. when Chris Von der Ahe sold Theodore Breiten- marked importance taken place." says The Washington Star
 "The sale of players Is always re- ser1ted by patrons, not only on account of the loss of favorites, but as evidence Of the predominance of commercialism over sporting spirit in the club owner.
 "A good baseball player should be priceless. That is what the fans think. and if 1t wasn't for them there wouldn't be any baseball Hence their wishes should be respected.
 From dollar and cents standpoint Hedges and Adkins made smart sale pitcher. In addition they got New York to toss in a player who dosn't rank many notches removed from Red John;' in fact. one who went better than the big
 However. for all that the teams last chance to run 1-2-S-4 in the coming race, unless, of course. the unexpected is registered. went glirnmering with the sale of the buxom Powell to New York
 H'rhe Wagners. J. Earl and George, the wealthy Philadelphia butchers, who nobbed up the year of the brotherhood and moved to Washington when the twelve-club league was formed and Chris Won der Ahe, are the most noted of the baseball brokers.
 The Wagners were very wealthy, prob ably richer than half of their associates still they only developed a good player to sell him.
 Hence their Senators. each campaign. would wind up. twelfth or whereabouts. Won der Ahe coined money when he kept his stars. When he started disposing of them his troubles began.
 No man in baseball ever prospered more than Der Boss when he had his olo bToWHS intact. lie was winning pen- ants and his profits each summer-and Chris never kept books-amounted in the neighborhood of $75, 1000.
 "Chris's troubles began when he bed came diamond broker.
 'In 1888 he broke up his four-time champs. He sold Bobby Carruthers, the late Dave Fontz and Doc Bushong to Brooklyn and 'Brudder Bill Gleason and Curt Welch to Baltimore.
 This proved to be the undoing of the Teuton His teams were champions no longer, and in the place of goodly profits each summer came losses.
 Year after year Chris would sell his men. His last disposal sale gave Cincin- natl Theodore Breitenstein, the king of all lefthanders in his day. and Vondy's lone valuable asset in the declining years of his professional career.
 The sale of the Big Four-Charley White. Deacon Rowe. Dan Brothers and Hardie Richardson-by Buffalo to Detroit in 1885 for S14,oOO-was the first important sale.
 At that time it was considered mar vicious to raise that amount on four ball players.
 Following Detroit's disposal of the Big Four came Chicagos sale to Bos- ton of the late Mike Kelly the greatest catched and all-round performer of his