The Savannah morning news., 1904-01-19
ANTE-DATED BALL TALK

Ine men VIII iedNe OIeNelditu ptl
March 70. and arrive in Texas on the
18th. The players that will make the
trip are Capt. Lajoie; First Baseman
Hickman, ShortsTops Turner and Pas
tor. Third Basenan Bradley, Catchers
Bemis and Abbott, Pitchers Joss, Moore
and Curtiss and Outfelders Rossman,
O'Hara and Flick. Rhoades, in case
he is not sold to Detroit, viii join at
st. Louis, while Stovall and Hickey
will report at San Antonio, both spend
ing the winter in California Bernhard
will also come on from the coast and
report at San Antonio possibly a week
after the other Blues assemble, as he
will be allowed TO take his preliminary
work at Los Angeles. Red" Donahue
will not join the team until just be-
fore the regular season opens, as he
has been allowed to coach the Yale
University baseball team. Should Ar
lnour decide to retain Pitcher GlendOn,
he will also join the Blues at ST. Louis,
as he is spending the winter at Chicago.
Harry Bay will report at san Antonio,
as he will probably be in the West
about that time.
Tom LOTUS mix up with Jesse Bur-
kett at Sportsmans Park last sum-
ner is responsible for the framing of a
bit of legislation by the American
League. 1t is a rule by which any
manager or player coming on the field
intoxicated shall be fined $780, This
sort Of trouble has fortunately been
rare in baseball. The last wear there
was but one serious outbreak due to
intoKication and that was the after
noon Lotus got "hossy' with Burkett.
over in Redland one Saturday ST Sey-
lnour bobbed up on the green reeling
and caused scandal, but, luckily, no
trouble.
The New York National League
Baseball Club has secured another
BuckneH University player in McCor-
mick, who was a member of the Ier-
sey City team last season. If he turns
out to be as fast a player as Mathew
son, who also was graduated from
Bucknen the club will not regret that
it had to bid high TO get him. McCor-
mick led the Eastern League in bat
ting last season, with a percentage of
1862. AS an outfelder his average is
only fair. but his stick work is ex-
pected to be of great assistance to
the Giants during the coming season.
President Grillo of the American As
sociation has begun to clean house. As
starter he will have a new set of
umpires this year, Tony Mullane, Jack
Haskell Cunningham, Foreman and
the substitutes will have to seek new
jobs, for their day with the Ameri-
can Association is at an end. PreSi-
dent Grillo this week notified the en-
tire bunch that they would not be
needed, and they are at liberty to Sc
cure other employment This decision
of President Gfillo will meet with
popular approval. 1t is doubtful if
any league ever suffered more from
poor umpiring than the American AS
sociation did last season. President
Grillo recognized the fact that it is
hard for an umpire who has been hav-
ing a hard time to suddenly turn
around in the same company and do
better, and so he has tied a tin can
TO each man of the lot and let him go.
Now it's the Sunday -baseball-in
New York-argument that threatens
the serenity of the baseball world.
The dispute reached the Supreme
Court of Baseball Thursday, Chairman
Hermann of the National Commits
sion, having been formally notified of
the National Leagues protest against
the New York Americans proposition
TO play Sunday games at Ridgewood
Park, and it's up to the distinguished
judges to produce an egg and clear
the coffee. The Nationals claim the
Americans move is a violation of the
national agreement, which says the
circuit of a league shall not be
changed without the consent of the
majority of the teams. An early meet
ing of the commission to consider the
question will be arranged.
The longest hit ever seen on a
Cleveland diamond was made by Lou
Brown of the old Providence team in
1879" says President Kilfoyl of the
Cleveland team. mo one who saw
that drive will ever look upon its du-
plicate. Salisbury was pitching for
Cleveland and Gross catching. Phil
lips was on first, Strict on second, Ely
at short and Glasscock on third. The
outfieIders were "Pigtail'' Reilley, Ea-
ton and Morton. Salisbury, with that
tremendous long, swinging right arm
of his offered one just to Browns fam
cy. The crash when bat and ball met
was deafening, and six or seven fell
lows started toward Painesville to
find the ball. Affidavits were after
ward sworn to that it was picked out
of the sewer then being dug three
squares away"
The owner of the champion Boston
team has just come out with state
ment Wnlcn IN so many WoTQS tells
Ban johnson to behave himself and
let the foul strike rule alone. The
foul strike was good enough for Bos-
ton and a late telegram from Boston
quotes Mr.. Killilea as follows:
1T was generally expected when the
season opened that the foul-strike rule
would affect the batting of the Boston
boys about as much as any club in the
American League. but it did not serve
as a handicap enough to prevent 1t
from winning the pennant 1t is gem
orally q good idea to let well enough
alone. and on that score the locals
might get along under the foul strike
rule as well as the other way, so there
is little anxiety felt as to any action
that may be taken when the Ameri-
can holds it's spring meeting"
And so it would appear that the
American League has chosen the
spring meeting as a time when they
will climb down from the fence and
drop in with the procession. 1t be-
gins to look now as though Barney
Dreyfuss knew just whereof he spoke
when he announced that the American
League would be good and would play
under the foul-strike rule next season
as before.
There is considerable wrangling a:
to whether the New York Americans
have a right to play Sunday baseball
in Ridgeway Park near Brooklyn. II
the recent issue of the Sporting Life
Mr.. John B. Foster says:
eft was never intended by the Ma