Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-01-10
THE DIAMOND.
BRUSH BLUFF
 IS CALLED
Griffith of New York Amer
 jeans Will Play His Team g Any Time But Brush Re.
 fuses-Other News.

Clark Griffith. manager of the New
 York Americans. in q formal statement
 handed to the newspapers last night,
 puts it squarely up to John T. Brush.
 president of the New York Nationals.
 to play q spring series for the local
 championship. Several days ago.
 when Brush declared that he favored
 q series between McGraw's men and
 the Boston Americans for the world s
 championship, to be played this spring.
 he was met with a prompt reply from
 President John I. Taylor of the Boston
 Americans. who refused to play. on
 the ground that the fall. not the spring.
 was the proper time for such games.
 Brush was then quoted as saying tha {
 Brush was afraid. although the New
 York Nationals refused point blank to
 accept the challenge of the Boston
 worlds champions last October Man
 ager Griffith. therefore. when asked
 what he thought of the tangle. eX-
 pressed these interesting sentiments: Never in the history of baseball has
 worlds series been played in the
 spring. It is always customary to play
 it in the fall. when both teams are at
 their best. MT Brush's recent talk of
 playing the Boston Americans this
 spring looks like a gigantic bluff, in view of his statements last summer, , that as long as he was president of the New York National league club his team would never take part in a game with an American league club, and also because he followed up this policy by declining to play worlds series with the Bostons in the fall He has
 changed his tune since that time be cause of the weight of public opinion and the fear of lost prestige, and he now wants to back up and square him. self with the baseball fans whose
 wishes were ignored by him last year. My opinion of Mir Brush is that he is a buffer and does not wish to play anybody. The New York Americans
 did not win the worlds championship
 last year. but we came within one
 game of it. and if MT Brush is anxious 10 test the strength of his team he does not have to go outside of Man haitian Island to do it. The New York Americans stand ready to play him at
 any time. and he can name the dates. With the Bostons out of it. and the New York Americans willing to settle the question of supremacy in accord
 ance with the demands of the local
 army of baseball fans. Griffith has
 paved the way. apparently, for Brush to arrange an interesting series in, Il
 sportsmanlikc way. If Brush is will ing to play the Boston Americans. why should be unwilling to play the New
 York Americans ? The rival clubs in
 Philadelphia and St Louis are to meet in the spring. and the Cincinnati club has already arranged games with the New York. Boston, Cleveland and De troit American league teams. The New York Nationals won the pennant in their league and the New York Americans lost their pennant by one game. For that reason baseball fans
 are anxious for local series.
 When Brush was asked last night if he would play the New York Ameri- cans instead of the Bostons. he said We would have to cancel several
 of our exhibition games to play the
 Bostons: but as they will not play the incident is closed. We will not cnter-
 tain proposition from the New York Americans for spring series under any circumstances All of which prompts the question. Will Brush con sent tO worlds series if the New York Americans win their pcnnant and McC;raw's men are again success full in the National league: