Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1906-09-19
Those Winchester Amateurs"


Danville and Winchester broke
even in the dOuble-header Saturday
afternoon. Joe Laughlin caught
both games for Winchester. Dan
vile won two out of three. These
games closed the season in Win
chester. That team claims to have
lost only IL games out of 80 played,
which IS probably the best record
ever made by an amateur" team
in this section. Bakers players
were all amateurs, although he
paid them from $50 to 500 per
month each. In the won column
Is placed the game which Martins
burg won by two Scores to ?
and 9 To 0-but a little matter like
that doesn't trouble Baker. He
won other games in like manner.
Trlckery, short fences, home-club
umpires, and other incidents of an
unspOrtSman like character con-
tributcd largely to the won column.
Given a fair deal, the other clubs
of this section would have about
chopped Bakers victories in two.
-Martinsburg World.
From atelegram which appeared
in the Winchester News Item
Monday it seems that the Danville
team had contracted to play three
/ games with the Riverside Club of
Petersburg on the same dates as
those filled at Winchester, but when
the management of the Danville
League Team was approached i'm
regard to the apparent violation
of contract it was stated that the
team which visited Winchester was
not the league team. buta made
up team, and that the league man
agement could not be held respon-
sibIe for its actions.
Speaking of the amateur" and
professional standing of some of
the Winchester players. it is our
impression that the Amateur Ath-
letic Union would bar several. and
perhaps all of them from taking
part in regularly recognized anna
teur games, if the matter concerning
their salaries was brought before
the officials of the y. \. L. This
writer Is personally aware of one
member of the Winchester team
who stated unequivocally to several
people in Berryville that he was to
receive S60permonth forthcseason.
\ gentleman connected with the
Winchester team stated to this
writer, when the matter of big
salary roll was mentioned. that
none of the Winchester players
deceived anything but expenses.
but that if the management chose
to make them a present of some
thing ON the side" il was nobody'S
T business, and could not be termed
professionalism.
The little matter of "on the side"
and "nobody's business" IS what
we think would be construed rs
receiving compensation. if allowed
/ to be Judged by the \. \. L.
So far As believing that the
/ Winchester amateurs could have
won pennant in the Virginia
League, 1T Is to laugh.
With the exception of possibly
two, we do not believe that the
Winchester team contained men
who are capable of making good
in the State League, and it was a
matter of great regret to us that
the State League champions
Lynchburg could not be secured
to play a series of games with the
Winchester amateurs. The rea-
son this could not be arranged. as
we happen to know, was because
the annual contract of the Virginia
League players expired with the
last game in that league, and the
men could not be held together for
exhibition games without their full
consent Many of them had made
all arrangements 10 go home, or
into business or school for the Ses-
sion, so we haven't the remotcSt
doubt that the Danville aggregation
did not truly represent the State
League brand of players.
nanville finished third from the
bottom of the league percentage
column, but even with that, and
the additional fact that not many OF
the regular men went to Win
chester, they managed to take two
games out of three from the
amateur champions of the State.
A. ,Vp roD,orkp1 befOrn "it - =,