Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-03

sional club. is a combination cabal. or
the owners are weakened or ignorant OF
base ball intrigue and cunning. The oo-
ject of this close corporation, or inner So
ciety of players. is to run matters TO suit
themselves. They have the owners by the
throat, and the manager. if he is nom
playing one, is generally nothing but pup
pet. and is supposed to draw his salary and
look wise. If he asserts himself it Is good
day" to him. The leader of such COM
bination will tell the owners of the club
that the reason they are not winning is
that the manager is the cause of it.
The principal object of this clique in Old
clubs is to keep out and embarraSs young
players so that they will be sure of their
own jobs. But who can condemn them! II
is self-interest, and the young player, when
he gets Old is pregnated with the same
idea. The greatest crime that a young
player can commit when he joins a club
controlled by this combination is to show
up well. 1t is the condition of profess
Sional base ball unless the owners or man.
ayers get rid of this clique one by one. Most
of these cliques are formed by some leader
who would not be satisfied If he was UP In
heaven drawing pay from the Lord, Tor
there he would be after st. Peters job. Yet
if this combination is broken up and scat
tered into other teams they get along all
right, as they have new surroundings ana
have to make good in the city that offers
them a new lease of life. That is why men
do better in one city than in another.
BAD SITUATION at SL. LOUIS.
The Robisons, owners OF the st. Louis
Cardinals. have been for years the victims
of this base ball cabal. While they knew
this base ball cancer existed in their club,
yet they could not help themselves, and all
the doctors they got in the shape of base
ball managers to cure it got kick in the
back from the combination and had to
leave. Finally they heard of a man in the
west that was an Ajax that could defy
base ball lightning. They arranged with
this man to take their club, and acquainted
him with their past troubles and told him
of the few mutineers they had aboard their
base ball ship. This fearless took
charge of the craft and in few months
elected or disposed of this coterie of team
wreckers, that netted sums of money to
the Robisons of nearly $4,000. And they
got a base ball doctor at last who had the
nerve and holiness to roll up his sleeves
and cut the base ball cancer and its roots
from the heart of the Cardinal team. This
mans name is John j. McCloskey, who
came into the National League last year
without a brass band or fictitious major
league reputation-one of the sCuarest and
cleanest men that was ever identified with
the national game, and a man that nature
endowed with a physique and courage to
make the diSturber and tough quail before
him and added to that the attribute of
gentleman with moral suasion that would
make all gentlemen like him.
Cubs Look Best.
There are many of the National League
teams that will occupy different positions
from those they did in 1906, as the shifting
of men and addition of new blood will
change the speed of many of them. Chi
cago, New York and Pittsburg are sup
posed by many to pull away from the rest
of their competitors after July 4. But it is
only a conjecture at best, as accidents to
any of these three teams may stop their
advance and few dark horses may speed
up and get in line with the supposed big
three AS I have stated that a base ball
prophet nowadays is considered a bore. 1
had better be careful myself about my fore
sight, but l will advance this theory and
assertion. that the only way to keep the
Chicago Nationals from winning the pen
nant in 1907 is for some one to follow them
around the circuit and chloroform them at
night when they ere asleep.