Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-12-17
THE DIAMOND
BLAZING THE WAY
 FOR NEXT SEASON
Hartford Seems to Be Doing Things While the Rest
 Are Asleep.

President William J. Tracy of the Connecticut League of Base Ball Clubs said yesterday that he had de- cided to call a meeting of the league for Friday, January 8, at the Hotel | Garde in New Haven. There will be a good deal of preliminary business to transact and President Tracy said | he had selected an early date at the ! request of a number of the managers. | They are anxious to know when the | championship series will begin, so | they can dope out dates for exhibi- | tiOn games.
 It is not believed that the cham !! pionship season the coming year will begin as early as usual as the man. agers prefer to wait until the wealth eris favorable and play later in the season than they have heretofore. Last fall the weather was suitable | for base ball for a month after the season closed, but when the pennant games were started it was raw and cold and charley horses stalked over the bleak diamonds. At the coming session the opening date will be de- cided upon, the holiday games will probably be arranged and the tlme set for the final games.
 In addition to the preliminary work about the schedule, the frau- | chise committee will have to frame up new circuit as New London will drop off the map as a base ball town. President Tracy said yesterday flat the chances favored New Britain get ting the franchise that the Whalers have held for so many years. All l will depend upon what facilities can be obtained in the way of transporta- ton for the crowds, grand stands and bleachers, etc. Mir Tracy said that New Britain had the call and unless some other hustling city could produce something better when it came to a showdown, Manager Hum- phrey would transfer his interests to the Hardware city.
 | If New Britain can support as good a baseball aggregation as it | does roller polo outfit there should not be any doubt about the success of the project. Humphrey and Slap per Sam Kennedy, when he was with New London, developed a likely lot of youngsters and sold some first class material. Norwich is to re- main in the league, but it will be hard going for the Rosebuds with 1 their ancient rivals removed. WheLh- CT Norwich can stand the gaff with New London out remains to be seen. From present indications, the circuit will be made up of Hartford, New Haven, Waterbury, Bridgeport, Springfield, Holyoke, Norwich and New Britain.
 President Tracy said that the most interesting thing in base ball ne had seen was the announcement of the purchase from Providence of Tommy Dowd of Frank Burke. He said that Burke was undoubtedly the greatest outfielder in the league as we'll as being the premier batsman. t is unusual for the president to comment upon the players or to criticise the action of the managers in hiring or releasing men, but Burke stands SO far above the other players in several departments of the game that Mir Tracy felt no hesitancy in saying that Manager Dowd had made brilliant stroke in securing the famous fielder
 Hartford seems to be the only club in the league that is making any progress in getting an early start for strong aggregation. Up in Holyoke, Manager O'Neil of the Springfield team is behind his desk in his hotel every day and has done
 nothing towards getting new men.
 Holyoke has not got a manager yet
 although an offer has been made to
 player. Manager Danaher still holds to his New Haven franchise
 and but little is known of his plans.
 Manager Duraut of Waterbury is
 busy recognizing the club and he will probably be found at the helm again.
 The league directors are not disturb ed by the report that new outlaw
 baseball league may be organized at
 meeting in Philadelphia, which has hopes of locating teams in New Ha- ven and Bridgeport. President Tracy does not see how such a league can invade these two cities, as 1t would be almost impossible to procure suit
 able grounds in either place without the expenditure os more money than anyone would care to risk in back ing such hazardous enterprise. The movement is looked upon by the head
 of the league as a scheme of few baseball promoters, who were interest ed in the outlaw Atlantic league last year and who are sore because through
 Secretary James H. O'Rourke of the
 Connecticut league they lost several
 star players.
 A report says that up to date siI
 clubs will positively play in the pro posed league. The clubs are Bal f timore. Philadelphia, Newark, Read ! ing and Wilmington. Three of thesI i teams come from the Atlantic league ? Representatives of the following citief , have made application for franchises 7 New York. Paterson, Providence i Richmond. Norfolk. Washington Bridgeport and New Haven. If tn, r league is organized the promoter , hope to be able to break up the At : lantic league.
 I Managers of Nutmeg league team
 are already receiving applications fO
 exhibition dates from clubs in th
 Eastern league. Newark is likely t
 take a trip around the circuit am
 several major league teams will prob
 ably be slated for games