Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1911-06-22

players reserved on any prior annual
reserve list who had refused to con-
tract with the said clubs members,
and of all other eligible players, and
such players, together with all others
thereafter regularly to be contracted
with by such club members, ARE and
shall be eligible to contract with any
other club members of either associa-
ton party thereto"
That was mighty strong dose, but
that it broke up the stealing game
there Is no denying. Many of the
players didn't take kindly to the prop
osition, however, and there was more
kicking over it than there had been
over anything else so far Later on
1t led to the Brotherhood revolt and
general earthquake in baseball circles.
That is why l mention 1t in this place.
Next year came the Union associa
ton fiasco. 1t was a short-lived af
fair, but on account Of the influence
1t had on the game 1t cannot be left
out OF Its history. The season Of
1883 had been such a money-maker
that Henry V. Lucas, owner of the st.
Louis club, believing he saw millions
in it, organized his Union association,
and Its speedy failure brought finan-
cial shipwreck to him. The new base
ball trust-that is about what 1T
amounted to-was organized in Pitts
burg with a big flourish of trumpets
1t was announced that at least fifty
leading league players would break
their contracts and join the new ven
bakers dozen showed up. 1t was a
goose-egg of enormous proportions.
Only five of the original clubs played
out their schedules, and 1t gave up the
ghost at the CLOSE of its first sea-
son
And all the time the league-which
had promptly expelled the deserving
players-was having most exciting
and prosperous season. All OF the
clubs had signed more players than
they actually needed in order to keep
them out Of the reach Of the Union as
ISOLATION. Ny club had no less than
nineteen men on the salary list that
season, some Of whom were never
called on to play. The men In my
bunch that did the work were Corcor-
an, Goldsmith and Clarkson, pitchers;
Flint and Kelly, catchers; Arson, first
base; Pfeffer second base; William
son, third base; Burns, shortstop; and
Dalrymple, Gore. Kelly and Sunday in
the outfield.
Well, 1t so happened-how I'll never
tell you-that we got started wrong
foot first. At the end of May we were
only in fifth place, Boston and Provi
dence being the leaders. BY the end
| of June we had not improved our po
siion and matters were beginning to
time the Providence boys were play
ing great ball. Radbourne, their pitch
err, was doing some tricks that were
sending his club to the top, and 1t
looked sure thing for Providence If
he could keep the pace. In September
and October the Chicago folks rallied
little, but, although we won every
the best we could do was to beat New
| York for fourth place. 1t was a con-
ISOLATION to have Providence jump in
ahead of Boston, but you are perfect
| ly correct in supposing that the posi-
| ton occupied by my club at the close
of business did not satisfy A. c. An
son.
realized that some changes In our
makeup was necessary. 1t was one
of the hardest duties had to per-
form, this wedding out of material
that was no longer up to the mark, a
job never got entirely hardened to.
Larry Corcoran, who had done such
splendid service for US, was on to the
fact that his pitching days were about
over, asked for his release and got It.
Goldsmith had not been doing work
OF the first class and he was also sent
out into the cold world. Clarkson and
Mccormick, who had played with
Cleveland the previous year. and who
knew how to rattle the batsmen. were
signed as pitchers. I didn't see how
could improve on the rest OF the
makeup and 1 didn't try to.
During the winter of this year the
league got into lively shindy right
under its own roof The deserving st
Louis club, of which Mr.. Lucas had
been president, was taken back as a
penitent, and President Mills was sc
riled over the matter that he resigned
The three offices Of president, secre
tary and treasurer were turned over
to Nicholas q. Young
(To be Continued.)
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