Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1911-07-06

good bali playing. / am compelled to
admit that, even if we didn't carry off
the pennant.
The campaign opened the last OF
April and at the end of the first month
Detroit was in the lead, with Boston
a good second My team didn't get
beyond fifth place until June At the
close of that month we had stepped
up one place, Detroit, Boston and
New York still in advance. Our bows
were playing mighty good game al
that time and our chances for t,,A
championship We're not SO very slim.
During all the month of July We
climbed steadily up the ladder, and
September 1 found us in second r;acc.
within striking distance of Detroit.
BY the last week of August CHICAGO
and Detroit We're tied in the matter
of games won AT that time it was
anybody's race as far as the two lead
ers were concerned
The middle of September told a
different tale. Detroit secured win.
ming lead and after that all the inter-
est centcred in the scramble for sec
oad place, between Chicago, Philadel-
phfa and New York. BY the end Of
that month New York was out of the
fight and we We're left to wrestle with
the Quaker City team. When it came
to fall the latter was on top.
Then the victorious Detroits sailed
in and didn what we failed to accom-
plish the previous season-they beat
the ST. Louis Browns by one game in
the series for the worlds champion
ship that was played after the close
Of the regular league season. Maybe
you think that was an easy pill for us
to swallow!
The attendance everywhere that
season was enormous, the capacity of
the biggest grounds all over the coun-
try being taxed to the utmost All the
clubs made money, even those that
didn't make much Of a show. All the
clubs woke up to the fact that base
ball had become one of the important
industries of the country, and from
that time to this day the business fea-
lures of the game have played a ma
jor role.
Early in the spring of 1888 the man
ayers of the Chicago club made an
other big sale and pocketed a check
for $4,000 for the release of John
Clarkson, a man who had more than
once pitched the White Stockings to
victory. Personally, it was like pull
IN ho1
come to look on him as a necessity
almost, and it seemed as if hole had
been made in the organization that
would be mighty difficult to fill. But
the Boston folks were determined to
get that pennant if they had to spend
all their earnings In the business.
They realized that Mike Kelly alone
couldn't do the trick, and they were
willing to help him out.
Of course, this sale had the effect
of knocking the bottom out of our
reputation as topnotchers. Those who
had been our antagonists in SO many
hard fights began the season with the
notion that we would be dead easy
now that two of our bright and shin
| ing lights We're no longer with US, and
| there was more or less rejoicing
| throughout the league. 1t didn't take
| very long for us to demonstrate the
| fact that the spark of life was still
| Pickering in our midst. We were in
it, very much in it, from start to fin
ish, and at the close of the season we
had scared to second place, New York
being at the top. Again Boston had
failed to make good in spite of her big
plunge for the championship The best
Mike and John could do for their new
bosses was to put the club in fourth
| place.
For the first time In several years
averages, with .343 to my credit, a
single point more than Beckley of Pitts
burg. The preceding season l had
| stood second on the list with a per
centage of .421.
Some time before this season was
over l had become interested finan-
cially and otherwise in scheme to
take the Chicago team and another
| picked nine from among the best
league players on an exhibition tour
to Australia and New Zealand A. G..
Spalding was first to suggest the mat
ter to me, and from the start it ap-
| pealed strongly to my love of adven-
ture. Mr.. Spalding looked into the plan
very critically from business point
of view, and the more he studied it
| the better 1t seemed to him. Finally
we agreed to go into 1t, and after the
matter was decided | could hardly
wait for the time to come. The man
agement of the trip and all the de-
tails fell to Mr.. Spalding and Leigh
S. Lynch, who had been in Australia
in connection with the theatrical bust
ness and had wide acquaintance in
he antinadac In ICahrllary Mr. l ynch