The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-02-01
UY Gus MALDIcKT.

Jake Wells, whose baseball days are
not so far behind him but that he
knows q thing or two about the game,
is one of the men who doesn't see IL
chance for tho Federal League. Talk
Ing baseball is not Jake Wells's main
business these days: lie has other
lamps to trim. but ne has not outgrown
n flaming bee by some sixty or seventy
years.
Caught In Il plastic condition, he
managed to forget his thousand or so
theatres and drift into those other days
when the nearest lie got to the glldcd
palaces of enjoyment was the outside
Of the box Office. Jake Wells comes
about as near being u wcllrounded cx-
pert on baseball affairs us any man in
this country. He has watched the
game from every one of its angles
has been player, manager, owner and
executive head Of Il league. therefore
he is entitled to more than passing
consideration.
Not only all OF that. but az executive
head OF the Virginia League he piloted
that organization through rather
storm tossed waters, and left his craft
in the oting. riding easily upon waters
oiled through his clear and business
like conception of affairs. They all
made money when Jake Wells was
steering, but since thcn--howcver. Jake
Wells is about To talk about the Fed
eral League:
Some "Reminiscences.
Remember the days of the brother
hood?" which Is about the usual way
the men OF the many yesterdays begin
shifting around the Feds. "Remembc
those days? Recollect how the entire
New York club, including batboys and
'parkkeepers all dropped out overnight
and Joined the new organization that
WAS TO make millionaires out of aver
n
have the magnates begging for the
leavings and there weren't going to
be any lenvings.
II recall those days" with rem
iniscent twist-he was part Of them,
gentle reader. Indeed. j remember
them Why couldn't have been
bought then for all the gold that they
say King Solomon brought over for
the Temple OF Jerusalem. and from all
accounts that was considerable gold.
had visions OF coronet, a coat Of
arms and several other ornamental but
useless things that money could buy
! was even practicing n patronizing aid
I was TO assume when l met Jay Could
or when he called on me And | was
just one of the average individuals,
just one of the hundreds OF fanciful
youngsters who saw In the Brother
hood golconda, another country whose
streets were TO he paved with gold
ANA like the rest ] paid for II. It
began gloriously enough. and then
somebody with real sharp needle
found the weak place in the bubble
and, poof. there wasn't any more
brotherhood than we could carry in
our bat bags.
The time wasn't ripe, there wasn't
enough money, and. If must confess
IT. there wasn't enough stability among
the players to put across The Brother
hood. We lacked everything. and on
top % IL all was the petty jcalousies
existing We lacked. 10 put 1t plain
", executive ability. organization and.
above everything. capital. though l
question whether II would have been a
succcgs even had the capital been pres
ent. 1t simply was that time wasn't
right for another big league
Going In Cost Money.
The Federal League is going 10
cost organized baseball! a pretty penny.
II is going temporarily 10 help the
players, but right now I have no idea