Norwich bulletin., 1917-12-17
PHILADELPHIA FANS RILED
 AT SALE OF ALEXANDER
Charles Weeshman Has Another Big
 Surprise in the Works. According to Reports.

Quaker Cly fanatics are falflY frothing a: the mouth today follow
 ing the announcement that. President William r. Baker of the Phillies had sold Pitcher Grover Alexander and
 Catcher Fill Kiliifer 70 the Chicago
 Cubs for consideration not stated
 but believed to be in the neishborhood of $50, ,000. Philadelphia sporting writ CTS who went to New York to re- port the National League meeting were dumfounded when informed of the completion of the deal, but soon emerged from their joint trance to
 pen bitter denunciations of the trans action.
 One of them offered to bet Presi- dent Baker that his club would finish seventh or worse next season-and the money. he flashed is still uncov- cred. All the others eoneurred in the belief that the Philadelphia mogul had completely ruined his ball club, and it is ,iot known, or even suspect ed. that any of them felt the slightest hesitancy about impacting this notion to his readers. The hostility toward all things bearing the Athletic label that developed in Philadelphia when Connie Mack deliberately dismantled his s7old penHant-winninG machine few years ago was mild as compared with what is now in store for William r. Baker and his club
 The completion of the deal the most notable engineered in either of the major leagues since Mack sent SO1shtS Io ChlcdSOs lOOk LHe entire
 baseball world by surprise. Some of the newspaper men had been eau
 tiosied to stick around for some thing big to Fbreak'' but none ex- such a caIihre. The negotiations pre- cediu2 the sale were conducted so
 quietly that none of the other six
 club owners had even an inkling of
 what w2s on until after the transfer had been effected.
 The opiuions thev expressed after
 they had been convinced that Baker had really dispoced of the National Leagues ranking battery were wide
 fence. e. thought the deal would l's be ena a good one for both sides" some agreed with the Philadelphia. writers that Bal<e2 had ruined his outfit as a potential reInant contender in 1918 iclanp. declared that he'd hate to think of returning to Cincinnati after ped dIiT.a- two players Of Aieyander's and Ez5'ifer's class to a rival club. Al: agreed that the acquisition of Alexander ard Kiliifer elevates the Cubs to T pennant contender's class. Cn,. a few with notpriously strong pro-C.lh ieanings ,joined with Weegh-
 1an ma in ,o,aIs eiming L pennant naad for the flse addition :" of one more infielder and another hitting outfielder would make the Chicago combinati ton an ex- trenlelT- dangerous. rival Of~tF.e cham isioll Giants. Weeghrnan does not say that he Ias lines out for a sIugging picket-nan, but encourages the i'm pression that lie has at least one more surprise almost ready for sprfnging. Another point on which. all hantIs agreed was that the aconsum- maticn of the deal cannot fail to ben eft the National League as a whole 'sNo transa ction of tine proportions of tkis one ever failed to be 8 great thing for the 2:ssfse," said one d-tiner in bacebatL z s"It <tirs up talk. creates or r,ssstve&e interest not only at home but abroad, fta-id makes keener competi- the number Of really formidable con- tenders.
 This aee! will unqnestionabfy act as a depressant in Philadelphia. The Quaker fanatics will quite naturally resent the sale of the stars who were so largely responsible for their clubs suciesses ii:, recent years. and may probably w;lIzmake tkeir displeasure felt in the box offie. But consider, on the other hand the effect upon Chicago and the league as a whole. "Ry this one stroke Weeghman has created a following tlrstt he could not otherwise have gained save through long years of hard and unremitting toil. He told his patrons that he would buy 8 winning ball club if money could buy one. He has made good on that promise, and if you don't believe the fans appreciate this sort of thing you don't realize what hold Charley Comiskey has on his sec ton of Chicago"