The Following Paragraph, Published In The New York Clipper Of February
5, 1895, Tells A Quiet Little Story Well Worthy Of Record In The Guide:
"A.G. Spalding, Of The Chicago Club, Was Asked How So Much Stock Of The
New York Club Came To Be Owned By Outside Parties, And He Said: 'well, I
Will Tell You. During The Troublous Brotherhood Times Of 1890, Along In
July, I Think, I Was Suddenly Summoned To New York. I Went Direct To
Mr. Abell's House, By Request, Entirely Oblivious Of The Object Of The
Sudden Call, And There Met Soden Of Boston, Reach Of Philadelphia, Byrne
Of Brooklyn, Brush Of Indianapolis, And One Or Two Others. There We
Received The Pleasant Information From John B. Day That The New York
Club Was Financially At The End Of Its Rope, And Must Have Immediate
Assistance. Imagine Our Surprise When We Were Told That The Club Must
Have $80,000 At Once To Carry It Through The Season, Or The New York
Club Must Give Up Its End Of The Fight. When We Had Collected Our
Senses Sufficiently To Speak, It Was The General Opinion That If The New
York Club Failed At That Stage Of The Game, The Fight With The
Brotherhood Was Lost, And The Future Of The Old National League Was, To
Say The Least, Uncertain; So It Was Finally Decided That We Must Save
The New York Club At All Hazards, And Before We Separated That Night I
Agreed To Provide $20,000, Soden And Brush Came Forward With Similar
Amounts, And The Balance Was Taken By Reach, Abell And One Or Two
Others, As I Remember. It Was Pretty Costly, But That Prompt Act Saved
The National League, And, By Saving It, The Future Of Professional Base
Ball In This Country Was, In My Opinion, Also Saved. This Will Explain
How I First Became Interested In The New York Club, And, As A Result,
Find Myself Criticised For Ever Being Permitted To Hold Any Of The
Stock. Of This $20,000 Stock Alloted To Chicago, Anson Took And Paid
Cash For $5,000, Another Chicago Gentleman Took $5,000, My Brother
Walter $5,000 And Myself $5,000. Afterward I Sold Or Practically Gave My
Stock To My Brother, And I Think He Picked Up Some More While He Was A
Director Of The Club. That Brotherhood Fight Was A Great Fight, And One
That Will Probably Never Be Duplicated. The Real Inside History Of That
Struggle, And Its Final Settlement, Was Never Written, But If It Ever
Is, It Will Prove Quite Interesting, As Well As Quite A Surprise To The
Base Ball Men Of That Day. But Why Talk In This Strain Any Longer. You
Know I Am Out Of Active Base Ball, And These Reminiscences Simply
Emphasize The Fact That I Ought To Be Out Of It, For I Am Getting Too
Old.'"

What A Commentary On The Selfish Greed Of The Overpaid Star Players Of
The "Out-For-The-Stuff" Class Of The Professional Fraternity
Mr. Spalding's Account Of One Costly Result Of The Players' Revolt Of
1890 The Above Story Presents. It Also Tells The True Story Of How The
Above-Named Magnates Of The Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Brooklyn And
Indianapolis Clubs Of 1890 Came To Be Financially Interested In The New
York Club, Not For Profit, But To Save The Disruption Of The League.

* * * * *

The veteran Comiskey thus explains the difference in one special respect, between a seasoned player and a colt—and he is one who ought to know, you know. He said, in an interview: "No one appreciates the superiority of hustling, aggressive youngsters over the old standbys of the diamond more than I do. A seasoned player, as a rule, develops into a mechanical player who is always watching his averages and keeping tab on himself. While he may be too loyal to shirk, he will not take a chance which he is not compelled to. Especially is this true in running bases. How many of these old players will slide or go into a bag when they are blocked off? Very few. On the other hand, a young player appreciates that he has to make a reputation, while the old player, who has one to protect, is in the business for a livelihood and nothing else. Popular applause has lost its favor for him, and, while it is not unwelcome, it does not stimulate him to renewed exertions as it did when he began his career. It is entirely different with the man who is trying to establish himself in the major league. An ambitious young player thinks that the game depends upon him, and is dead sure that every crank agrees with him. Give him a good send-off in the papers, or let his manager commend him for a creditable piece of work, and he will break his neck in his efforts to deserve another installment to-morrow. The public demands snappy ball, and the young players are the only ones who can serve up that article."

In his remarks, Comiskey furthermore said: "The good effect of a manager's or captain's praise of a 'colt' is surprising. Both of these officials of the League clubs, almost without exception, are apt to be silent as the grave when a player makes a good point or a fine stop or catch; but the moment he fails to make an almost impossible play then comes the ill-natured snarl or the rutty growl. Harry Wright stands out alone as the only manager or captain to encourage a player with praise."

* * * * *

A Philadelphia scribe, in commenting on the rowdy ball playing of 1894 in the League ranks, says: "We could fill pages with evidence of the rowdyism indulged in by the majority of the League teams during the season of 1894, and that, too, if we were only to confine ourselves to the local reports of the season at Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and half a dozen other cities." As the Cleveland Leader had it, in commenting upon one of the Baltimore-Cleveland games:

"I say it with reluctance—for I have always admired Ned Hanlon's pluck—that the national game never received so severe a set-back as it did during the last Baltimore series here. The effort to spike players, the constant flow of profanity and vulgarity, the incessant and idiotic abuse of an umpire, all combined to make the Baltimore club—that local people have been led to believe was made of a crowd of earnest, honest players—thoroughly despised and detested. In ten years' experience in scoring games in Cleveland I have never heard such a torrent of vulgarity, profanity and brutal, senseless abuse heaped upon an umpire as Lynch stood from the Baltimore players upon the field here."

Similar charges against visiting teams were made by the Pittsburgh people against the Cleveland team; by the Philadelphia scribes against the Bostons, etc. In fact, proof, and plenty of it, was easily attainable from the reports from every League city during 1894, to a more or less extent.

The question apropos to this comment is, "What are you going to do about it" in 1895, Messrs. Magnates?