"Any player who shall be in any way interested in any bet or wager on the game in which he takes part, either as a player, umpire, or scorer, shall be suspended from legal service as a member of any professional Association club for the season during which he shall have violated this rule."
The question is, Why was this important and much-needed rule taken from the code?
No player can play ball as he should do who is personally interested in any bet on the content he is engaged in; that is a fact too true to be contradicted. Independent of this fact, too. Experience has plainly shown that the step of betting on a game he plays in is but a short one from accepting bribes to lose a game. The rule should long ago have been replaced in the code.
The Cleveland Leader says: "The patrons of the game have begun to realize the true inwardness of scientific batting, as shown in the securing of single bases by well-timed place hits, safe taps of swiftly-pitched balls to short outfield, and skilful efforts in sacrifice hitting and bunting, every such hit forwarding a run or sending a run in. Of course, to occupants of the bleaching boards, as a rule, the great attraction is the long hit for a home run, which is made at the cost of a 120-yards sprint, and at the loss of all chances for skilful fielding. But to the best judges of scientific batting the safe tap of the swiftly pitched ball, the well-judged bunt or the effort to make a safe hit to right field, which, if it fails, at least yields a sacrifice hit, is far more attractive than the old rut of slugging for home runs and making fungo hits to the outfielders."
There is something to fight for in the winning of a State league's championship honors, while there is little or nothing at stake in a trio or duo State league. Suppose each State had a four or six club circuit, and at the close of its season, each August or September, what a paying series of October games could be arranged in the Southern section of the country in October for a grand championship series for the prize of leading all the State leagues of the country for the honors of the champion pennant of State league organizations? By all means let State leagues be organized, until every State in the Union—North, South, East and West—has its representative State league.
The fickle nature of base ball "rooters" was conspicuously shown at the Polo Grounds in 1894. At the end of the June campaign, when the New York "Giants" stood sixth in the race, Ward's stock among the local "cranks" and "rooters," stood below par; at the close of the July campaign, however, that same stock was at a premium; and yet it was the same John M. Ward at the head of the "Giants." In May there were "none so poor to do him reverence." In August, John was carried off the field a hero. Of such are the "cranks" and "rooters."
A Toronto paper says: "Spalding Brothers will present to the champion club of all regularly organized base ball leagues, junior or senior, in Canada, a valuable flag, 11x28, pennant shaped, made of serviceable white bunting, red lettered, and valued at $20. The flags will be forwarded, duty free, immediately after the season closes. Each league must consist of four or more clubs, and each club must play not less than 12 championship games." This is a good plan to encourage the game on foreign soil. It has worked well in England and Australia, too.
Among the magnates of the League who could be seen at nearly all of the home games of the twelve clubs during the past season were the Boston triumvirate, Messrs. Soden, Conant and Billings; the irrepressible Charley Byrne, of Brooklyn; the handsome Vonderhorst, of Baltimore; the smiling Eddie Talcott, of New York; the noted "Philadelphia lawyer" Rogers, of Philadelphia; the "Boss Manager" Von der Ahe, of St. Louis; the energetic Kerr, of Pittsburgh, and Al Spalding's successor, President Hart, of Chicago.
The Louisville team was a strong one as regards its individual players. But it lacked harmony in its ranks and suffered from cliques. With two ex-captains in its team, besides the one who ran it, but little else could be expected. Ambitious ex-captains are obstacles in the way of successful management of a team. One regular captain should be the rule, with an acknowledged lieutenant—a pair like Comiskey and Latham, who worked the old St. Louis "Browns" up to being four-time winners of pennant honors.
It is a noteworthy fact that Anson has been manager and captain of the Chicago club's teams since 1877, and from that year to this he has taken his team to the goal of the championship five years of the six the club won the pennant, A.G. Spalding being the manager in 1876, the first year the club won the honors. Fifteen successive years of management in one club beats the League's records in that respect.