The squabble which has disgraced the close of the New York Interscholastic baseball season was as undignified as it was unnecessary, and it has surely brought no credit to the Harvard School or to any of its athletic authorities. Knowing, as it seems they all did, that Ehrich was absolutely and unequivocally disqualified from competing in sports held under the rules of the N.Y.I.S.A.A., he was nevertheless put in to catch in the most important game of the season. Zizinia, the captain of the Harvard team, had been advised to substitute Dillenback if Ehrich was protested on the field, but for some unexplained reason, when De La Salle did protest him, he was nevertheless allowed to play. This was a bit of gross misjudgment, to say the least, and has resulted in Harvard losing the pennant, which might have been won with Dillenback behind the bat. By pursuing this course, Harvard School not only allowed an inferior team to represent the N.Y.I.S.B.B. League at Eastern Park on June 8th, thus doing an injustice to the entire association, but made itself liable to expulsion and disgrace, which will probably only be avoided because of the personal friendship of the League delegates for the Harvard representatives. As for the unsportsmanlike spirit of the whole performance, perhaps the less said about it the better.
The De La Salle nine is, no doubt, inferior both in fielding and batting qualities to the Harvard team, but I do not believe that the latter would have made a much better showing against the strong men from Garden City had they met them. These are baseball-players, and no mistake; and they worked just as hard all through the game with De La Salle as if they were not having a "merry-go-round," as their rooters constantly exclaimed. It certainly was a merry-go-round, and all the mirth was on the St. Paul side of the fence, for a poorer exhibition of baseball-playing has doubtless seldom been seen at Eastern Park than the game put up by the representatives of the New York Association. The out-fielders could not judge the easiest of flies, and dropped almost every ball that they did manage to get their hands on, and the in-fielders were not much better. To any one who saw the game, or who was acquainted with the record of the St. Paul nine, it was not surprising that the Garden City players piled up thirty-five runs to their opponents' one, or that they made twenty-six base hits, with six home runs.
Baker, Howard, Foster, Henderson, Goldsborough Robinson, Hill.
3d b. sub. 2d b. coach. r.f. sub. sub.
Hall, p. Lum, l.f. and capt. S. M. Starr, c. E. Starr, 1st b.
Mortimer, s.s. Flippen, c.f.
ST. PAUL'S, GARDEN CITY, BASEBALL NINE.
Winners of the Inter-City Championship, Eastern Park, Brooklyn, June 8, 1895.
The St. Paul nine have played thirteen games this season, and have not suffered a single defeat. They have scored 179 runs to their opponents' 51; they have made 192 hits to their opponents' 69; and they have committed only 54 errors to their opponents' 84. Their batting and fielding averages reckon up as follows:
| Batting. | Fielding. | |
| Hall, p. | .407 | .915 |
| S. Starr, c. | .371 | .937 |
| E. Starr, 1 b. | .393 | .948 |
| Foster, 2 b. | .375 | .893 |
| Baker, 3 b. | .375 | .714 |
| Mortimer, s. s. | .333 | .709 |
| Lum, l. f. | .360 | .923 |
| Flippen, c. f. | .339 | .813 |
| Goldsborough, r. f. | .378 | .900 |
It is evident from the above that St. Paul had a hard-hitting team, and I have no doubt the fielding averages—especially of Baker, Flippen, and Foster—would have been higher if the men had tried to make records rather than to accept every chance that came their way. Hall's pitching throughout the season has been up to a high standard, and his fielding has been excellent. In one game he had thirteen fielding chances, which he accepted without making an error. Foster, too, has done well, and has spoiled many an apparent base hit. Next year the managers of this nine should seek games with stronger teams than can be found in either the New York or the Long Island leagues. I should like to see them play Andover or Lawrenceville. The latter claim they cannot find opponents worthy of them outside the colleges. Perhaps Garden City can give them good practice.
