-4^3*Lj,,-©-- ,1 $T?T iU»> DEVOTED TO BASE BALL, TRAP SHOOTING AND GENERAL SPORTS VOLUME 33, NO. 22. PHILADELPHIA, AUGUST 19, 1899. PRICE, FIVE CENTS: FOOD FOR THOUGHT COMING AND GOING. IN THE STRUGGLES OF THE MINORS K&LEIDOSCOPIC CHARGES IN THE FOR EXISTENCE. BIG LEAGUE. Laciol Interest and Attendance General Nearly All ol the Clubs Now Oat ol the in Minor Leagaa Circles, Though Race Preparing For the Annual Not Ailected by the Evils That Are Fall Trying-Out ol Promising Young Manilestly Catting np the Big League, Players to Infuse Needed Strength. There is no denying the fact that this has After wasting many spring seasons trying been a disastrous year for minor leagues. to get a line on promising players whom Every one of them has met with more they had purchased after the close of the or less trouble. Some of them have gone previous season the National League mag under, while others are apparently strug nates finally have dropped to the fact that gling in their death throes. First the there is but one time in which the strength Southern League disbanded, to be soon fol of a young player can be ascertained to a lowed by the Texas League. Some time certainty, and that is when the season is ago the Western Association collapsed. well under way, and especially in the latter People who knew correctly of its make-up half of the year. were not surprised at its downfall. But IN GREAT DEMAND. the difficulties that have beset the path of More minor league players have been pur the Atlantic League have been such as to chased up to .date than ever before at this astonish the patrons of the game in this time of year. Some of them will join the section. It has made a game fight, and at clubs that have purchased them at the same time has been well looked after, puce. Most of the others will come but it could not withstand the pressure Ir.to the big League and receive a of poor attendance and excessive expendi thorough trial as soon as the sea- tures. Now the New England League, once soi. in the various minor leagues such a flourishing organization, has prac closes. This means that the youngsters tically broken up, lasting but a little longer will have from one to two months to dem than last year. onstrate whether they are fit for fast com The great cause of the troubles of the pany or not. As all of them are in the leagues in question has been lack of pa best possible playing form at this time the tronage. The ball played by them has been test of their ability will be a fair one, and. up to any previous standard, and the gen they will stand or fall by their showing. eral arrangements have been just as good VALE. THE OLD GUARD as ever. In view of these truths it must More old-timers have fallen by the way now be admitted that the public is not so side this season than in many years. Men anxious about the national game as for who have been in the big League for years merly. That is the only apparent reason and others of a younger generation, who for the decline of the little leagues. The were believed to be fixtures have been attendance at the Western League games compelled to step down and out of the big has been far short of expectations, and Manager-Captain OliYer Tebean, ol St, Louis, organization to make room for the appar there has had to be a shift there. Even ently increasing crop of young bloods. The the Interstate League, that stood the test list of veterans who have taken to tall last year nobly, has had to make a change timber is a long one. Of the pitchers in or two during the season. So that it is ab this list who have solutely safe to come to the conclusion the M©GRAW©S METHOD. NOTHING PROVED. WON FAME game is not as popular among the masses In the big League may be mentioned Orth, this year as it was two or three years ago. The Little Baltimore Manager Makes Arguments Either For or Against Rhines, Stivetts, Killeu, Zeke Wilson, Dwver, Hill. Hart, Kusie and one or two a Kecordi in the Matter of Walks Bunting and Sacrificing Find others. Of catchers that have been let MOURNFUL MILWAUKEE to First Base. Abundant Material This Season. out Clements. Vaughn and Grim are the Manager McGraw, of the Orioles, has Advocates and decriers of the built hit most prominent. The list of inflelders in made a record this season never before will find little material for argument in the cludes McKean. Hallman, Bill Joyce, Bill Happy Now to Win Two Games in equaled in the annals of the game. Sev records of this season. The Louisville Club, Clark, of Pittsburg; Decker, Harry Davis, Five Only Three Pitchers Avail eral times, a month or so earlier in the with its bunch of .SOO hitters, leads the Hartman and Jack Crooks. The slaughtj? able Now For Duty. season, the fact that he had reached his base League in sacrifice hitting, yet with its double of the outfielders has been less fierce, Mike Milwaukee, Aug. 13. Editor "Sporting. at least once in every game of the season record for good stick work fails to make much Tiernan and Jake Stenzel being the only except one was referred to in the Baltimore of a showing in the race, being somewhere in guardians of the outer gardens to feel the Life:" Connie Mack and his tribe of "Sun" us something unprecedented. In the is the vicinity of the tail end of^the procession. "Brewers" left on a trip to St. Paul swing of the headsman©s axe as far us their sue of July 7 of that paper it was shown that THE OTHER EXTREME. careers in the National League are con and Minneapolis on Monday last he© had ©"©The Washington team, on the other hand, has and ;to date have played five games, of which REACHED FIRST BASE cerned. two; have been wou, and considering that he made less sacrifice hits than any team in the THE TURNING DOWN has on an average of twice out of every three times League, is not quite so strong in batting as the of so many of the old guard means an ex- he had faced the Ditcher to bat. and It was Colonels, and is next but one below them in traordiuarv influx of new blood into the ONLY THREE PITCHERS shown that his very remarkable skill in get the race for the pennant. This would indicate with him this is not sucn a bad showing. Rett- ting his base on called balls had enabled him that sacrifice hitting may have been the cause League next season. This is further evi ger was left at home, as his finger was not to get to first base some 65 times in the first of the Colonels having a hunch over the Sena denced by the fact that although the draft well enough to take any chances on. and pitcher 64 games. Since I©nat time and up to Saturday. tors, or might be construed into evidence that ing season is still two months distant most Billy Hart having been released, left only Reidy. Aug. 12. Manager McGraw has not failed to the lack of practice of the sacrifice on the part of the promising players in the various Hustiug and Check to do the twirling. Hart©s reach first base at least once in every game. of the Senators did not prove a handicap to minor leagues have been disposed of. Nest release was not unexpected, so when it came it HIS RECORD. season promises to introduce more unde caused little surprise. Hart did good work, but them. could not. win. Either the team did not hit therefore, is 95 games, in 94 of which he has THE FACT OF THE MATTER veloped talent into the big League than behind him, of if they did the opposing team managed to get to first base at Hast once and Is that too much sacrifice hitting is as detrimen ever before made its debut. © hit enough harder to win. His record I think is usually ofteuer. In the last 31 games up to tal to a team as not enough of it. The sacrifice (our games won out of 21 pitched. Saturday McGraw bad gotten 35 bases on balls hit should be used judiciously and at unexpected A MAN OF PEACE. BARNSTORMING. and been hit three times, a total of 08 passes. times. McGraw, of tne Baitimores. frequently Commencing with to-morrow the "Brewers" As be had previously gotten 65 bases on balls uses it. but fails to let the opposing players How Griffith Would Enforce Discip will do a little barnstorming as follows: Aug. and been hit five times, his total of free passes, know that he intends to dump the ball. That 14, La Crosse; 15. Watettown: 16. Janesville; secured from opposing pitchers, mounts up to the is the reason he has no actual sacrifice hits to line in a Ball Team. 17. Sheboygan. and 18, Jefferson, opening on the imposing total of 10S in 95 games. .This is a his credit this year, although he has on many In one of bis philosophical moods the other loth inst. with the Eastern clubs for the last record in itself never before equaled.