THE SCBJLNTON TBIBTrNB WEDNESDAY 3IOENTNO, XPKTL 15, -1898.
SeRANTON ' AND THE ".EASTERN LEAGUE RACE
Sketches of . the . Prospective Players and -Comment on. the Chub's Chances in the Struggle.
Something of Interest -for Non-Cranks.
.
QTASIES MAGUIRB,
Third Base.
s
Whatever, kind of a practice season
collection of players this city has had
In past years, there Is a rare selec
tion to .choose-from this year from
( among ?9C stock which played for
Scranton or In other professional com
pany or with semi-professional and
amateur clubs. Their pictures and rec
ords, are given Qn this .page. .
' Manager M. H. McDermott possesses
a record as a pennant winner that has
not been excelled and Is equaled only
by Anson, of Chicago, and Seles, of Bos
ton. The feat' of the three was in man-
aging clubs which won pennants for
three consecutive seasons. McDer
mott's record was made with the Fall
Rivers of the New England league. He
Is but thirty-four years old and was
born and raised In the Massachusetts
town whose club he managed Into the
three successive championships. In ad
dition to his experience as a manager,
McDermott has had the benefit of a
long experience as a player, which gave
him a valuable insight Into and prac
tical knowledge of the game. When 20
years of age he began his career as a
player and pitched for the following
clubs: 1884, Milwaukee: 1885, New
buryport, Mass.; 1886, Poughkeepsie;
1887-8, Manchester, N. H.; 1889, Auburn,
N. Y., and Louisville: 1890, Jersey City.
In 1891 he found his arm was weak and
he took a year's rest, and In 1892 pitched
for Jacksonville, III. He managed the
Fall River champions during 1893, 1891
and 1895. . He strictly abstains from the
use of tobacco and Intoxicants and care
fully watches the use of narcotics and
stimulants by his players. His peculiar
success as a winning manager has been
attributed to his good Judgment and
r FRANK O. WARD,
' t k : : Second Base.
practical, methods rather than to "sys
tems" or' theoretical playing.
Pat Meaney was last year probably
the most popular player on the team.
He ranked ninth in the league in hit
ting, was fourth in fielding among
thirty-six outfielders and can pitch a
- winning game If not used too fre
quently in the box. Notwithstanding
- his value, he was somehow missed by
the National league draft. He was
purchased from Harrlsburg with Peter
Eagan and Huston on June 13 of last
year. Meaney's success with Scranton
did not serve to make him vain; on the
contrary, he remained the same mod
est, clever and honest little player as
before, and this deportment probably
accounts for his great popularity. He
will be played In the outfield and put
into the box In any emergency.
Meaney's home Is in Philadelphia,
Frank O. Ward, second baseman,
was one of the unique characters of the
9Meam, but, what is betterjje Tanked
Second' among the Eastern league
batsmen at the close of the first half of
the season and stood sixth when the
season ended. Considering the many
trials of Scranton's players last year
Ward's batting record is better, com
paratively, than that of the players
who. excelled him with the stick. For
- the same reason his fielding rank as
Sixth' among the fourteen second base
men Is a very creditable showing. He
knows every trick and subterfuge of
the game, but has never been accused
of being vicious. He will weigh about
185 pounds In mid-season, but Is one of
the fastest men In the business on the
bases and slides after a fashion that
brings aeugnt to tne rooter. As . a
coacher he is equalled only by Tommy
Johnson. Ward was born thirty-one
years ago in unamoersburg, fa., and
in his youth was a railroad brakeman.
His present home is in Altoona, where
during the winters he works in a pro
duce market. He played first base for
-,'. - H'L. BRADtBT, "A -
I Johnstown In 18ST and later played at
second as follows: Shenandoah and Al-
lentown. Ires; New Orleans, issv; uai
veston and Spokane. 1890; Sacramento
and Minneapolis, 1891; Milwaukee ana
Baltimore. 1892. In 1893 he played
right field for Baltimore and Cincin
nati and in 1S94 he covered second base
for Washington.
Thos. Q. Johnson Is one of Scranton'
'95 pitchers, and one who Is relied upon
to do much of the team's most effective
box work this year. He had a fielding
rank of ninth among thirty of the East
ern league twiners and In batting
ranked above twelve of the thirty.
He vies with Ward for coaching hon
ors and when on the lines Is a terror to
nervous pitchers. . He is one of the
young contingent, but gave such prom
ise last year that Chicago and Pitts
burg fished for him during the middle
of the season. He was born and raised
nl San Francisco, where he works at his
trade of boiler-making during the win
ter. He pitched the shortest nlne-la-nlng
game on record for Oakland
against San Francisco In 1893; the score
was 1-0 In favor of Oakland, and lasted
only forty-three minutes. He pitched
for the Marinettes of the Wisconsin
league In 1892; for the Balems (Oregon),
1893; for tht Lincoln (Neb.), 1894.
Richard P. Brown, of Baltimore. Is
one of -the eight pitching candidates
who Is certain of being retained. Last
season he had a misunderstanding
with Barnie and took' French leave to
go into the Cumberland Valley league,
whehe he pitched marvelous ball for
Chatnbersburg. Brown Is a left-hander
and was born twenty-four years ago
In Baltimore and In 1893 and 1894 occu
pied a regular position In the pitching
department of the Orioles. He is
speedy and has a choice assortment of
curves. It is believed that he will prove
one of the most effective of this year's
contingent of Eastern league pitchers.
John Horner has been so certainly
selected for the pitching corps which
will-begin with the club when the regu
lar season opens that he will not ac-
'RICHARD P. ; BROWN,
mcner, .
company the team on tre practice trip,
sot will be left in Scranton wt" Brown
to get In good physical condit. He
tvas a Baltimore experiment durli..
practice season of last year and V.
"farmed" to Atlanta, of the Souther...
league. That club won the champion
ship and Horner was purchased by Mc
Dermott from Baltimore. He Is said
to be one of the most promising pitch
ers of last year's minor league corps.
Atlanta Is his home. He ranked ninth
among twenty-five pitchers and had a
batting average of .278 in the Southern
league.
Pete Satan, last year's left fielder.
will probably be retained. He Is one of
the quietest men in the business, is fast
in the field and on the bases and last
-JOHN HORNERr-
i'ltcner.
year had a batting average of .304. He
lives in West Troy. .
Edward Rafferty caught last year for
Gloversvllle, in the New York State
league. He was the' best backstop In
that league and is said to have throw
ing and hitting ability which will make
htm a valuable man to Scranton.
Charles H.Flack, right fielder, ranked
eighteenth among forty fielders In the
New England league last year. His
batting average was .263. He played
with Lowell In 1893 and with Portland
In 1894. From his practice work here it
might be reasonably Inferred that he
stands a fair chance of an engagement.
John' Hess, Scranton's backstop, will
be especially valuable because of his
hitting. It has been Incorrectly stated
rBTBR EAQAN, .
V Lift Field.
r
that his arm is gone. During his sev
eral weeks of recent outdoer and Indoor
practice he has given no Indication of
such weakness; on the contrary he ap
pears destined to be one of the strong
est players on the team. He had a con
ditional contract with Carbondalo last
year or Scranton would not have been
able to obtain him. He ranked thjf
In the State league In hitting and. was
third In fielding among the catchiv.
A. M. 'stemmell, pitcher, had his
first professional engagement last year
with Chambersburg, of the Cumber
land Valley league. In Monday's game
with the Young Men's Christian asso
ciation there was nothing to Indicate
that his chances for being retained
were not favorable. The opposite was
really the case. He is a fast runner
and Is said to hit better than the aver
age pitcher. His home Is In Woodsbor
ough, Md.
Pierce Chiles, who has been signed as
an extra tnflelder, will be played on
first base If Power falls to materialize.
JOHN HESS,
Catcher.
Chiles Is a big but active fellow and a
heavy hitter. He played second base
on the St. Joseph, Mo., team of the
Western association In 1894 and filled
the same position with Galveston, of
the Texas league, last year. He was
second In the league In batting with
an average of .441, and In tMdlng
ranked eleventh among twenty-five
second basemen.
George W. Getts, of Waterloo, Ind.,
Is a semi-professional pitcher. Little
or nothing is known of his
ability, although on Monday R5
lie piiuneu iivtr iiiiiiuKn lur
the Young Men's Christian
association against his pro
fessional brethren and did
well, considering he had not
had a day's training or prac
tice. Edward Sweeney, of Brook
lyn, who has been signed as
an extra Inflelder, Is an un
known quantity. He played
semi-professional ball last
season with the Bay Ridge
team, of the City of Churches,
and among the amateurs was
considered a fast shortstop,
and a fair hitter.
John Cronln. of West New
Brighton, Staten Island, is
one of the octette of trial
pitchers. He was with the
Brooklyns for two months
last year and was then re
leased. - He pitched for semi
professional clubs during the
remainder of the season.
Cronln is a strapping, pleas
faced fellow and Is touted to
be handy with the stick.
James" Maguire, who has
been signed fcr third base,
seems likely to be perman
ently engaged. In that posi
tion last year for Amster
dam, of the New York State
league, he outranked all of his
competitors in fielding and
was a noted run-getter.
Trenton, N. J., Is his home.
L
Dan Mullarkey last year
pitched for semi-professional kSS5$S
teams in Eastern onio ana
Western Pennsylvania. His home Is
Cold Spring, O.
William Heller, of Fort Wayne, Ind.,
last year In the Michigan league, had
his first professional experience. He
made geod fielding and hitting aver
ages and showed himself to be active
and speedy.
Edward Herr, a candidate for pitch
ing honors, is also a one-year profes
sional. He pitched lost season with the
Norwalks of the Virginia league. St.
EDWARD HERR,
Pitcher.
Louis is his home. He is a large man
and a good sticker.
E. L. Bradley last year played right
field for the Richmond champions of
the Virginia league. His home is in
that city.
s
The opinions of sporting writers of
the Eastern league circuit have not
materially changed during the last few
weeks. As soon as spring weather
opened the newspapers of all the league
cities, excepting Scranton, Wilkes
Barre and Springfield, began tipping
their respective clubs as sure winner?.
The general opln'on was that Syracuse,
Providence, Springfield and Buffalo
'would .'finish In the first division and
that Scranton,'; Wllkes-Barre, Roehes
.ter and Toronto would be content to
tV.V nW.WWsT x a- m i.
''! q A if
WILLIAM HELLER,
Shortstop.
struggle against being last. It was al
most as generally predicted that Scran
ton was, on paper, about the weakest
club of the eight. Leaving Scranton
out of the consideration The Tribune
has contended that Toronto instead of
Buffalo should be included among the
four popularly supposed winners.
Of Scranton's chances we prefer not
to give any definite opinion until the
regular season has opened. From the
Individual records of the men we see
no reason for placing Scranton be
low the average duality of the eight
clubs. Including Power, who has not
yet signed, McDermott will have
twenty men including eight pitchers to
choose from at the close of twoweeks of
practice. Now, if It Is found In exhibi
tion games that mose of the unassigned
players are suited for only one or two
positions and the other places in the
field have to go begging for occupants,
then It would be reasonable to view
Scranton's chances as unfavorable. But
If the candidates fit certain unfilled
positions, then the team can be judged
favorably and compared with the
others according to relative team work
and team strength. To make the point
plainer, Scranton's prospects are bright
it there are positions for the present ap
parently good material, but if the men
are assigned positions for which they
are not suited the result cannot be sat
Isfactory.
There are (wo Important conditions
In Scranton's favor. Base ball players
the country over are known to do phe
nomenal work for a manager who they
M. H. M'DERMOTT,
Manager.
believe Is a winner and in whom they
have confidence; and the same results
are obtained in cases where the finan
cial backing Is gilt-edged and the play
ers have the best of care and treatment.
Manager McDermott before coming to
Scranton was manager of the Fall Riv
ers, of the New England league, which
club has won the championship three
consecutive seasons, and the Scranton
owners are business and moneyed men
whose reputation Is more than local.
Under such encouraging surroundings,
the moral is self-suggestive.
For first base Power is sadly needed,
not so much on account of the position
Itself, -but -ewIngHo-the absence -of any
man who would make a fighting cap
tain. ; The players themselves want a
leader who will fight for victory up to
the last of the ninth Inning, and Power
is just that kind of a hair-pin. He is
quibbling for more salary than has
been offered hlm,but It is predicted
that ho will be seen in the first cham
pionship game. However, If It should
happen that he falls to come to terms,
Chiles will piny the position. He could
do it well as far as hitting and the
duties of the position are concerned,
but he does not compare with Power In
base ball knowledge and in the qual
ities which make a successful captain.
Ward will play second. Combining
his hitting, base running and fielding,
he was easily the leading second base
man In the league last year.
For third or short, Maguire, Heller
and Sweeney ,. and possibly Chiles, are
candidates. It looks as though Ma
guire would be chosen for one of the
positions and that the other rests be
tween Chiles and Heller.
JOHN cronin;
Pitcher. .
There are four candidates for the out
PeM, Mesney, Eagan. Bradley ani
Flack. Meaney Is certain to be chosen
and Eagan's chances for left field seem
good. In any event a choice among
Eagan. Bradley and Flack for the two
outfield vacancies would not be a mis
take, as they are all fast and sure.
The club seems bound to be especially
strong in its pitching department. So
much has been written of Johnson,
Brown and Horner, who will positively
begin the regular season, that further
comment is unnecessary. One, and pos
sibly two other, twlrlers will be select
ed from among Stemmell, Herr, Cro
nln and Getts. -
TIE LEAGUE'S
Of the other clubs lit the league, Syr
acuse and Toronto have been in prac
tice for ten days; Rochester, Buffalo,
EDWARD RAFFERTY, .
Catcher.
Springfield and Providence began In
earnest on Monday; Wllkes-Barre Is
ready. Scranton opens in New Haven
tomorrow.
No little Interest has been attached
to the work of Syracuse; not that
Kuntzsch's team was any more entitled
to consideration than the others, but
owing to the balooning that has been
given the club by the baseball writers
of Syracuse and other cities. This was
in part due to the presence on the team
of First Baseman Carey who played
with Baltimore last year, and Third
Baseman Charlie Rellly who was with
the Phillies. It was predicted that the
emu would be the fastest in
fielding In the league and if
Its hitting strength was a lit
tle better than ordinary Syr
anuse would get the pennant
without playing for It. For
over a week only one victory
had been won In the practice
games up to Tuesday. The
field work has been first class
but the batting has been
weak. The Syracuse Post
says Carey is not as handy
with the stick as was Power
who has not yet signed his
scranton contract. Except
ing ueianey, all of the Syra
cuse pitchers are unknown
quantities.
The Springfield champions
were supposed to have been
seriously weakened by the
loss of four of the best of
their number through the na
tional draft, but this view
cannot be accented as noslt
ive, excepting the position of
third and short. The club's
pitching corps Is very strong
and there is a great advan
tage In possessing so capable
and brainy a manager as Tom
Burns. The team's practice
schedule Is completely filled
up to May 1. Manager Burns,
In an interview with a corres
pondent, stated that although
he had sold several of his best
players, he has got others in
sight who are wonders. He
further said that his team
may not win the pennant, but
still he Is willing to wager
that they will finish no lower
than third. Burns expects
to attach a string to Qruber,
uiiDert ana scnemer.
Providence will have prae
tlcally the same make-ups which
made the Grays such a dangerous fac
tor last year. It Is denied thai
Pitcher Eagan has Jumped the
ciud or that he will play In
the Pennsylvania State league. The
other Providence pitchers are Hodson,
Ned Crane. Knorr. Kudderham and
Frlel, a strong contingent which alone
influences many in the belief that the
club has a chance equally as good as
some other teams to win the flag. Joe
Knight, Lyons and Murray will com
pose the strong outfield.
.. GEORGE W: GETTS,
, Pitcher.
Buffalo's, aggregation is similar to
that of Scranton's. The practice sea
son of the Bisons opened with only
two of last season's pitchers and five of
last year's infield and outfield. Pitch
ers' wadsworth and I-Ierndon are re
talned as are Leewe, ISottenuB. Wise,
Urquhart and Field. Manager Howe
will have ten more to choose from. Ditch
ers excepted, when the regular season
opens. .
lip- In- Rochester Dan Shannon has
gathered around him a lot of baseball
candidates' whose faces are strange In
that city, and will play most of the
practice games there.' He has a bigger
uollcction of tried and untried players
than any club in the league and will
have quantity if not quality to pick
from, on May 1.
The Torontos hove been playing ex
hibition games In the western part of
the state and winning most of them.
The club's five former Plttsburgera are
proving a splendid balance to the team.
Buckenberger has the best of the '95
men and several phenoms under con
tract and If .his pitchers pan out well,
(he company should be a strong one.
Wllkes-Barre has always been late
in getting on Its baseball clothes and
this Is true of this year. Dtggina. Earle,
Charlie Smith, Uonner. - Abe Leiotte.
Pop" Little. "Sandy" Griffin. Lu.kev
and McOroarty are among the rlub's
present material. The absence of it,
however. Is not serious with surh a
manager as "Jack" Chapman who has
found more players on vacant lots
than any man in the business. Anson
possibly excepted. Chapman has been
sklrmtbhlng around New York recently
and it may be expected that he has
procured some good material which has
probably been stumbled over by many
manager.
Never before In its history has the
league begun a season under more fa
vorable circumstances. Individually,
each club has good and lasting financial
backing and the spirit of baseball In the
eight cities seems to have Increased
to a great extent. All or this means
that there will be none of the disturb
ances which surrounded the transfer of
the Toronto franchise last year and
which witnessed the transfer from
Troy to Scranton In 1894. In addition,
there Is no disposition to antagonise
President Powers during the playing
season. A spirit of Independence Is all
right In its place but works serious
consequences It pushed forward in mid
reason. Happily, there are no evidences
of such a thing just now, ana ir it ex
ists, It will be suppressed until the
proper time and place after the season
has ended.
. i i
LITTLE NOTES
OF THE GAME
Horner and Bradley reached here yes
terday afternoon.
President Powers expects to call his
umpires together probably at Syra
cuseand give them thorough Instruc
tions as to their duties. Absenting
themselves from a scheduled assign
ment this season without a satlstac-
T. Q. JOHNSON,
Pitcher.
tory and unavoidable excuse will cause
a heavy fine, a departure that will be
thoroughly appreciated by the patrons
and endorsed by. the officials of the
league.
Heller and Johnson are expected on
each train from the west.
Maguire and Meaney will Join the club
In New York today or at New Haven.
Yesterday the players practiced In the
morning and afternoon and showed no
ill effects from Monday's game with the
Y. M. C. A. team.
Says the Wllkes-Barre Record:
"Scranton is realy disappointed in the
failure of Tom Power to acquaint the
management as to his purpose for the
A. M. STEM MEL,
Pitcher.
season. He Is wanted for first base
very much, and yet may not be landed."
Power Is more needed as a captain.
The team will leave at noon today for
the opening practice game In New
Haven.
Chicago still has thirty-one players
on its list, which includes nine pitchers.
The National league season opens
tomorrow.
Mat Kllroy. who pitched for Syracuse
last season, has resigned and will play
in tne outfield.
Harry Davis, Gleason and George
Davis will take care of the three cor
ners for the Giants, while Pfeffer will
probably be kept at short. In the field
EDWARD SWEENEY,
Inflelder.
CHARI.ES H. FLACK,
OuUieluer.
win be Connaughton, Van Haltren and
Tlernan. Meekin, "Dad" Clarke, Ger
man and Itusie (if he signs) will do tht
bulk of the pitching, while Farrell. Wil
son and Zearfoss will do the backstop
plng. Stafford and Fuller will be the
"subs." It's a strong combination.
President Powers hn a -ruwtlnl md.
tract with John Gaffney, the king of
umpires, whereby Gaffney is to forfeit
three-days' pay for every game he ab
sents himself from without leave.
Of two evils pitching ball for $2,400
or carrying a hod for 12 a day Amos
Rusie will not be paretlo enough to
choose the worst.
Base ball has not been dead in Scran
ton; it has simply been In cold storaaa.
This was proved by the presence of six
nunarea spectators at Monday s prac
tice game with amateurs.
"Mugsy" McGraw, the Oriole's third
baseman, who was stricken with ty
phoid fever at Atlanta, Is said to be im
proving. He is still at the hospital In
that city. McGraw is one of the snap
piest players In the buslness.a fine field
er, a good hitter, and a man who can
play the game with his head as well as
mechanically. No matter how good
Donnelly, his understudy, Is, It will re
quire much time to get broken into the
clock-work play of the Oriole field.
Catcher Otten, who was dropped T,
the St Louis club, Is playing a fast
game and hitting the ball hard with
the Newark club of the Atlantic Asso
ciation. During the row at Petersburg, Capt.
Robinson, of the Baltlmores, drew his
revolver, but did not use It Nick
Young should issue a new order to the
PATRICK MEANEY,
Outfielder and Pitcher.
umpires. "Search the Orioles and1
Spiders for concealed weapons," would
be the proper thing after that occur
rence at Petersburg.
The St. Louis team is more than clear
ing expenses in the South, The Browns
therefore need not fear any fines.
Andy Freeman says that he has re
ceived letters of congratulations from
President Soden and other league mag
nates regarding his stand toward Ru
sie. If 1 were a league magnate In
another city, I would write Andy 6.66J
letters of congratulation a minute.
New York Recorder.
The Atlantic League clubs will starve
at the Polo grounds.
Comlskey is being commended all
over the country fur dulug away "with
the candy and peanut vender nuisance
In St Paul. Other cities will follow
suit
A peculiar play was made at Cincin
nati. Miller was on third base and
Smith on first. Miller started to walk
toward the home plate while the pitcher
held the ball. Of course the ball was
thrown to third nnd the Mobile team
started in to run Miller down. On the
play Smith started to make the circuit,
and while some seven or eight members
of the Mobile team were engaged in
trying to put out Miller, Smith passed
third and scored. Eventually Miller
succeeded In getting back to third. Um
pire Sheridan decided that Smith was
out, as he had run out of line in pass
ing Miller.
Mark Baldwin's father has purchased
the controlling Interest in the Auburn,
N. Y., base ball club. Mark will ;
age the team.
DANIEL MULLARKEY,;
Pltoher. '