Clipping:Taking in Brooklyn and Cincinnati a blunder by the League
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| Date | Wednesday, November 27, 1889 |
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| Text | [editorial matter] The assertion of The Sporting Life that the admission of Brooklyn and Cincinnati was a blunder, or worse, and that thereby the Brotherhood was lifted to a greater prominence and its chances of life vastly increased, still goes, and the events of the past week bear us out to a remarkable degree. The fact that Brooklyn and Cincinnati were willing to joint the League doesn't cut any figure. They could not have entered the League without the latter's invitation, and that the League, without the spur of necessity, took advantage of a family quarrel to strengthen itself, as it supposed, is patent, and quite as inexcusable in morals as would be the disruption of a man's family because of a quarrel or because some other man of greater income could offer inducements as to comforts and luxuries beyond the poorer man's means. By that act they ruthlessly slaughtered the American Association without the slightest regard for the enormous damage entailed upon the property of friendly clubs; wiped out a number of hitherto valuable franchises; practically ruined a number of men; imperiled the existence of still another friendly league, because if the Association is to live, the International :League must become disrupted; made of the National Agreement a hollow mockery; left the Association a prey to the Brotherhood League, and gave the latter a chance to strengthen itself such as it could never have anticipated. In short, the League by that act caused widespread disaster to many interests and has precipitated a condition in base ball bordering on the chaotic. Not in ten years has such a gloomy, uncertain situation presented itself, and there's not telling now what each day may bring forth; inf act, the progress of the game has been temporarily most effectually stayed, if not put back half a dozen years, as it will take time and much treasure to repair damages and reform the lines. … Instead ...we have the Brotherhood League now in place of the American Association, and dividing public attention with the National League. Since our last issue the Brotherhood has signed a great number of its own pledged players and quite a number of Association stars. Meantime the League has induced half a dozen of its old players to desert their Brotherhood and return to the League ranks, and yet has produced little or no impression on the Brotherhood rank and file. With the American Association intact to-day, these League captures would have produced a decided sensation and proved a serious blow to the Brotherhood, because it would not have been able to offset these desertions with the stars of the Association, and also could not use these same Association stars as a club to bring hesitating Brotherhood men into submission. As it stands the Brotherhood has all the best of the situation, as the Association is helpless and its best players, realizing its inevitable end and eager for the market where the highest salaries prevail, or one by one falling willingly into the Brotherhood net and nullifying the League's plan of dividing the enemy's forces; while the League, fettered by the National Agreement, is compelled to stand idly by until the final collapse comes, by which time the Brotherhood will have gleaned the wheat, leaving the League the husks. Is this picture overdrawn? Read the answer in the record of the past week. The Sporting Life November 27, 1889 [editorial matter] The crisis for the [Brotherhood] came when Glasscock and the other Indianapolis players deserted to the National League. Then the Brotherhood leaders for the first time showed symptoms of panic, and the backers for a moment began to weaken, because they feared that these men—who have posed so prominently as martyrs to League tyranny and for whom the Brotherhood had made such a fight—were but types of the entire body of professionals and that the bulk of them could not be relied upon even under oath or contract. But the League chose but poor instruments to lead the expected revolt; the rank and file of the Brotherhood remained steady, the confidence of the leaders was quickly regained, the financial men inspired with new courage and the net result of the League was only the handful of men with which the break was started. Right here the fatality of the move against the Association was made evident. With that organization intact, and with no resources open to the Brotherhood leaders, the Indianapolis break might have led to a stampede and the battle might have been over now. Instead of that the defection was quickly made good by a draft on Association talent, thus steadying the entire line, and to-day the new League is further advanced than it would have been under the old conditions, or than it hoped to be when it postponed its next meeting until January. So many men have signed inf act, so few desertions have taken place, that the backers have been stimulated to extraordinary energy and have so far perfected their arrangements that the date for permanent organization has been advanced fully a month. For all of which it must and does thank the League's cruel, needless and suicidal blow at the American Association. The Sporting Life December 4, 1889 |
| Source | Sporting Life |
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| Submitted by | Richard Hershberger |
| Origin | Initial Hershberger Clippings |
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