Clipping:An assessment of the Player's League actions
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
 |
| Add a Clipping |
| Date | Saturday, November 15, 1890 |
|---|---|
| Text | [editorial matter] The future of the Players' League is shrouded in gloom and uncertainty, and if this once great and powerful organization survives at all, it will be but a shadow of its former self. It fought a great battle, won it, and then frittered all of its advantages away through the unparalleled treachery of some of its capitalists, the weakness, indecision, and inexperience of others, and the bull-headed foolishness of the entire lot. PL Pittsburgh Club jumps ...the [Pittsburgh] club had shown decided weakness at the Philadelphia conference, where it was learned that the majority of the Pittsubrg stockholders favored consolidation, and had appointed a committee, consisting of Messrs. Rea, Kerr and Brunell, with full power to act to confer with the local League club. The conference which was held at the Hotel Anderson was perfectly proper and in accordance with the understanding that all of the Players' league clubs should at least have a talk with their local rivals before the annual meeting on Tuesday, but this committee went further, and not only agreed upon terms of consolidation, but actually signed papers to amalgamate with the local National Agreement club, thus deliberately deserting the Players' league before the latter had had a chance to consider and decide the general consolidation question. Two conferences were held—one in the afternoon and the other in the evening. Secretary Brunell declined to act on the Pittsburg Players' committee, giving way to Mr. Auten, the large Chicago stockholder, who swung the Pittsburg Club into line for consolidation. 9It was at first supposed that Director Robinson, of the New York Club, who lives in Pittsburg, had influenced the club for consolidation, but it afterwards appeared that Mr. Auten was the prime mover in the matter, as he had come from Chicago fresh from a conference with Spalding, had gotten in his work, and then jumped out of town without afterwards showing his face to the meeting or to any of the Players' League delegates. The news of the consolidation created a sensation, of course, but the terms of the combine created even greater astonishment, because it indicated a complete surrender of the Players' Club to the League Club, and a merging of the former into the latter despite the fact that the Players Club had the public, team and grounds, and had driven its rival out of the city. The basis of settlement was an even one, the Players' League officials conceding their National League associates one-half interest in the newly-formed organization. The capital stock will likely be increased to $100,000, and the officials, save possibly the secretary, be in the main doled out to the Players' League men. In the directory there will be four Players' League and three National League men. Evidently fearing that New York would jump the Player's League, the Pittsburg contingent took alarm and hastened with all expediency to save themselves from a seemingly prospective financial dump. To accomplish that they fairly threw themselves away. The player-stockholders, with the exception of Manager Hanlon, were conspicuously absent from all the deliberations leading to amalgamation. The Sporting Life November 15, 1890 [reporting the PL meeting 11/11] The Pittsburg Club also reported that satisfactory arrangements had also been made with the local club. The Smoky City delegates were subjected to a hot fire of 2uestions and expostulated with. This was in vain, however, because the Pittsburg men had left themselves no way open for retreat, as they admitted that they had actually signed preliminary papers the day before the League meeting. This was denounced as treachery by nearly all present and as decidedly illegal under the Players' League constitution. During the discussion a paper was passed up to Secretary Brunell, who declined to receive it. This purported to be the resignation of the Pittsubrg Club. It was not received because under the constitution sixty days' notice of resignation must be given and because the club had placed itself in position to be expelled. After the resignation was refused the Pittsburg delegates sheepishly retired from the meeting in a very uncomfortable frame of mind. The Sporting Life November 15, 1890 [reporting the NL meeting 11/12] The Pittsburg delegates gave a detailed report of how the consolidation had been brought about in Pittsburg. Two meetings were held on Monday, one in the afternoon, at which the plan of amalgamation was agreed upon, and one in the evening, at which the deal was closed. … The apportionment of offices in the reorganized Pittsburg Club was not given out, but it was subsequently learned that when the election takes place the following will be chosen:-- President J. Palmer O'Neill; vice president, W. W. McCallin; secretary, A. K. Scandrett; treasurer, H. B. Rea; directors, Messrs. Nimick, Auten and Converse. Thus there will be four of the National League and three of the Players' League men on the board. The Sporting Life November 15, 1890 |
| Source | Sporting Life |
| Tags | |
| Warning | |
| Comment | Edit with form to add a comment |
| Query | Edit with form to add a query |
| Submitted by | Richard Hershberger |
| Origin | Initial Hershberger Clippings |
Comments
<comments voting="Plus" />