Clipping:Purifying the game: more on game throwing
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| Date | Sunday, December 7, 1873 |
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| Text | It is a fact beyond controversy that certain players were , at times during the past season, engaged in the nefarious practice of “throwing games,” or playing the results, so far as laid in their power, into the hands of their adversaries, for the purpose of their own pecuniary benefit. We may be certain, to judge from surrounding circumstances and from observations closely made on the field, of the identity of these parties; but, if called upon for proof of an actual “sale” having taken place, we could not come to time. The thieves who indulge in this merry pastime are non-committal, except to their supposed “go-between,” who keeps his mouth closed, and probably received a commission for his miserable part in this wretched, unmanly traffic. A movement is now on foot to put a final and determined stop to this business. When indulged in it is very palpable. Hardly any one decently reared in the sport of base ball can make a mistake as to a player’s dishonesty; and the public, in passing around the names of certain men, recently, made, in our opinion, but few mistakes. Once and for all, if the season of ‘74 is in this respect a repetition of that of ‘73, we can only say that the rascals in the profession have dug for themselves a decent-sized grave, big enough not only for themselves, but also for the honest workers of the profession. The sustenance of clubs is of no pecuniary benefit to its supporters. The solitary instance for years–that of the Philadelphia Club–of extraordinary financial success, may be supplemented at the end of the coming season by a general assessment on the stockholders. It is hard to put out cash continually merely to be cheated by a few scamps who have not the first spark of gratitude or the first element of manhood. As we said, there can be no doubt as to who indulges in this kind of thing; but club managers cannot but in few cases bring anything like a positive proof of guilt. Their remedy must, therefore, be of a nature which will not push them to any hasty injustice, and we suggest the following: All contract are made on strict terms, demanding obedience to the very letter from the men. Where these terms are not fulfilled according to requirement, let the player be punished by fine. Should his play be suspicious, if the ground is good, let him be taken from the field and publicly disgraced. If it is certain that he is playing double, let him be expelled on the lightest provocation. Indeed, provocation should be invited when it tends to the expulsion of these wretched leaches who are sucking the very life-blood from the game–for its good name is its life-blood. Managers will find the following season a hard one to begin–the financial row will be a hard one to row, and, should they allow the least bit of trifling or suspend strict rules for the shortest possible time, they will find themselves in a bad fix. The public is dissatisfied with the past season; and the game...must be dragged up again to make it last. Our advice as above we think is healthy. Concerted action is now requisite, and hsould a club use or conceal a man from punishment, its expulsion should follow. If something is not done the year will close with an epitaph over the once-noble sport– DIED–1874–THE NATIONAL GAME OF BASE BALL. |
| Source | Philadelphia Sunday Dispatch |
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| Submitted by | Richard Hershberger |
| Origin | Initial Hershberger Clippings |
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