Clipping:The League reduced to eight clubs; Indianapolis Club ownership; attendance
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| Date | Friday, March 21, 1890 |
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| Text | [dateline Indianapolis] The directors of the Indianapolis Baseball Club state to-night [2/20] that negotiations for the sale of the club to New York are pending. The sale, they say, was to have been completed to-day, but up to a late hour to-night no message has been received from President Brush Mr. Brush’s price for all his League rights and his eighteen players under contract is $67,000. The directors think he will be able to get every dollar he asks. Since the Cleveland meeting Brush has been quietly carrying on negotiations for the sale of the club. He made one trip east, and last Monday he and Director Schmidt went to Chicago to see President Spaulding. Last night they left that city for the East, presumably for New York. The stay-at-home owners of the club, Messrs. Meyer, Jameson, McCutcheon and Mayer, say the sale is not made because they feared the club would be forced out, but because they foresaw that they would lose money under the schedule. They figured that the club could not be kept up with less than fourteen hundred people to witness each game played. Last year the average attendance was not over one thousand. I saw Glasscock to-night. He said he had heard nothing from Brush, but was hourly expected a telegram. “I do not believe the club has been sold yet,” said he. “Because Brush promised to wire me as soon as the deal was complete.” ... The Indianapolis citizens are indignant over the sale. They charge that Brush has been raising the public sentiment to force a big price from the purchasers. New York Herald March 21, 1890 ...A ten-club league, it was claimed, would never do, and it was stated to him very forcibly that unless he accepted the terms offered, there was but one alternative, and that was to vote him out. After twenty-four hours of consideration Mr. Brush reluctantly consented to the League's proposal. It was to purchase the players, but allow him to retain the franchise. Just what amount was paid is not known, but it is generally thought that it was in the neighborhood of $40,000. The disposition of the Washington club was of but little consequence to that of the Hoosiers. It was well understood that Mr. Hewitt could place himself where he was liable to make a little money this season, and that he had already made an application for membership in the Athletic [sic] Association. The result was the franchise of the Washington Club was bought by the League, but the players were retained. In an interview with a Journal reporter, shortly after the negotiations were closed, Mr. Brush said: “This is an unpleasant position that I have been placed in, I must confess. I have almost assured the people of Indianapolis that I would keep the club in the League, but what was I to do? I was told that I had no other alternative but to retire. I told the League exactly how matters stood in Indianapolis, but that did not help matters any. When I found that the Club would have to go my object was to make the best arrangements possible, and I think I have succeeded. The franchise I retain, and therefore, at the first opportunity, Indianapolis will be found again in the League.” Indianapolis Journal March 23, 1890 The [Indianapolis Club] has resigned from the old organization with the understanding that if ever there is an opening in the League the Hoosier capital is to have the first opportunity to re-enter. In fact Indianapolis has not forfeited its franchise to the magnates, but has, for a financial consideration, agreed to transfer its players, who are virtually the League’s property, to that organization. The Sunday Item Philadelphia March 23, 1890 There will be no trouble among the players over salaries. That questions was all settled before Brush went away from Indianapolis a week ago. Said Glasscock this morning: “Before Brush went away he called us together and the matter of transfer to New York was discussed. He foresaw that he was going to be forced to sell and, of course, he wanted to know whether we would consent to the transfer, and what salaries we would demand from New York. Our propositions made though him have doubtless been accepted or the transfer would be announced. Indianapolis News March 24, 1890 Indianapolis and Washington have been dropped from the National Base-ball League. It was a terrible blow to those two clubs, but as President Hewitt, of the Washington Club, remarked, “It was the salvation of the League.” Mr. Brush fought earnestly and against great odds to be retained. He met the conference committee appointed at Cleveland—Robinson, Soden and Spalding—at the Fifth-avenue Hotel, on Thursday night, and told them distinctly that it was demanded by the patrons of the game in Indianapolis that the club should remain in the League. The committee, however, just as earnestly told him that that was impossible. A ten-club league, it was claimed, would never do, and it was stated to him very forcibly that unless he accepted the terms offered, there was but one alternative, and that was to vote him out. After twenty-four hours consideration Mr. Brush reluctantly consented to the League's proposal. It was to purchase the players, but allow him to retain the franchise. Indianapolis Journal March 24, 1890 The magnates refused to reveal the nature of their conference, but stated that it would be given out in a day or two. It can be stated for a fact, however, Indianapolis and Washington have sold their franchises to the League, and their players have been divided among the other clubs. New York secures Glasscock, Denny, Bassett, Hines, Buckley and Rusie, while Pittsburg will get as many of the others as are wanted. The cost of the six players to the New York Club is nearly $40,000. The Sporting Life March 26, 1890 The money required to induce Indianapolis and Washington to withdraw nor the terms of surrender were not divulged and will not be, the League delegates being pledged to secrecy. It is believed, however, that the amount is close to $80,000, and that this burden was assumed by the League as a whole. Of this amount Indianapolis gets the bulk, as Washington had only a franchise to sell. Both clubs will, it is believed, continue as members of the League; that is, their resignations will be allowed to lie without action and they will thus be members of the League without being scheduled for games, thus holding their territory under the National Agreement. This is simply a repetition of the smooth trick by which Detroit was enabled to pose as the ninth member of the League until all of its reserved players had been sold and coerced into accepting such disposition as had been made of them. The League also disposed of the Indianapolis players. Nine of the men were assigned to New York and their contracts were at once delivered by President Brush, who had signed the men for New York more than a week previous at bonuses ranging from $800 to $5000. This shows that an understanding existed, even while Mr. Brush was assuring Indianapolis people that the club would remain in the League, and selling season tickets on the strength of this assertion and the Hoosier public's belief in his professions. The Sporting Life April 2, 1890 historical player salaries The appended table is compiled from the League’s ledgers and shows the salaries paid to the players since the much discussed reserve rule went into effect in 1881. There is one feature of it that is certain to attract particular attention, and that is the increase of salary that invariably followed the transfer or “sale” of a player from one club to another. It is indicated in the table by a star, and shows that the players derived material benefit from such transactions. [See table] the Sunday Item Philadelphia March 23, 1890 [See also Spalding NL Guide 1890 pp. 17-23.] |
| Source | New York Herald |
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| Submitted by | Richard Hershberger |
| Origin | Initial Hershberger Clippings |
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