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[quoting Spalding] Upon my return from Europe, together with Mr. Day, I had an informal talk with three gentlemen connected with the Players League—Messrs. Talcott, Goodwin and Johnson. These gentlemen were anxious for a cessation of hostilities, and in an informal talk confessed that they had lost about all the money they cared to sink in base ball. Mr. Talcott asked me what I thought could be done. I told him that it was my opinion that if the backers of both organizations could get together without outside influences of any kind they might be able to bring order out of chaos that would be satisfactory all around. Mr. Talcott replied that inasmuch as in the Players' League certain players were also stockholders, they wanted representation on any conference committee that was appointed.

To this I replied that the League would never meet a committee of any kind upon which there was a member of the Brotherhood. It did not object to a ball players, but would never countenance the secret organization that for two years had worked to undermine and wreck it. The Players' League people then said they would like to have Mr. Ward on the committee anyway. I replied that I had the highest regard for Mr. Ward as a man and a ball player, but that the League could never meet the president of the Brotherhood in any capacity whatever. Furthermore I did not think Mr. Ward would care to sit in such a committee. I considered him too fair-minded a man not to be willing to permit the men who had lost their money in the Players' League to determine upon their own plan to get it back. Upon this point Mr. Goodwin, Mr. Talcott and Mr. Johnson all agree with me. They left to form their committee, and securing telegraphic consent from all the Players' League clubs to go ahead, President McAlpin named Johnson, Talcott and Goodwin as its members. In the meantime Mr. Day and myself had a hard time in getting the National League to appoint a committee to meet the gentlemen, and it was only after seven hours' hard work that we succeeded. We did not dictate the Players' committee, but appointed ours only after theirs had been official announced.

H. K. Curtis, the well-known manager of one of New York's most noted semi-professional clubs—the Acmes—has published the following emphatic protest in the New York Star against one of the methods of the League adherents:

“The original Acmes of this city, are scheduled to play two games with the New York Brotherhood teams. Negotiations are also pending with the managers, whereby the Acmes expect to arrange games with other Players' League teams. Now we are semi-officially notified through the Sporting Times, John B. Day's paper, that if the Acmes play a game with a Brotherhood team, they (the Acmes) will be debarred from playing any National Agreement clubs, and also that any club playing the Acmes, after they play a Brotherhood team, will likewise by ostracized.

“Now, I beg leave to state on behalf of the Acmes that there is not a man among us that would do an act detrimental to the welfare of the national game. But we do not want to be boycotted (for we term it such) later on for doing something which we should not have done. Therefore we request the Board of Arbitration of the National League to be more explicit and describe what they term an ineligible player. They say we should not play the Brotherhood men because they are ineligible. Are we to understand by this that they are blacklisted, and if such is the case, may we ask why is it that the New York League Club is trying so hard to get these same “ineligible” (blacklisted) men to play in their team?

“To play against blacklisted men, however, might cause an injury to any club, as long as the National Agreement is in existence. We are disinterested in every shape, form and manner in the League fight with the Players, and why do they draw us into it?

“It seems to be a petty piece of business on their part, and I do not see how it can help their cause. Previous to arranging games with the Players' League I wrote at least fifty letters to managers of National Agreement clubs endeavoring to arrange games, but I have not received as much as a postal card in answer. So it is left to any one's imagination as to how many games with National Agreement clubs we will lose by playing the Players' League teams.

The League may be able to persuade Mr. Brush to give up his franchise for good coin of the realm, but I doubt it. Brush is shrewd and knows a good thing when he sees it, and that he has one now nobody will deny. The League is reasonably sure to go through the season with ten clubs. It cannot and will not force Mr. Brush out unless he goes willingly, and he will not go that way. The League may squeeze Washington hard enough to persuade Mr. Hewitt to sell out to Detroit but even that is doubtful. A compromise will have to be agreed upon between Indianapolis and the League...

…

Now, as to the future. A compromise seems the only way out of it for Mr. Brush. He will not get out, and yet his refusal to do is a great injury to the League in general and the New York Club in particular. He is not to be blamed in the slightest in his course. He has rights and his colleagues will respect them. Still it is evident that what he can do to help out his associates he should do. Mr. Day doesn't need a great deal. With the men he has a short stop, a catcher, a third baseman and a could of pitchers would put him into the swim. The compromise that seems to me to be now probable would be for Mr. Brush, for a consideration of course, to let Mr. Day have Denny and Rusie or Getzein, and for Mr. Stern to give him Carpenter and Earle or Baldwin also for a consideration. This would provide Mr. Day with fillers for his present team and enable him to make a good front. He could pick up one pitcher of experience from the minor leagues and develop one from the lot of youngsters Mutrie has on hand all crazy to distinguish themselves.

The Meredian National Bank of Indianapolis October 29 entered suit against W. A. Nimick, of the Pittsburg League, to recover $548.02, a balance claimed to be due on a note. The note was for $800, and was made March 21, 1890, by W. A. Nimick, president of the Allegheny Base Ball Club, to N. E. Young, agent, who transferred it to the bank. The note matured in four months, but $548.02 of the amount is still unpaid.

The Thirteenth Regiment Baseball Association is to be congratulated on the progress made in its experiment of . When the scheme was inaugurated about a month ago the obstacles encountered were so many and so discouraging that it was generally thought the plan would be abandoned. The boys have succeeded in overcoming most of the difficulties, and the exhibition game of Saturday evening last may be considered a success. Nine full innings were played in two hours and a half and, as a rule, the boys played good ball. It could hardly be expected that they would do as well as the crack amateur teams which play in this vicinity during the Summer. A majority of the regimental players are beginners at the game, and their showing is therefore the more praiseworthy.\

The principal drawback noticeable Saturday evening was the weakness of the light. The fixtures were excellently distributed, but there was not a sufficient pressure of gas on. One of the officers of the Association told the reporter that the burners on the fixtures were old and were not capable of burning a larger flame. If this defect can be remedied it will help the boys materially. With better light the catchers would have fewer passed balls and the time of playing a game would be shortened.

The ball used in this indoor game is much lighter than the regulation outdoor ball. It is also less solid. In consequence it is more difficult and tiring to pitch it and the catchers find it hard work to get the ball down to second base ahead of a base-runner. The main advantage, in fact the necessity of suing this light ball, is found in the batting. If the ordinary ball were used there would not be much left of the inside beauty of the armory after one or two games. As it is, the ball must be hit with great force to send it to the “outfield.” If it strikes the woodwork it rebounds without doing any damage.

The diamond used in the armory is not of a rectangular nature. It is elongated, and the distance from home to second is greater than from first to third. This also militates against the catchers, as the base lines are only seventy-five feet long—fifteen feet shorter than the regulation. The catcher must throw the ball just about as far as he would on a ball field, while the base-runner has fifteen feet less to run. This helps the base-running, which is after all one of the most attractive features of the game.

Indoor base ball is becoming quite popular all over the country, but strange to say, has not yet affected Philadelphia. Chicago has many clubs, and the sport is rapidly gaining there. Winter base ball was invented by George W. Hancock and Augustus J. White, of the Farragut Boat Club of Chicago, in the year 1887, and has become a favorite amusement in the East. The game can be played in any form which allows the necessary space for the bases. It is played with a large soft ball, and a bat which resembles a billiard cue, being 2 ft. and 9 in. long and 1¼ in. in diameter. The four bases are 1½ ft. square. There are nineteen rules which govern the game as follows:

1—The pitcher's box shall be six feet long by three feet wide, and twenty-two feet from home base. 2—The bases shall be twenty-seven feet apart. 3—Eight or nine men may play on a side. 4—Only shoes with rubber soles can be sued. 5—Only straight arm pitching will be allowed. 6—A batted ball inside of foul line is fair. 7—A batter ball outside of foul line shall be foul. 8—Third strike caught is out. 9—A foul tip or fly caught is out. 10—Four unfairly pitched balls gives striker first base. 11—A pitched ball striking the batter is a dead ball, but does not give base. 12—A base-runner must not leave his base when the ball is in the pitcher's hand. 13—A runner must not leave his base on a ball not struck, until it has reached or passed the catcher. 14—A batted ball caught in rebounding from a wall is not out. 15—In over-runner first base the runner may turn back either way. 16—If a batter purposely kicked a ball he has batted he is out. 17—If a ball rebounds and strikes batter he is not out. 18—The game shall be judged by two umpires. The first will stand in the centre field and give judgments on the second and third bases. The other shall stand behind the catcher and just all points of the game. The two will change places at the end of every inning. They must not be members of either club in the game. 19—The umpires shall be sole judges of the game.

Indoor base ball was tried in Philadelphia in the State Fair building. It was not a success. Possibly some share of the want of success may be attributed to mismanagement and the inaccessibility of the building. Whether the game will spread or remain one peculiar to Chicago is a hard nut to crack. But it certainly has possibilities, although in many ways still crude. Time may evolve a great deal more than people imagine out of this latest variation of the national sport.

Indoor base ball has become all the rage in Chicago, New York, Brooklyn and Philadelphia, where the regimental armories give splendid opportunities for playing it.

The game as now played was invented by George W. Hancock and Augustus J. White of Chicago, in 1887.

Nearly all the elements that go to make the outdoor game interesting can be brought out in the indoor game, such as sliding to bases, live coaching and getting back at the umpire.

The game is played with a soft ball, somewhat larger than the regulation base ball. The bat, which resembles a billiard cue, must not be over 2 feet 9 inches in length, or about 1 foot shorter than the bat used in the regular game and 1 ¼ inches in diameter. Following are the rules that govern the game:

The pitcher's box shall be 6 feet long by 3 feet wide, and 22 feet from home base.

The bases shall be 27 feet apart.

Eight or nine men may play on a side.

Only shoes with rubber soles an be used.

Only straight arm pitching will be allowed.

A batted ball inside the foul line is fair.

A batted ball outside the foul line shall be foul.

Third strike caught is out.

A foul tip or fly caught is out.

Four unfairly pitched balls gives striker first base.

A pitched ball striking the batter is a deal ball, but does not give base.

A base runner must not leave his base when the ball is in the pitcher's hand.

A runner must not leave his base on a ball not struck until it has reached or passed the catcher.

A batted ball caught in rebounding from a wall is not out.

In overruning first base the runner may turn back either way.

If a batter purposely kicks a ball he has batted he is out.

If a ball rebounds and strikes a batter he is not out.

The game shall be judged by two umpires. The first will stand in centre field and give judgments on the second and third bases. The other shall stand behind the catcher and judge all points of the game. The two will change placed at the end of every inning. They must not be members of either club in the game.

The umpires shall be sole judges of the game. St. Louis Republic December 13, 1890

Syracuse and Rochester offer to exit the AA

[reporting an information meeting of AA magnates 12/11] Messrs. Frazer and Brinker [of the Syracuse and Rochester clubs] came prepared to make offers to withdraw from the Association circuit in order to allow stronger cities to be admitted. Mr. Frazer said he would get out for $8000 cash, and backed up this with the statement that as he had stood by the Association he thought it only fair that he should be so treated now that he was willing to abdicate in favor of somebody else. General Brinker fixed his price at $20,000 and used the same persuasive arguments, but it is thought that both gentlemen will be induced to vanish from the scene of action for about $5000 apiece. The Sporting Life December 13, 1890

The Texas League adopts a modified Millennium Plan; salary rates

[reporting the Texas League meeting of 12/1] The quota of each team was fixed at eleven men. The salaries were fixed as follows for each club:-- Three pitchers at $70--$210; two catchers at $70--$140; four infielders at $67.50--$270; two outfielders at $65--$130. Eleven men at $750.

C.P. Fegan and J. J. McCloskey were appointed a committee to receive names and engage all players for the Texas League, said players to receive salary at a rate not exceeding the above schedule of salaries.

When a complement of players has been secured there shall be a drawing of players to apportion to each club its quota of eleven men, said players to be classed according to their merit, that is, first-class pitchers, second-class pitchers, etc. The Sporting Life December 13, 1890

[from C. F. Holcomb's column] It has come; we all knew it would get here [Buffalo] sooner or later, and now we can shout “told you so!” The indoor base ball furore, which has so long been the popular amusing in other cities, has had hardly a trial in this wind-swept town, until the West End Ball Club organized a team to play indoors. The first game took place Sunday last at the Prospect Rink. A number of well-known players-Tom Brahan, Short, and others—are doing well in this first attempt, and interest bids fair to increase. It is to be presumed that several base ball players residing here will take up the sport actively, at least some of them have expressed an intention of so doing.

[from Chadwick's column] [paraphrasing the Chicago Herald, describing the game as played in the La Salle Club gymnasium A bat that would be taken for a broomstick by the uninitiated, a ball about the size and consistency of a bowl of dough and stuffed with curled hair, base bags which the base-runner carried along with them when they slid, and a tin pan containing rosin completed the tools of warfare. On account of the necessarily short hits the fielders played either within or just on the edge of the diamond. That a base-runner cannot leave his base till the pitched ball has passed, the plate, and that the pitcher delivers the ball underhand and with a stiff arm are the only rules different from those of regular base ball.

Just now there seems to be a craze for indoor baseball in military circles in Brooklyn. The members of company E, of the Forty-seventh regiment, have now organized a baseball team for the season, with George W. Pink as captain. They are now in steady practice and a game has been arranged with the team of company A, of the Thirteenth regiment.

Base ball playing indoors has certainly caught on with the members of the National Guard in Brooklyn. The Thirteenth Regiment's Association has been a success from the start. It subsequently took hold with the boys of the Twenty-third Regiment, and that crack organization, it is said, has two companies whose teams will soon be pitted against the best in the field. The Third Gatling Battery, with headquarters at Washington and Dean streets, has also organized a team which is particularly desirous of meeting the pick of the Thirteen Regiment.

Now the craze has struck the Forty-seventh Regiment, whose handsome remodeled armory at Marcy avenue, Lynch and Heyward streets, in the Eastern District, offers better facilities for playing than any other armory in the State, with probably one exception—that of the Seventh Regiment. A year ago Capt. Quick organized a team from Company E, and the boys played quite a fair game at Prospect Park. Having a number of good players in his company at present, he is making efforts to collect a team to play in the armory, and it is very likely that Capt. Christopher of Company D and one or two other companies will join in the movement. The armory is 240 feet long and 140 feet wide. Every precaution will be taken to protect the windows and chandeliers and as there is no doubt but that Col. Gaylor will grant them permission to use the armory for the purpose, the movement looks like a sure go. Capt. Quick placed the matter before the company last night, and the members were enthusiastic over the scheme. A meeting for organization will occur next week.

Billy Gale has every thing at the Cincinnati Park looking as bright and clean as the proverbial new pin. Every stone and stick has been gathered up and every broken or rotten board in the terrace and pavilion has been taken up and replaced with new timber. ... The Cincinnati team is an aggregation of fast base-runners, and every thing will be done to encourage them to take desperate chances. They can slide either feet first or head first on this new surface covering without injury. There will be no bits of gravel or sticks to scrape the skin from the arms and legs of base-runners, as was frequently the case last season.

[Baltimore vs. Cincinnati 5/21/1887] [from a retrospective article on triple plays] The Cincinnatis were at the bat. Three men were on the bases, no one out, and Jim Keenan had toed the plate. Jim is usually a sure hitter, and all the base-runners were up on their toes ready for advancement. Jim finally picked out a good one. His bat cut the air with a whizz, and the ball went on a line for waht looked like a sure base hit between second and hsort. All the runners dug theri plates into the ground homeward bound. Their flight was brought to an abrupt termination. Billy Greenwood made a side jump as the ball sped toward the field. He wore a big glove on his right hand, as he is a left-handed thrower. That glove played havoc with the Reds. They big fingers just touched the sphere. The ball was stopped in its flight. It bounced a foot high from the glove. Billy made another jump. This time he got his hand fairly on the ball and held to it. He had caught it on the fly. Quick as a flash he stepped on second base, and an instant later he threw the ball to Shindle, doubling the runner at third. In the twinkling of an eye three of the Reds were retired. Cincinnati Enquirer January 26, 1890 [N.B. 1887 accounts make no mention of the glove.]

May a man who has paid his money to see a base ball match write an account of the same as it progresses and throw it over the fence, for the information of persons not present? This is one of the questions that will come before the courts shortly, two Western Union reporters having been arrested at the Athletic grounds for sending reports in this way. The men so treated are Horace A. Shinn, of 1607 South Juniper street, and D. S. Fister, of 700 Preston street, employees of the Western Union Telegraph Company. They were held on Saturday last for a further hearing this week by Magistrate Romig, charged with illegally securing for their employers scores of the games played at the Athletic Ball Park, Twenty-sixth and Jefferson streets.

The prosecution is the outgrowth of a rivalry between the Western Union and Postal Telegraph Companies. The latter secured exclusive privilege of running wires into the ground, and to overreach its rival the company first named had its employees take the history of the game as it proceeded and throw the copy over the fence to a waiting messenger boy, by which means it was enabled to telegraph reports of the game as rapidly as the Postal Company.

At Forepaugh's Park Western Union reporters have also from time to time been ejected for the same offence, the Postal Company having the same exclusive rights on this ground.

It does not seem good policy for base ball clubs to offend a company like the Western Union, and to peddle out telegraphic privileges for such a comparatively small such as $250 per club, but having sold the privileges it is at least necessary for the managers to try to keep the privileges exclusive.

Curt Welch continues to play the trick of being hit by a pitched ball. Welch would make a good soldier; he does not seem afraid of a cannon ball.

[reporting the PL special meeting of 4/2/1890] [proceedings of the meeting with the PL umpires] To prevent a balk a pitcher will be compelled to place one foot outside of the box lines in throwing to bases.

[reporting the AA special meeting of 3/14/1890] The umpires were then brought into the meeting room, introduced to the delegates, and then the playing rules were jointly gone over and a unanimous interpretation arrived at. The most important thing in this connection was the definition of the vexatious balk question. This rule will hereafter be construed to meant that any motion not followed by an immediate delivery of the ball would be a “balk.

[PL New York vs. Brooklyn 4/30/1890] With two men on bases, Joyce muffed a little fly sent up by Ewing, and O'Rourke dashed for second. Barnes decided that Ewing was out, and also called O'Rourke out. The decision was an original one, and may never again be seen on the ball-field. New York Tribune May 1, 1890

In the last half of the sixth inning Connor was on third and O'Rourke on first base, with Ewing at the bat. The New York captain knocked a high fair fly several feet behind third base and at least three feet behind Joyce, the Brooklyn third baseman, who squarely muffed the ball. O'Rourke reached second and Ewing first base. Had Joyce intentionally muffed the ball he could not have got it to first ahead of Ewing or to second ahead of O'Rourke, who had taken a long lead off first base and was waiting for the ball to either be caught or dropped. Neither could Joyce, had he caught the ball, have returned it first in time for a double. The Sporting Life May 10, 1890, quoting the New York World

The Players' League has eliminated from its playing rules the word “momentarily,” applied to fly catches and has substituted an entirely new rule in Sec. 9 of Rule 41, which is quoted below. This new rule has already made trouble and will make more unless more clearly defined. A kick over the rule came up in the New York-Brooklyn game of April 30. Joyce muffed a short fly ball, but nevertheless Umpire Barnes permitted a double play as a result of the muff. Jim O'Rourke, when subsequently questioned by a reporter, said:

“The decision was contrary to the spirit and letter of the rules. In the first place, it was not an infield hit of Ewing's, and therefore neither Ewing nor myself could be declared out. Now, what do the rules say regarding infield hits? Rule 2 of the Players' National League says that the infield must be a space of ground thirty yards square. That meant the entire territory within the base lines, and not a foot more. Now, the ball that Joyce dropped was outside of the third base line by fifteen feet.”

“But hasn't it been the case that hits stopped by the basemen and short stop while standing in their usual positions were considered infield hits? asked the reporter.

“Yes, but the interpretations of the rules in that respect have been wrong. A ball sent to any of the infielders in the place they usually play cannot, under any circumstances, be considered an infield hit. It must be a hit to be played, even within the base line. Sec. 9 of Rule 41 says:-- 'If, where there is a base-runner on the first base and less than two players on the side at bat have been put out in the inning then being played, the batsman makes a fair hit so that the ball falls within the infield, and the ball touches any fielder whether held by him or not before it touches the ground, the batsman shall be declared out.'

“See what latitude would be given an infielder to make such plays like that of Joyce's and which Umpire Barnes says are according to rule, if the enlargement of the infield other than that stated in the rules was allowed. Why, a short stop or baseman could run into the outfield for a ball, miss it, and then throw to a base, catching the runner. Under Umpire Barnes' ruling that would be an intentional miss, the same as Joyce's was decided. There's got to be a distinction made somewhere between the infield and outfield, and the rules have always made it. You can say that even an inch outside of the base lines is in the infield.

“I am perfectly satisfied that Joyce's miss was not an intentional one. He made a supreme effort to get the ball, but failed. Now, the, do you think under those circumstances that it is reasonable to give Joyce as much credit for that play as one of the scientific character. That what he received by Umpire Barnes' decision.” The Sporting Life May 10, 1890

[describing the plans for Forepaugh Park] In style it will resemble the grand pavillion at the Philadelphia Ball Park, being of the same shape, that is, semi-elliptical. The structure will be of woodwork, with iron girders, trusses, supports, etc., forty feet deep and each wing or angle will be 235 feet long. The main entrance will be at the corner of Broad and York streets.

There seems to be considerable misunderstanding among the many amatuer and semi-professional clubs throughout the country regarding the restrictions placed upon national agreement teams in connection with the spring exhibition games. According to the rule laid down by the national agreement no clubs belonging to the National League, American Association, Atlantic Association, New England League, Interstate League, International League, Tri-State League, Western Association, Southern League, Texas League or California League, can play games with members of the Brotherhood League. Any amateur clubs who play with Brotherhood teams will be debarred from playing any clubs of the leagues under the protection of the national agreement. Any player who plays on a team which plays a Brotherhood club will also be debarred from playing with any national agreement clubs in the future.

President N. E. Young has official warned all clubs not to arrange games with Players’ League clubs on pain of being forever ruled out of games with clubs under the national agreement.