the League in 1894. About a third of the twelve teams of the League only
were controlled by competent team managers, while at least another third
were wretchedly managed, and the other third were not above the average
in management. Two of the old drawbacks to the successful running of
teams by professional clubs conspicuous in 1892 and 1893 marked the team
management of 1894, viz., the employment of drinking players and the
condoning of their costly offenses, and the interference of club
presidents and directors in the work of the regular manager of the club
team. There is a class of club officials in the League who, for the life
of them, cannot keep from interfering with the club's legitimate manager
in his running of the team. Some of them have the cool effrontery of
stating that "the manager of our team is never interfered with in any
way." One costly result of this club official interference is, that
needed discipline of the players is out of the question, and in its
absence cliqueism in the ranks of the team sets in--one set of players
siding with the manager, and another with the real "boss of the team,"
with the costly penalty of discord in the ranks. It is all nonsense for
a club to place a manager in the position with a merely nominal control
of the players and then to hold him responsible for the non-success of
the team in winning games. Under such a condition of things, the club
manager might sign a team of costly star players and yet find himself
surpassed in the pennant race by a rival manager, who, with _entire
control of his team_, and that team composed of so-called "second-class
players" or ambitious "colts," working in thorough harmony together, and
"playing for the side" all the time and not for a record, as so many of
the star players do, would deservedly carry off the season's honors.

Since the reconstructed National League began its new life, blundering
management of teams has characterized the running of a majority of its
twelve clubs, and it will continue to do so while the system of engaging