ade by the "Giants" in these Boston
games it has been alleged that the team was in poor condition when it
left the metropolis for the Hub to play this closing series, and that
its true condition was kept a secret by the management, one writer going
so far as to say that Manager Ewing's brother John was at that time
disabled by a sprained ankle, while Rusie was suffering from a bruised
leg, and also that Whistler had been playing at first base so well that
Ewing thought he could afford to give Conner a day or two off, all of
which may have been true, though I am free to confess right now that I
do not believe it.

In February, 1892, the American' Association became a thing of the past,
four of its leading clubs joining the National League, which now
embraced twelve cities instead of eight, the circuit taking in Boston,
Brooklyn, Louisville, Pittsburg, Cleveland, Cincinnati, New York,
Philadelphia, Washington, Chicago, St. Louis and Baltimore.

The Chicago team for that season consisted of A. Gumbert, Hutchinson,
Luby, Miller, Hollister and Meekin, pitchers; Kittridge and Schriver,
catchers; Anson, first base; Canavan and Decker, second base; Dahlen and
Parrott, third base; Dahlen and Cooney, shortstop; Ryan, Dugan, Wilmot
and Decker in the outfield. The majority of these were green players,
as compared with the seasoned material of which some of the other League
clubs boasted, and it was only by switching them about from one position
to another that it was possible to tell where they best fitted.

Although I had signed six pitchers at the beginning of the season, there
were but three of them that fulfilled my expectations, viz., Gumbert,
Hutchinson and Luby, and of these three Hutchinson did the lion's share
of the work, pitching in no less than seventy of the one hundred and
fifty-six games that we played. The team was not an evenly balanced one,
however, and though it boasted of some individuals that were away above
the average yet it lacked the ability and practice to play as a team and
consequently finished the season in seventh place, Boston again carrying
off the pennant with 102 games won and 48 lost, while Cleveland came
second with 93 won and 56 lost, Brooklyn being third, Philadelphia
fourth, Cincinnati fifth, Pittsburg sixth, Chicago seventh, New York
eighth, Louisville ninth, Washington tenth, St. Louis eleventh and
Baltimore last.

I remember one rather queer incident that occurred during that season,
an