at least to finish right up in the front rank,
and that it failed to do either of these things can only be explained by
the fact that underhanded work looking toward my downfall was indulged
in by some of the players, who were aided and abetted by President Hart,
he refusing to enforce the fines levied by myself as manager and in that
way belittling my authority and making it impossible to enforce the
discipline necessary to making the team a success. The ringleader in
this business was Jimmy Ryan, between whom and the Club's President the
most perfect understanding seemed to exist, and for this underhanded
work Ryan was rewarded later by being made the team captain, a position
that he was too unpopular with the players to hold, though it is
generally thought he was allowed to draw the salary as per the
agreement.

The Chicago players for that season were Briggs, Callahan, Friend,
Griffith and Thompson, pitchers; Kittridge and Donohue, catchers; Decker
and myself, first base; Connor, Callahan and Pfeffer, second base;
Everett and McCormick, third base; Dahlen, McCormick and Callahan,
shortstop; and Lange, Ryan, Decker and Thornton, outfielders.

Pfeffer was the only weak spot, he being handicapped by illness, and yet
even he might have made a creditable showing had he not been handicapped
my some of his associates and most unmercifully criticized by the
newspapers, whose unwarrantable attacks have, in many cases, to my
certain knowledge, driven good men out of the business. Lack of
discipline and insubordination began to show from the start. Fines were
remitted in spite of all the protests that I could make, several members
of the club being allowed to do about as they pleased. There could be
but one result, as a matter of course, and that was poor ball playing.
When the April campaign ended we were in the eleventh place. At the end
of May we stood tenth. At the end of June we had again dropped back to
eleventh. At the end of July we had climbed up to eighth, and at the end
of August we were sixth, having then climbed into the first division.
When the close of the season came, however, we had dropped back again to
the ninth position, the margin between sixth and ninth places being a
very small one. The race for the pennant that season between Baltimore
and Boston was a close one, the latter club finally carrying off the
honors of the season with 93 games won and 39 lost, while Baltimore came
second with go games won an