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Show SPORTING NEWS. The baseball sky has cleared during the past week and after considerable delay the announcement announce-ment is made that the money is up, contract signed and we are to hear "Play ball" on May 9th. Ogden, which was at first the insistent one hung back toward the end and the Salt Lake club was about ready to quit and lay back on its oars waiting for the expected break in the Pacific National leagues. But Gus Becker and Matt Browning came to the front, put up Og-den's Og-den's forfeit, signed the schedule agreement and named John S. Crltchlow as "president." The title of President means, in this case, probably, more of a referee to whom the inevitable inevita-ble differences are to be submitted and whose decisions are to be final and absolute. This is rather a trying position in some cases and it is no f small compliment to Mr. Critchlow that both I Ogden and Salt Lake should agree on him and J bind themselves to abide by his judgement. It is rumored on the streets that Salt Lake will have a team as fit to represent the town as any we r . have ever had. O'Brien, the only one of the new men upon whom a lino can be drawn, looks and acts like a ball player. His record with Peoria , gives him a fielding percentage of 9G9 in 93 ( games, while he batted 249. His fielding ability can probably be better , judged by comparison than in any other way. Lagoie, the acknowledged king of all second basemen, base-men, played in 87 games and had a fielding average aver-age of .974. Of course his batting was much better bet-ter than O'Brien's. c ! Casey (Ogden's own Pearl) played in 112 'games with a fielding average at .91Q. Taken all in, all the dope on O'Brien is good and -if. the pest of the coming team is of his stripe we ought to see some good base ball. - i & & ! Bradley is in town and lias probably by this time been signed. His experience on the ranch this winter has kept him in pretty good condition and ho hopes to be able to pick out the gcod ones as well as ever this year. Bradley has lived in Utah for three years now and his conduct both on and off the field has been exemplary. Quite unassuming, neat, sober and vithal, a good ball player. He is just what man-tigers man-tigers everywhere are looking for; good men who jdo not need a manager. ' 5 It is said that the Salt Lakes are going to be attired in Maroon uniforms with blue trimmings. If so the term "Lobster" will probably become as popular with Ogden fans now as it was distasteful dis-tasteful to them before. ? By the way, the Ogden management made a mistake when they changed the color of those ) suits. The term "Lobster," while it was used l! disparagingly was still something to inspire fear j and trembling in the hearts of the Salt Lakers ! both players and fans. I j & & i Salt Lake has a catcher named Wilson from tWebb City, "Mizzury." He may not need to be ('showed," but if he does, we'll show him Gimlin; he'3 from the same town. T. L. |