as, if anything, a stronger all-around team than the one of the
preceding year, and if it failed to make equally as good a showing it
was because the teams that were opposed to it were also of a better
calibre. The demand for good ball players had risen, and as is usual in
such cases the supply was equal to the demand, just as it would be today
under similar circumstances.

The opening of the championship season found nine clubs ready to compete
for the championship honors, viz.: The Athletics, Atlantics, Baltimore,
Boston, Mutual, Maryland, Philadelphia, Resolute and Washington, and
five of these beside the Athletics had particularly strong teams, the
Maryland, Resolute and Washington teams being the weaklings.

During the year the Athletics took part in fifty professional games, of
which they won twenty-seven and lost twenty-three, and in fourteen
exhibition games, of which they won twelve and lost two, being defeated
in the exhibition series twice by their home rivals, the Philadelphias,
which numbered among its players several who had helped to make the
Athletics famous in former years, among them being Malone and Mack.

Between these two nines there was the strongest kind of a rivalry, and
as both were popular with the home people great crowds turned out to see
the contests between them. One of these contests resulted in a thirteen
inning game, the score then standing at 5 to 4 in favor of the
Philadelphias, greatly to our disgust, and to the intense joy of our
rivals.

For the second time since the formation of the Players' League, Boston
carried off the championship honors, while we were compelled to content
ourselves with the third position, but I still stood forth on the
batting list, and that was some consolation, at least to me.

The opening of the season of 1874 again saw nine clubs ready to do
battle for the championship, but the Maryland and Resolute Clubs were
missing from the list and in their places were the re-organized Chicagos
and the Hartford aggregation, both of which presented strong teams and
teams that, properly managed, might have made much better showing in the
pennant race.

Still more changes had been made in the make-up of the Athletic team,
which in May of that year was composed of the following players: Clapp,
catcher; McBride, second base; Sutton, third base; McGeary, shortstop;
Gedney, left field; McMullen, center field; and Anson, right field.

From the way in which I was change