The Chicago Tribune had had enough:
“The deterioration in the morale of the players has been followed by deterioration in that of the spectators. The latter relish the obscene profanity and the slugging exploits of the hulking brutes of the baseball field.”
The Tribune provided an “account of the more disgraceful of the many rows witnessed by spectators of baseball games,” during the just-ended 1899 season:
“May 2—Row at Pittsburgh—St. Louis game. (Frank) Bowerman was put out of the game. (Jack) O’Connor was taken off the field by the police, and the crowd chased umpires (Tom) Burns and (William) Smith.
May 19—Umpire Burns put (Giants’ William “Kid”) Gleason out of the game at St. Louis. Gleason’s protest was so strong Burns forfeited the game to St. Louis.
June 1—Row on the grounds at Washington.
June 16—After a long wrangle and continued rowing on the field at New York. Umpire Burns forfeited the game to Brooklyn.
June 16—(Fred) Clarke and (Clarence “Cupid”) Childs fight on the field in Louisville.
June 27—Rowdy action of players caused the crowd at the Pittsburgh game to mob umpire (James “Chippy”) McGarr.
July 18—(Tommy) Corcoran slugged (John) McGraw at Baltimore after being first attacked, and his action started a riot.
July 26—(Emerson “Pink”) Hawley, (Fred) Tenney, and (Hugh) Duffy engaged in a game of fisticuffs at Cincinnati.
Aug 16—(Oliver “Patsy”) Tebeau, McGraw and (George “Candy”) LaChance fought at Baltimore
Aug 18—Riot at Baltimore game started by (Tim) Donahue throwing a handful of dirt at (Steve) Brodie’s face.
Sept 1—Childs and Aleck Smith fight on the field in Louisville.
Sept 7—Riots at St. Louis and Brooklyn.
Sept 15—Clarke taken off Philadelphia grounds by police.
Sept 16—Chicago players jerked (Ed) Swartwood around the diamond because he called the game in the eighth inning on account of darkness.
Oct 9—(George “Win”) Mercer assaulted (Al) Mannassau at Washington.
Oct 14—(Jimmy) Scheckard assaulted umpire (John) Hunt, refused to retire, and Hunt forfeited the game to Brooklyn.”
Cupid Childs, repeat offender
Al Mannassau, assaulted by Win Mercer in Washington
In addition to the fans, The Tribune blamed team owners:
“For the multifarious minor acts of blackguardism and rowdyism of which the hired men of the club owners were guilty there is no room. It is sufficient to say that they, like the graver offenses mentioned above, did not wound the feelings or jar on the nerves of the proprietors of these baseball roughs. Those proprietors seem to have come to the conclusion that audiences like these ruffianly interludes.”
Like hundreds of predictions before and thousands more to come over the years, The Tribune saw dire consequences for baseball given the current state of the game:
“There was a time when Chicagoans went to see the games of the Chicago club because they had a feeling of proprietorship in that organization. That day is over. Men do not go to see games out of local pride, nor do they go to see fine playing. They go to listen to the language of the slums and to witness the horseplay and brutalities of the players or performers. When these have lost their attractions professional baseball will disappear. “
Baseball History Daily 