Here is something worthy of note by club managers who begin to get their teams together each spring, which we clipped from the St. Louis Sporting News of last December. The editor of the News said: "The player that is on the upward path is the man for success. He is playing for something far more than the salary he gets. He is looking forward to a place in the foremost ranks of the nation's ball players. Consequently he proves to be a hard worker at all times. He tries to land his club in the top notch, and his record, for the part he took, stands out as a recommendation to all the world. On the other hand, the older player, who has made his record and is going down again, has lost all his ambition. He can put no life into the club, his ginger has been expended in the days gone by, and the people look upon him as a back number. He sticks to the profession generally for a livelihood. He wants to play so as to hold his place, but he has lost the powers that he once had, and cannot do what he would like to accomplish. The old-timers had better get a hump on themselves this year, else will the youngsters drive them out of the business." * * * * * The well-known base ball writer, Mr. Pringle, was right when he said: "It is useless to get new rules until existing ones have been rigidly enforced and tested." It is an undeniable fact that the umpires of 1894, almost without exception, failed to properly enforce the rules governing the umpire's duties. In this regard Mr. Pringle said: "The rules relating to the duties of umpires are all right. They have power to stop all rowdy conduct on the field, but the trouble has been the lack of nerve on the part of umpires to enforce the rules." This, and the fact that the presidents and directors of clubs who governed the managers and captains of teams, were largely to blame in the matter for not backing up the umpires as they should have done. The latter have arduous duties enough to discharge as it is without their finding obstacles in their way in the partisan actions of club officials who control club managers and captains. When this class supports the umpires against the club teams it will be time enough to lay the whole onus of hoodlumism in the ranks on the umpires--not until then. * * * * *