Editing Cap Anson (section)

===Albert Spalding and James Hart===
Anson first met [[Albert Spalding]] while both were players; Spalding was a [[pitcher]] for the [[Rockford Forest Citys]], Anson played for the Marshalltown, Iowa, team.<ref name=Wrigleyville/> Spalding convinced the 18-year-old Anson to come play for the Forest Citys at a salary of $65 per month. In 1876, when Anson was playing for Philadelphia, Spalding and [[William Hulbert]] lured Anson to the Chicago team, which Spalding now managed.<ref name=Wrigleyville/> After signing the contract, Anson had second thoughts (his future wife did not want to leave her family in Philadelphia), and offered Spalding $1,000 to void the contract. Spalding held Anson to the contract, and Anson came to Chicago in March 1876.<ref name=Wrigleyville/>

Spalding retired as a player and manager after the 1877 season, but continued as secretary, and later president, of the White Stockings.<ref name=Wrigleyville/> Anson became a player/manager of the team in 1879, and by 1889 had a 13% ownership.<ref name="Fleitz"/><ref name=Wrigleyville/> In 1888 Spalding announced that the White Stockings, including Anson, and a "picked nine"<ref name="Fleitz"/> from the rest of the National League would begin a World Tour after the end of the season. Spalding put up most of the money, but Anson invested $3,750 of his own.<ref name="Fleitz"/> James Hart was hired as business manager and Anson developed an intense dislike for him.<ref name="Fleitz"/>

After Spalding stepped down as president of the Chicago club in 1891, he appointed James Hart to the position,<ref name=Wrigleyville/> which Anson felt should have been his despite his dismal business record.<ref name="Fleitz"/> Spalding, however, continued to run the club behind the scenes.<ref name=Wrigleyville/> In December 1892, Hart, with Spalding's blessing, reorganized the White Stockings into a stock company.<ref name="Fleitz"/> Anson was required to sign a new contract, which ended in 1898 instead of 1899 as the previous one had.<ref name="Fleitz"/> Anson spotted the error later but said nothing, trusting that Spalding would honor the previous terms.<ref name="Fleitz"/>

Hart began to undermine Anson's managerial decisions by reversing fines and suspensions imposed by Anson.<ref name="Fleitz"/> By 1897 Anson had little control over his players; after Anson demanded a sportswriter print that Anson thought "the Chicago ball club is composed of drunkards and loafers who are throwing him down",<ref name="Fleitz"/> his days as manager were numbered. Spalding invited Anson and his wife on a four-week journey to England in late November 1897. Spalding dropped many hints on the voyage, encouraging Anson to voluntarily retire, but Anson had no intention of doing so.<ref name="Fleitz"/> Things remained in limbo until January 29, 1898 when the Associated Press printed a statement by Spalding: "I have taken pains as a mediator to find out from Chicagoans how they feel about a change of management. There has been a decided undercurrent in favor... Lovers of baseball think that Anson has been in power too long."<ref name="Fleitz"/>
[[File:Cap Anson WSP 19080422.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Cap Anson throws out the first pitch for the home opener for the Cubs on April 22, 1908, at Chicago's [[West Side Park]].]]