I have read pretty much all the baseball coverage in Cincinnati newspapers during the 1880's, and a fair amount for the 1890's. If a bad word was ever said about Bid McPhee, I have yet to see it.

 

 

"[McPhee] does not belong to the fancy class, and was the surest catch of an assist of any man who was seen in Cincinnati...Nobody can roam over more ground or deal destruction to more difficult hot grounders than he." Cincinnati Enquirer, November 12, 1882.

 

" This deserving gentleman by his quiet demeanor on the field, his earnest play and his general actions in and out of uniform has endeared himself to almost every lover of the game in this city." Cincinnati Times Star, September 12, 1887.

 

”Other players come and go but Mac remains. There is, however, a good reason for this. When McPhee stepped into fast company in 1882, unlike most youngsters, he recognized the necessity of good habits. The club has never required a private detective to watch his movements. He knows, and knew when he first entered the profession, that intemperance will drive any man out of baseball in a short while. Another thing that has been in McPhee’s favor is his even temperament. Mac was never a player who mingled into the affairs of his team mates. He plays his position and works for the best of the team, yet he is not given to criticizing the work of other players and working himself into fits of nervousness. Mac is always the same. He doesn’t take it upon himself to attend to everybody’s business, and the result is that he plays his own position much better.” Cincinnati Commercial Tribune , August 6, 1899.