The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1886-05-12

what Ia Costs 20 Maintain a First
CInss Club.

what IL Costs 20 Maintain a First
Glass Club.
To-day there are thoroughly organized
and fully equipped eight associations, as
follows: The National League, with eight
clubs; the American Association, with eight
clubs; the Eastern League, with eight
clubs; the Southern League with eight
clubs; the New England League, with six
clubs; the Interstate League, with eight
clubs; the Northwestern League with six
clubs, and the Gulf League, with six clubs.
These eight organizations employ over 800
men, whose salaries for The season will ag-
gregate 81 ,000,0 900 or more. Therefore IL
has rendered the employment Of hard cash
capital q necessity. The expenses of run
ming first class team nre enormous, and all
statistics on the subject of maintaining a
club, even by those who are well posted, Is
purely guesswork. The baseball officials
are loath to talk about the matter. The
managers also have little to say about what
the men receive. The players themselves
never divulge whnt they are getting. The
motive for all this secrecy can scarcely be
imagined. But 1t Is claimed that if these
facts were made public il would have bad
effect on the men. If every player knew
just the amount of money that is being paid
TO men of an equal position in his own
nine, or to men who hold similar positions
in other mines, it would cause feeling Of
discomfort among the players The salary
list alone of any first class club, foots up
from 1926, 900 to $40, 900 a year, and indi-
vidual salaries, in some instances, have
nearly reached 5000 season, and in
many cases they have ranged from $4,000
to 80, 500 for the season. But there is nc
class Of public amusement or sport which,
when properly conducted, gives better re-
turns than baseball.
+ The travelling expenses of club, form
quite an item in the expenditures, and gen.
orally foot up to $1o.0o0 or more during
the year. This includes all railroad fares
and accommodations at first class hotels.
Each club has about IL 900 miles to cover
during its regular championship season,
not to mention how many more while play
ing exhibition games. Then there is the
additional cost of keeping the grounds in
proper playing condition, besides paving
gatemen, ticket-takers and special men en-
ployed about the grounds. All these things
are we'll understood by those who have
studied the subject, and they know full
well that q large capital is required to prop.
erly conduct the business. The day has
gone by when half dozen men can organ
ize a club, unless they can show that they
are financially able to carry out their en-
gagements during the season. A year or
two ago fancy salaries were pnid in creat
many instances, and players who happened
to receive little notice demanded such
exorbitant prices that it came near running
some of the clubs. To avoid any unreason.
able prices by players, the leading organ
izatiops have passed n rule limiting play-
er's salary to SO 600 and doing away with
the advance money system except just
enough TO defray travelling expenses at the
beginning of the season. The paying out
of a large sum of advance noney during
the earlier parts of the season proved great