Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-09-20
GAMBLING IN BASE BALL.
Dangers That Threaten the Game
The Only Remedy.
From Sporting LIT

From Sporting Life.
1t universally claimed that base ball
is the only American sport which can
attract crowds OF thousands of people to
witness its exciting contests and keep up
its name as the most popular of all sports
without the extrinsic aid of betting.
Those interested in the national game
have long been claiming that horse races,
athletic contests and nearly every other
sport in vogue could not long subsist if
pool selling, bo0kmaking and other meth
DDS of gambling were prohibited, as it WAS
the gambling fraternity that kept alive
these various other pastimes. 1t has.
therefore, been argued by the base ball
people that the national game was the
only clean sport which retained its popu-
larity on its own merits, and the only
pastime Of outdoor amusements which
was being conducted honestly, and hence
was the only sport which merited the
support OF all good, lava biding citizens.
1t must be admitted that their arguments
carry with themselves a heap of truth
and solid facts. The question is, how
long will the men interested in the ma
tional game be able to keep the gam
bling fraternity from encroaching upon
their sport? 1t was away back in the
sixties when base ball was first PLAYED
professionally. The game grew In pOpu-
lar favor every year until it reached its
zenith OF popularity about the year 1878.
1t was then that the bookmakers and
other betting characters began to gamble
on the games, and il was not long ere
they had corrupted one or more players
in every club, so that they could have the
game thrown to their advantage. For a
while base ball was being played very
dishonesty and controlled entirely by the
gambling fraternity. The public was not
slow in discovering this, and they refused
to any longer support the game. AS
result base ball almost entirely died out,
and tor several years was prac.
tically dead. But men like the
late William A. Hurlbert, OF Chicago,
A. G. Mills, OF New YORK, and other
reputable citizens came to the rescue,
and after driving out the gamblers and re-
modelling the rules, reorganizing the clubs,
and inaugurating other radical and equal
ly effective measures, the great American
game was not only rescued, but resusci-
tated and started anew Gu "a healthy road
to prosperity. Since then base ball has
been growing rapidly in popular favor,
until it is now the greatest of all Ameri-
can sports. Its games have for dozen
OF years been honestly conducted and
played on their merits. Since then base
bali has been tree from gambling and all
other disagreeable and obnoxious sur
roundlngs.
CRITICAL PERIOD.
But crisis has been reached where the
future success OF the game is threatened
unless those connected with the sport take
immediate steps TO prevent the gam blers
from again corruping it, This year there
has been more or less gambling upon the
game going on IN various parts OF the
country, though thus far the players have
not vet been tempted. In the South, in
! Nashville and one or two other cities, the
pool rooms had direct wires running to the
grounds of the Southern League cities,
and were selling pools on the result Of the
games, as well as on the Innings. Happily.
in Nashville the City Council put stop to
this by passing an ordinance prohibiting
betting on base ball games, while in the
other cities the local authorities drove the
gamblers out. Very few people know
that pools are at present being sold on
base ball in New York, Washington, Bal
timore, Chicago, and several other cities
represented in the National League and
American Association circuits. This
news may take the directors of these two
principal associations by surprise, but
the Sporting Life knows whereof il
speaks, and will not only point out TO
them the danger that contronts them, but
explain where and how 1t Is done, and
how IL can be stopped.
Less than fortnight AGO news was sent
out from Washington and published all
over the country that the new Chief Of
Police OF the District Of Columbia had
made raid upon and closed up "Kenne-
dy's base ball pool room, where pools
were sold on innings and results of
games.n Kennedy's place had been in
full operation all the season, and gam
bling had been going on openly right un-
der the eyes OF President Nick Young, of
the League. In New York there are two
places where pools are being sold on the