The evening times., 1899-02-15
THE hBSURDLTY OF
A BASEBALL STORY
No Danger of a Reduction in
the League Membership.
Money Made by Magnates in the
Past and Prospects Bright.
VIII Not Agree to EndOw Rival
Organization or Provoke An
other War.

League baseball men are talking ol po'ip"hlhg
| the schedule meeting, arranged FOR February =,
| TO March Joe Villa. in the New York sun.
The Times is authorized to say that
nothing of the kind has been talked about
or considered by the League magnates.
In the first place, there is no League
meeting arranged for February 2S, espe-
cially TO consider the arrangement of the
! schedule. The regular League meeting
will take place in New York on that date
| to dispose of the unfinished business and
! pass any new legislation deemed neces-
| sary for the good of the game, and
among other things it is expected that
schedule of games for the season viii be
| adopted.
The situation at ST. Louis as Mr.. Villa
| seems 10 believe. Will not in the slightest
| degreel affect the arrangement OF the
| sche,...e, as everyone knows there 'dBb:
| be club in St Louis that will play ball
at home and abroad, and that dates will
| be assigned it as usual. Therefore, no
| postponement OF the PRONUNCIATION of that
document is either necessary or contem-
| plated, nor will there be any official con-
sideration of the subject of reduction OF
| the twelye-club League. That question
has become chestnut too old fOr pub j.
cation, and II is 10 be regretted that Mr..
! Villa, usually reliable and up to date in
| baseball matters, should fall into the a.
| ror of giving prominence to such ridicu-
lOus prediction.
He thinks that with an investment of
s150,000 the League could be put upon a
paying basis. In other words, he means
that it would require that amount OF money
to purchase the franchises OF the four
clubs that it is proposed TO drop. Mr.
Villa is evidently not on familiar terms
with the financial end of his subject as it
would require almost twice that amount
| of money TO accomplish the desired end
as each club willing to surrender its fran
chise for the purpose of reducing the club
membership would be required to execute
| an indemnifying bond agreeing not to en-
| gage in the business in the future in OPP
| position to the League. Therefore club
! that would under ordinary circumstances
| dispose of its franchise for $50, 600 or $780,
| GOO would under the stipulations suggest
ed. demand twice that amount and would
| also demand the payment of spot cash.
| The suggestion that these shrewd finan-
ciers would wait for their pay until II
was accumulated by gate receipts, is
| amusing. Yet, for the sake of argument
| let US admit that the four clubs could be
purchased for S150000. That would require
payment from each club of $1S757.
| Is there any sane citizen of this great
| repuDllC VINO DeileNSS lH6t any one OF
| these astute money makers would agree
| to any such unbusiness-like proposition?
| And that, too, in the fact of certainty
| that they would be endowing a rival or
ganization. Not League club would give
one cent, for such will o the wisp"
and there is not one club much less four
| that would surrender its franchise upon
any other condition than those named.
Then why cumber the columns of the
newspapers with this improbable scheme
about reducing the League membership?
| The present League organization has had
| q complete monopoly Of the baseball busi-
ness in all the large cities of the country
| for the past seven years, and during this
time have made hundreds of thousands of
dollars.
Is it to be presumed that they would
now be guilty of cutting their own fnan-
| cial throats by giving 1t up?
Every club in the League that has been
managed upon business principles has made
handsome dividends for their stockhold-
ers. The clubs that have been large loos-
ers have rule been almost crminally
mismanaged.
If, therefore the League has made money
in the past, and the fact cannot be denied
will it not make more money in the fu-
ture?
A wave of general prosperity is now
sweeping over the country that will revive
business in all branches of industry, and,
as matter of course, our great national
game, in common with other amusements,
will be. greatly benefited in a financial
sense and, to use the language of the
streets, you can go broke that the mag
mates will not do anything to imperil their
bright prospects.
The Times agrees with Earl Wagner.
who is quoted as saying that "the twelve
club League will play out the limit and
then take new ten years lease upon life"
Therefore, patrons and fans need not be-
come anxious and lose sleep about the fate
of the game or be frightened at the va
grant pipe stories now in circulation.