The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-01
BASEBALL HAS HAD 4
VERY DISASTROUS SEASON
50 FAR THE ATTENDANCE AT Ma
1TONAL LEAGUE GAMES HAS BEEN
VERY FAR BELOW FORMER
LOw-wATER Marks
CAUSE AND EE.
EECT

3
! that the attendance has everywhere beer
! much reduced.
| This Is all the more remarkable as thers
has not been any such falling OF in Ameri-
can League. Eastern League and many
| other minor league cities.
Ban Johnson. president of the American
League. reports a fine season To the Sport
ing News he says:
1.-THE success Of the league so far Is az
great as We prophesied before the season
began. You know We said that this was
going to be the American Leagues best
year. II the season keeps on at the present
rate. this prophecy viii be abundantly full
filed. The teams are all drawing well. and
think every owner In the league will have
q balance, OF greater or less proportions. at
the seasons close
A pleasing picture. truly. Baseball does
not seem to be on the bum" in Ban John
sons territory.
Then come the following bits OF news
from correspondents In Charley Powers In
terstaie League territory:
President Power expressed himself as
being well pleased with the teams and the
attendance ut all the cities In the league
he has visited"
i have just finished a trip through Ohio
and West Virginia / found the Interstate
League IN q very prosperous condition. Six
OF the teams are championship POSSIBLE
ties"
Verify. the national game does not seem
TO De in riSor norris where Power Is IN
co nnand- And the picture might be added
TO.
And now. alas and aiack, Look q. this
picture OF National League affairs:
Chicago. June lS.-It Is alternate 10y and
sorrow with the fans Of Chicago. Here We
are rejoicing at one moment over the ST.
perb ball the White Stockings are playing.
ana In another minute tears are flowing
over the hard luck our National League
representatives are playing in"
Poor old Hard Luckr' He has to bear
the sins or many ar Incompetent
The following comes from your New
York man: Manager Se!ee gays that in
all his experience In the club the receipts
he had ever known" And he adds: The
remarkably small"
BrooklyI took eight out of twelve. fist
attendance was tar below expectations and
champions away from home there would
pc "a balance ,saI on the wrong side OF the
Yes. and any other days since Hanlon
TOOK his travelling aggregation over there
and changed their narnes.
ball games are not patronized Us they were
some years ago. as a whole. say what you
Will" which was certainly true TO the Ma
less than iC6S in brooklyn. Or Lloe In Phila-
fFfhtR ri u f i5 Of l9 In
crowd OF l,lyJ in Chicago, the day after
that wonderful TO .. fourteea-inning cen
s in s1s y Ee sfs the a ReE
YORK., the tail-end Freedmanites are doing
letter than the champion Haaloaites.
the National League and the Amsrisaa
Lacquer
fairs, Frank Patterson says: why Is IT that
with supreme authority. without oppose
ton. with its pick of the greatest players
and the greatest cities Of the country, the
National League should be on the hog
while the American League, with the play
ers not wanted and the cities not wanted,
the high tide Of prosperity Barring Chi
eago. the seven other cities OF the Amer
lean all put together have less population
than the boroughs Of Manhattan and the
Bronx The National League Cities with
their tributary population, average. I
think. average one-fourth that, barring Chi
cage, Of course. And yet. while the clubs OF
the latter are expensive and paying good
tional Leaguers are losing II.
why, ask again. is this difference-this
McAieer and his team do well in Cleveland
where the National League team could NOT
mako enough to pay for the balls used2'
That exceedingly clever baseball man, Mr..
J. Poliywos Smith, contributes this mite of
explanation; is II possible that people are
and al for the Almighty Doliar '' poiisy p
the magnates? Does allen ownership dis
gust Ihem-Baltimore people owning the
Louis Louisville man virtually controlling
Pitrsburg and an Indianapolis haberdasher |
owner Of the Cincinnati club7 1t may be.
Ior local price outs bigger figure than |
THE lack of sportsmanship. the MERGE |
nary spirit, years Of acknowledgement. of
the players and the public: foolish. silly |
ouarrels with the press; arrogant disregard |
Of the rights Of The public; Brushism in |
with press and public: favoritlsm to certain |
to certain clubs and certain |
players: juggling with umpire assignments. |
Eippoeromins FOR gate money-ye gods, the |
record OF their sins seems never ending. |
Is 1t any wonder that there are
.oms.. and I believe the number
hoping for the day when Ban johnson and |
bis cohorts will invade the East. invade the |
war and drive ont of the national game
forever the men who have disgraced Il too
long. That good time is coming some day. |
and the sooner the better"
Henry Chadwick. who was present when
he game was born. and who has been Its
lose observer ever since, Gays.
"On Saturday. June l6 although the wealth
r was fine In the four League cities where
games were played and four
exciting games promised, the aggregate at
enhance did not reach an average Of $500
o each city, when under the old condition
II things. even year ago. II would have
,een nearly double. Here is the attendance
n each city that Saturday: Boston, $500;
500; Pittsburg, 400; St |
louis. 2slS. There is some excuse for ST.
.ouis. which city's patronage has been tenn !
,orarily reduced by the street car strike. |
But there is no questioning the facts that
serious falling off in the patronage of |
professional baseball has occurred this sea- |
on. and the important question that re-
mains TO be answered is, Why Is It thus?
1.-THE fact that the weather has not been |
rood and that It is a presidential year does
lot thoroughly explain the tremendous fall
ng off IN baseball interest ell over the
JEFFERSON CLUB PICNIC.