Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-11
National Leagues Length
ened Season Criticised.
PLAYERS LOSE MONEY
ACTION WILL HELP TO POPULAR
IZE THE AMERICAN LEAGUE.
Six Days Cycle Teams Bunched-New
Orleans Reces-New Strength Rec
ord-Court Tennis Match.

The National League base ball magnateS
wound up their meeting at New York yes
terday afternoon, and then attended
banquet given by c. H. Ebbets of the
Brooklyn club last night After they ad-
journed they announced that James A.
Hart of Chicago had been selected COM
m.ttee of one to act in conjunction with
similar committees from the American
League and National Association of Minor
Leagues, with the idea Of bringing the Cali
fornia League under the protection of the
national agreement. At present Cal fornia
is OUTLAW territory, and bail players In
the American and National leagues have
been known to influence Their employers by
threatening to jump to the coast If the
committee can bring the recalcitrant league
into line the ball player VIII be securely
handcuffed to whatever contract his club
may see fit to offer h m.
No action by the National League in re-
cent years has created so much adverse
comment as the decision to lengthen the
schedule to one of 154 games. thereby elm
mating the worlds championship series and
inter-c!ty games with the American
League. For one thing, such a schedule S
garded as deliberate crawl and is the
second time the older body has acknowl-
edged the supremacy of Ban JohnSOn's Or
ganization. Several ball playe:s who were
fair piece of business to deprive the cham
pions of the two leagues to play for big
gate money at the end of the season. and
that next season the players would have
TO work harder than ever for their salaries.
A young man affiliated with the Pittsburg
club said: III Pittsburg should win the
pennant again next year. we VIII be willing
to play for the worlds Championship
again"
President Hart of Chicago said that. of
course, the natural inference was that
games with the American League had been
avoided but as a matter of fact the Ma
tional League had made the move solely be-
cause Of business. Hart said:
If we kept up these games there would
De no Such thng as peace in base ball. They
caused too much tll-feeling and barring the
fredericksburg series there was very III
tie money IN them. The players received
big salaries to operate the teams through
the regular playing season. and, to my way
OF thinking, were not entitled to ANYTHING
more. In view of everything and the heavy
salary lists we are compelled to carry we
decided to lengthen the season so that we
could get all the receipts possible to meet
cur obligations and make little money on
the side. That Is the real reason"
The National League men admit. how
ever, that the loss of the worlds CHAMPION
snip to the Boston American League club
was staggering blow from which If will
take them a long time to recover They
recognize the superior playing strength of
the American League clubs and therefore
90 not want to take further chances of be-
Ing shown up. They do not believe that de-
feats at the hands Of their young rival will
do them good in the eyes of the public. and
want to avoid them In future
we do not care to educate the public to
American League ball." said one of the
magnates In New York yesterday because
the name National League Is our trade
mark and with it we have been able to
hand the public any kind of base ball The
attendance at the Polo Grounds last year
showed that the people did not realize the
weakness of the teams that played there as
compared with the strength Of the Ameri-
can League mines that met the New Yorks
on the heights above. But these reyerses
suffered this fall may wake New Workers.
up to the fact that American League ball
Is the best and that the old league has been
furnishing inferior quality of sport at
the same old prices If the public gets as
wise as 1t Is in Boston and PHILADELPHIA.
1t will be all Off"
1t is a surprise how the magnates turn
ed down the plan proposed by Garry Herr
mann Of Cincinnati to shorten the eason
and play ante and post season series with
the Americans. Hermann came into base
ball only a year ago, but he has demon
strated in more ways than one that he can
give some OF these magnates a big start and
then gallop in in front of them He is
chairman Of the national base ball commits
sion, the supreme court of the game and
Is a powerful factor In Cincinnati politics
Hermann Is also a close friend of Ban
Johnson and Is destined to be a big man in
the changes to be made in base ball before
many moons.