Evening star., 1905-10-22
TIM MURNANE'S CHAT

Special Correspondence of The Star.
"The most successful season financially
the American League ever had" said Presi-
dent Ban Johnson in New York last week
I'VE thought we were doing pretty well
last season, but have played to 100000 more
people this season than last, every club IN
the American League making money Mr.
Johnson was speaking by the book for ne
is in close touch with the business depart
ment of each club, and supervises all ac-
counts. A rough guess would place the
following rake-off for the eight clubs OF
the American League: Chicago, $loo,ooo'
Philadelphia, 1000; Boston, $4,000; CleVe-
land, $4,000; Washington, $3O,ooO; 81.
Louis $4,000; New York, $4,000, and De-
troit $4,000, total OF 100000. A rough
guess at the winnings of the National
League would be New York, 1925, 1000; Pitts
burg, $4,000; Chicago, 100000; Cincinnati
1000; Philadelphia. $4,000: st. Louis $2o'-
co., with Boston even on the season ana
Brooklyn a loser of $4,000 Total winnings,
$4,000.
Boston and Brooklyn We're practically
frosts in the way of attendance Whlle Dolh
received big money out of their games III
New York. The latter city, Pittsburg and
Chicago proved the life-savers for the ola
organization.
But for the hard luck in the way of rainy
weather the Boston team would have been
one of the big winners, Notwithstanding
the team had bad slump, affecting the
attendance at the home grounds on the last
stand as well as on the road.
Money was literally thrown away on
small army of young players who never
had chance to make good in fast COM
pany, clever managers like Mack of Phlla-
delphia and Comisky of Chicago avoiding
this mistake. 1t was not only great sea
son for the major leagues, but good one
for the struggling minors in four out OF
five eases.
The eastern and southern leagues did
more business than ever, but allowed the
salaries to work up to a killing figure. SO
that the stockholders had little to feel pleas
ed over outside of three cities-Providence,
Baltimore and perhaps Rochester, where Al
Buckenberger pulled out a winner IMAM
cially for a wonder
The Southern League ran against the yel-
low fever at New Orleans and to too high
a salary and had little to the good when
the books were closed, although the game
was fine success.
The American Association did extremely
well outside of Kansas City and Ioledo'
while the Western League had hne sea-
son with a siX-club league. Both the New
England and Connecticut leagues had an
average season, two or three cIups falIlng
off in attendance in both leagues. The
Connecticut winners were anxious TO break
ganization and get into the New England,
but there nothing doing, as James IL
o ORourke of Bridgeport, the veteran of the
diamond refused to join a league that
would force him to remain from his own
bed over night, and James is practically the
owner of the business in his part OF the
country. And why not. This is his thirty
fifth straight season as a professional bail
player, and he is today a pretty live mem
ber of the profession.
Major as well as minor must be prepared
to change the makeup of their leagues,
and the best cities must often get rest
for a year or two, and for this reason New
England is the ideal country for minor or
ganizations of the class B stripe.
AS near as l can figure, professional ball
has cleared up this season about $SOo,O0o.
This takes in some twenty-eight organZa-
tions under the national agreement, and
playing under one code of rules with the