Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-04
Pans" Interested in Wash
ington Clubs New Name.
NOVEL SUGGESTIONS
EACH MAIL CARRIES HUNDREDS
OF LETTERS TO HEADQUARTERS.
Tennis Match-Amateur
Billiard Tourney-To Change
Steeplechase Rules.

The proposition to rechristen the Wash
ington Base Ball Club has met with grea.
favor among the local fans" and when
the committee meets to decide upon a new
sobriquet 1t will have tremendous job on
its hands. The hundreds of fans" who
watch every move on the base ball map
took up the suggestion with avidity, and
each mail brings scores of letters to Presi-
dent Noyes. There is great minority of
would-be humorous suggestions, large
majority of the enthusiasts taking the
proposition with all seriousness, the real in
tention of the club officials.
Just how sincere the interest is in the
Washington club can be CLEANED from the
fact that fully third Of the writer's with
suggestions say that they care nothing for
the seasons pass. the prize offered for the
best title, but that they hope good name
will be settled upon, and should the team
win something like half their games they
will pay their way with the greatest pleas
ure.
One enthusiast writes that he played with
a club when a boy that never lost game.
and he wanted the same title adopted, as
he considered it lucky.
That the patronage of the washington
club is not confined to the District is veri-
fled by the number of suggestions that have
come from Alexandria. Rockville and other
nearby towns. The Washington club not
only belongs to this city, but really repre-
serts this part of the country, and there
are as ardent followers of the team in Vir-
ginia and Maryland as there are in the
District. Every letter voices the hope that
the team will prove successful, which SUBJ
stimulates the general opinion that a good
start this spring will bring back many en-
thusiasts who deserted the game On account
of being tired watching the playing of a
losing aggregation.
The cut in salaries for the coming season
has created no end of talk throughout the
country. and in those cities where the Ma
tional League has had the call, notably
Pittsburg and Cincinnati, the American
League is blamed for trying to reap all the
profit and also of inaugurating the move
ment.
If any of the close followers of the game
will take the trouble to go over the list OF
players in the American and National
leagues they will quickly learn why the
younger association has to stand the brunt
of the blame for the reduction in salaries.
At rough guess there are 100 players I'm
der contract to the National League, and
of this number there are not more than
twenty who are "top-notchers'' in the SAL
airy line. To reduce this number of sal
aries causes little comment, and in several
cases no reductions have been made. Take
the Bostons as an example; there are not
over two players up in the $1,000 class.
Bl ooklyn and Philadelphia have none, while
the New York Giants have about six. Pitts
burg has about the same number. Cincin-
natl about eight, Chicago two and ST. Louis
two.
Now line up the American League. Bos-
ton has fully eleven players whose salaries
will reach $1,000 or better. while the High
landers have fully a dozen or better. The
Athletics have at least two. Washington
three, Cleveland eight, Chicago six. Detroit
seven and st. Louis four. This ratio
shows at about three to one in favor
of the American League. This percentage
creates about three-fold the grumbling,
and. of course, the American League has to
stand for it.. =,
main very large, and where man has
demonstrated that he has done his best for
the club and played good ball there will be
no cut. ,
The managers know full well that dis
conteuted player is worthless to any team,
no matter what his salary may be, and will
do everything possible to make everybody
satisfied. Heretofore the players have re-
ceived the major part of the money taken
in at the gate. while the capitalists. who
have lost money season after season, have
stood by and taken their medicine without
a grumble. 1t is only right that there
should be an even break between owner and
employe and President Johnson and his
fellow magnates have decided to try and
bring about this situation next season II
pOSSible.