Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-07-26
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Observation-Disclosures
Parkersburg, July 25.-"Yes, sir, base
b;,ll has degenerated. I'm speaking of
the professional, the league games.
For long time [ stuck to it that these
games were on the square, but now I
Know better Ever meet Sam Davis,
now on the road selling rubber goods?
He was with the Baltimore Blues for
eight years. Well, he opened my eyes,
and ears. too. He says it is a fact that
this business of the home club win
ming so many games on the home
grounds is more than accidental. 1t is
a put up job. How do they do it?
Easy There's an understanding that
just when 1t is necessary an error sha i
be made. A tumble shall occur.
Sam told me that if a game was to be
played in a town where the interest
was dying out, the home club was al
lowed to win, and thus enthuse the
fans again. Why don't we hear of
these arranged games when 81 player is
released? Why don't he give 1t away:
Why, If he did, he'd never get into
another league club as long as he lived,
besides. no one would believe him.
think he was lying just because he'd
been fred. Let me tell you another
thing that happened this year. me
Nextown club was third on the list.
and had only poorer clubs TO pay
against for the next six weeks. which
of course made the Nextown fans
think their club would head the list be-
fore they got home again. Ana the
day before they left, Jonas, the short
stop. told me not to waste any OF my
money betting on that Jonas said
when we get back here SAINT Peters
boys would be on top, and they were
seventh at that time. Sure enough
when the Nextown boys played the
next home game they We're way to
seventh place and Saint Peters club
headed the list. How did he know SIX
weeks ahead?"
The above is nearly a velbatum re-
port, names changed, of conversa-
ton with one of the best posted base
ball cranks in an adjoining town. he
voiced a pretty general sentiment,
growing one. that base ball, professlon-
al base ball, is now conducted along
the line of horse racing. !. e, results
are fixed before the races.
1t so happens that the writer enjoys
the acquaintanceship of ore Oh the
stockholders of a professional base oail
club. one that belongs to the league.
To him this scribe went with this tale
of woe: Utter nonsense, was MS
reply. do you think we'd have these
twelve, the fourteen, even twenty IN
ming games if things We're Tx
edo Why to fix game the
captain would have to have
an understanding with one or TWO
members of the club each game.
More than that he'd have to have an
with the captain ana
one or more members Of the club they
were playing against. And some OF
them would leak Some of them would
soueal to some reporter and give the
whole thing away. Again the public
would catch on. They know when an
error is an error. Besides every play
er has a book record, and every play
er's salary the following year Is de-
termined by his past years record.
Some of these players getting hund-
red dollars week, you'd have to pay
pretty well to make an error. The
whole business contains the element
of luck or chance the public has NO
realization Of and which comes to
every club. Take this case for in
stance. Our boys made two runs to
their credit in game the other day,
this in the last half Of the Sth inning
The other fellows made only ciphers..
~. -, t1o< Has a Onnd
and he hit a grounder safe past the
pitcher, past the short stop,
and then the conrounded ball
coolly rolled under the second
basemans bag, and the Jig was up.
If that ball had gone one inch one way
or the other, we'd have scored two
more, and had Blowers safe on first.
AS 1t was the other fellows made three
On the last inning and we lost the
game. Again this umpire business
has more to do with results than luck.
When an umpire has In 1t for some
club, they might as well not play on
the home or any other grounds. He
can elk" game and does. lam not
sore-head and you haven't heard me
call any names have you, but just
want to say, the roasting one umpire
received in one town has fixed" that
home club whenever that umpire
gets a chance to even up. And he has
a chance every few weeks
so here we have it. Ii there's Elk
ing going on we can remain bliss
fully ignorant No way to detect or
expose it.. After all as long as "ignor-
ance Is bliss it's folly to be WISE
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