Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-12
Foot Ball, Racing
and Other Sports
CONTINUED From Ninth Page)

Continued From Ninth Page.)
its start In 1900. Again and again this club
could have been purchased at q very low
price. and its present owners secured 1t for
comparative song and it Is safe to say
that the earnings Of the past three seasons
have been $4,000 It is generally admitted
that there 10 no plant In the country as well
situated. or nearly SO, and so well equipped
as the Boston American League plant In
this city. The base ball world was thor
oughly amazed last season because the club
played to such an excellent business, the
attendance being 5000 per game. Under
any circumstances. therefore. the club is
bound to do splendid paying business.
~
The Boston Nationals have cleared over
500 600 in a single season. and the outlook
for 1907 Is better than 1t has been for years.
The new owners propose to make the plant
look better than ever in the history Of the
club and to conduct their business in thor
oughly up-to-date manner. 1t is going to
take some money to do all this, but they
are prepared to do So and a delightful sur
prise Is promised all who attend the open
ing game; and 1t is already a safe prophecy
that this opening will completely distance
anything known in this city for years. 1t
is mistake to imagine that the Boston
club has failed to meet expenses the last
two seasons 1t would be conservative
estimate to say the club had cleared fully
$25 600 above all expenses and fixed charges
the past two seasons.
- --~ X
The Boston National League plant,
grounds included, will cost the new owners
$275, 900. OF this amount $75, 600 will be paid
in cash and the remainder remain on mort
gage at low rate Of interest. The grounds
are taxed for something like 5000. which
leaves $4,000 for the franchise and the
players. This cannot be considered at all
exorbitant. Any one who says the players
would bring any kind of price knows little
of what he prates. There Is no doubt at all
that Fred Tenney would bring at least
1000 cash. 1t would not be surprising at
all IL young ICY" Young, the left-handed
pitcher, would not fetch as much. The three
pitchers-Pfeffer, Lindaman and Dorner-
are certainly worth good-sized bonus.
Howard Is splendid all-round player, and
Brain man well worth good, round sum.
very conservative estimate would value
the players of the team at $4,000, SO that
the whole property looks very cheap so far
as franchises go and are held today.
X
It Is a fact that Tenney once turned down
an offer of $500 per annum for a two
year contract to go to Detroit when Ferdi-
nand Angus had the club. Angus was after
Tenney hot and hard, but the crack first
baseman was always loyal to the triumvi-
rate and stuck to the National League flag.
How often has it not been said that Tenney
would look very good on first base for the
outfit across the railroad track, He was
one of the few of the stars who was wanted
and did not go. AS Long was the magnet
that attracted many to the Boston Ma
tionals in the days Of the players league,
SO Tenney helped the National League i'm
menSely in the days of the conflict between
the National and American leagues. Ger
tainly Tenney was a loser by his stand, but
he has always been conservative sort of
chap and preferred to remain where he was
sure than to take chance. In the same
boat with Tenney was the veteran manager,
Frank Selee. Selee had abundant chances
! to take a prominent place in the Johnson
make the try, and remained true to the
National League Poll to the end of his
major league days.
X
The Robisons. who own the ST. Louis Ma
tional League club, abandoned the Cleve-
land field and Messrs Kilfoyl and Semers
took it up and have converted it into a
holding. 1t is said the franchise and play
ers are valued at fully 100000, and a prof.
fer of that sum would doubtless be turned
down. 1t will be remembered that Mr..
SOmerS nndnceQ DOCl the Pn1laQGlDlla ana
the Boston propositions at the outset, and
held that Of this city for some time. and
finally was obliged to dispose of it, Henry
]. Killilea then taking it up.
X
Connie Mack is rich man. He has
worked the Philadelphia end of the Ameri-
can League into paying matter, has made
that city his home and owns some valuable
real estate in that city. In the off season
he has a bowling alley and billiard room,
which is a favorite resort with those fond
of those recreations: The Philadelphia
American League club has cleared all of
125,OOO the two seasons past.
**
But for the fact that in the early days of
the American League in this city there was
war the tariff of admission in this city
would never have been reduced to 25 cents.
The American League has fully 5000 %
cent seats, and made its bid for patronage
and popularity in this city 25-cent tariff.
While the third-base bleachers on the Ma
tional League grounds have always been
held at so cents, the tariff is virtually 25
cents to the bleachers for the reason that
SO few go to the 50-cent side. Doubtless
something will be done to remedy this state
of things in another season. 1t would not
be at all surprising If the first-base bleach
ers were covered, thus protecting the
cupants from the rays of the sun, while
those on the thrd-base side can have the
cinders from the passing trains for quar-
ter. There has been talk of increasing
the tariff to the first-base bleachers on the
American League grounds to so cents, thus
compelling the use of the seats in center
field to those who paid that tariff but thus
far nothing has been done in that direc-
ton, and 1t is a question If anything will be.
X
Never in the history of the game was it
as difficult to obtain a foothold in city
as for the New York Americans to land on
Manhattan Island 1t took deal of labor
and lot of money. Farrell was the angel,
and there were many who could not posi-
bly, see how he could get his money back.