Evening star., 1908-01-25
Big Money Spent on The PraC-
tiCe Trips.
EARLY GAMES PROFITLESS
College Base Ball Title to Be De-
cided This Year.
INDEPENDENT ELMER FLICK
May Change Forward Pass Rule.
High Scores by Baltimore Whist
ers-Bowling Battles.
INDEPENDENT ELMER FLICK


idea Of how much it costs 10 handle
base bail in the major leagues. These six
teen clubs will spend about S1G.GD get
ting into shape. Some OF this will be re-
turned to them at the gate as the result
Of exhibition games. but of late years
there has been little made III this line.
Once the clubs went south and made
money playing the> various teams OF the
towns they struck. But the Dixie fans
have grown tired of tie majors. and they
arc no longer an attraction Going south
IS practically dead loss to the clubs now,
and the only object of the outlay * 10
satisfy the hungry fan. to meet the de-
inands of the public for good getaway.
Pitchers are sent to Hot Springs, where
they are given the best OF treatment;
youngsters are watched over and nursed
with most infinite care. Every club owner
gives up the money sadly but hopefully.
lie thinks il Will net him some return
I; seldom does. Cleveland last year sent
its pitchers 10 Hot Springs for course of
baths. The men who went Ia the springs
did poorer work than the twirlers who
were not allowed the luxury. But the fan
must be please He demands and they
have got 10 respond. That's one OF the
things that make base ball interesting.
In the big league cities are men who VIII
spare no expense in the hope OF turning
out a winner. IneS are always .
II they don't the fan has his hammer
out Immediately. and then base ball is a
losing proposition. Detroit will be the en-
WED American League team on the spring
trip. Ii will not only have the champion
ship banner an added attraction for all
us spring games. but 1t will also have the
great Cobb. who is a Dixie lad. Cobb
viii be the big card of the spring trip in
the south. When | was making arrange
msnts for the spring trip. declared Char
10y. SlpN- 81 tlfe. t'hica
the other day Il heard nothing in the
south but Cobb among basa ball people.
They stand by him TO man below the
Mason and Dixon line. The bitterness
against the Cubs for beating the Tigers
with Cobb on the team has worn away.
but the feeling was mighty strong for a
while. / guess
Detroit this year has some neat trips
/ from financial standpoint. and the
southern expenses ought to be far lighter
than they were last year. Every one
wants to see fCoob in action down there.
They have a way of standing BY man
from their heck OF the woods that YOU do
not get in the north. 1t matters little
whether hes from Georgia or Alabama or
Florida, he's southern boy.
The controversy between President
Ptilliam of the National League. a mem
ber/o the national commission. and
President Powers of the minor league
association over the existence or nom
d
of the minor league body. has great
deal of significance 10 the base ball
world Secretary Farrell denied In the
presence of the National League execu-
tive the existence OF list of ineligible
players in defiance of the national com
missions decisions. Other members of
The minor league governing board as
sert there is such list. When this is
sifted to the bottom probably of two
things will be discovered. Either the
minor leagues do not make public all the
actbns taken by their board which should
be made public, or there are lot of in
complete records in the office of their sec
retary.
With the publication of the Princeton
base ball schedule for the coming sea
il is made apparent that the ques-
tion of the intercollegiate championship
far the Big Six mines are con-
cerned will he sovable the diamond
in 1905. The announcement that the
Tigers are 10 play Cornell Will in all
likelihood provide schedule which will
bring all the teams together during the
coming spring. There is no. reason to
doubt that Yale. Harvard. Cornell
Princeton. Columbia and Pennsylvania
viii! play their usual two or three game
series. each against the other. and with
this as basis the selection OF i cham
pionsnip team will not prove difficult
as Il year ago, when both Tigers and
Ithacans claimed the premier place
At the end Of that season the adherents
of Princeton and Cornell each thought that
their respective favorites were entitled 10
rank as tine intercollegiate base ball cham
pions. but the teams or tiose colleges
had not met even in a post-Season game
the discussion amounted to nothing but
words. Princeton argued that il had
beaten Yale twice by scores of to and
4 to 3 whereas the Ithacans had won
from Yale only once by score OF > To l.
The games with Harvard We're also in
favor OF the Tigers. "a the Victories were
them ~ III I IN a nd
to ;. while Cornell split even in its two
games with the Crimson. "A | to 0 score
being the result Of each game. The Cor
ncilianS based their claims for the infor-
NAL title their defeat of Lafayette.
which college had in turn Non from
Princeton but this i practically the only
support those claims had. and the credits
on the Tigers side of the ledger were
far in the ma iority,
Princeton's first game with Cornell this
spring will not he played until MAY :. and
before that tine the Orange and Black
will have PLAYED nineteen games. which
should go far toward getting them in fine
trim for the game at Ithaca. Tho secord
game will to- held at Princeton Nav l.
and the UNDERGRADUATES Of both colleges
arc wondering II third came will be ar
ranged il the teams should break even.
The Tigers schedule whole cor
tains thirtv-two saln"s ei%hteen of which
are 10 he played al Princeton.
That's what they'll tell Won about Elluer
Flick Clevelands great alI-around base
half star. sensational fielder. dangerous
hitter ard grand base runner F'licl;
doesn't care whether school kcans IN or
not il he gets tired OF base ball he can
omit. FOR he is comfortably fixed. :
That's why he is independent Cleveland
in 'he race last summer when the
Plue Ribbon meeting opened IN Detroit.
Flick is very fond Of the harness horSes
lie announced that lie was going to take.
q two weeks vacation. and he did The
Cleveland uapers said he was worn out =
and needed rest They excused him.
Flick didn't appear 10 be suffering any in
The last games 10 playaf-iu fact lie was
the sta or every contest. One cannon
blame Flick ANY. The general don't
care spirit that ten strikes the
Cleveland club NAV have been largely re-
sponsihle FOR IT, Flick IS one 0: tho great
sst of diamond stars. He has money and
doesn't have tn plav longer. lie has
reached the happy Elysiurl ball players
dream or. He is independent. aud vet has
AL his playing strength. lie is a quiet.
intelligent ball playe~. one OF the best
day And he's surely the most indepen.I-
ent. Flick. aside from his automobile
harness horses and farm. has other hob
hies. He takes infinite delight in study
ing bats and shoes. The great Cleveland
fielder will spend whole day. practical
" buying one pair OF base ball shoes
He will have this toe plated just a litila
So that nc can star; quickly. this hee
plated that lie turn first readily
that heel made heavier that he car
break around MS; more rapidly and sc