Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-11-12
would outrank all other leagues except
the AmerfcaD and National

would outrank all other leagues except
the American and National.
O'Brien tried the same thing last
winter and was defeated, 20 to 8. His
defeat this year is as decisive, and
clearly indicates that the members of
the National association will not VIC
late their agreement with the Pacific
Coast league to the effect that the
Coast league always shall'rank next TO
the major leagues.
In order to get around this agreement
that the Coast league shall be classed
as a class A OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES ien tried
last year to put through the special
classification motion that he tried this
year. Failing then, he went before the
board this year with proposition 10
make the American association ana
Eastern league a class AA division. to
outrank the Coast league. In order to
permit the Coast league to stay in
class A and gain the support of Cal
Ewing, O'Brien wanted to put the
Western league and the Southern
league into class B, dropping them a
notch. This would leave the Coast
league still a class A organization and
ahead of the Western and Southern
leagues, with all the privileges Of draft
that go with such a classification.
There is no chance for O'Brien to
carry out his plans. The Coast league
intends to remain next in Importance
to the major leagues or quit organized
baseball. That is the situation exactly,
as all concerned we'll know. It not
only Is fair because of the agreement
entered into by the National associa-
ton and the. old outlaw California
league, but it is fair and just when the
class of players, population and the
Importance of the league are consid-
cred.
Just why O'Brien should get the idea
Eastern league should outrank the
Coast league is not plain. The players
in the Coast league are drafted directly
to the big leagues and get in the game
without much difficulty That shows
the class of players in this league.
There is not a club in the American as
sociation or the Eastern league that
could win more than one game in a
series of seven with the Angels. That
also proves the class of the Coast
league clubs. There Is not a club in
the American association or Eastern
league that would think for a moment
of betting $4,000 that it could defeat
the Chicago Nationals, the world cham
pions.
O'Brien has been defeated. and he
deserved to be. II the American assoc
citation or Eastern league has any idea
that 1t outclasses the Coast league,
why do they not play out series of
games at the end of the season to show
the relative strength of the pennant
winners and second club in each
league? That method would about set
tie the question of individual suprem-
acy Ewing made a proposition for
series of games between the first and
second clubs in all class A leagues, to
be played in the SUNNI cline of South
ern California at the close of the Coast
league season for the class A cham
min nd ~ JrToc ffITnhn dnUVn The
Coast league magnates are not afraid
of such a series, and the betting would
be to that the Angels would wallop
all of the other class A pennant win
ners half to death.
There is no question regarding the
class of the Coast league clubs. The
weakest club in the Coast league would
make the pennant winner in O'Brien's
league hustle like Sam Hill to get an
even break We make baseball players
out here, and no shoddy goods are
thrown on the market. No Coast league
player ever returns to the minors until
he is worn out with long and valiant
service on the diamond. The American
association never has turned out a
Rube Waddell, Orvie Overall. Frank
Chance Mike Donlin or a Hal Chase.
They usually get them by the farm
ing route from the big leagues. The
American association and the Eastern
league are nothing more nor less than
FARMS for the big leagues. All the
class either can claim is derived from
the farm hands they secure by
loan" from the big leagues.
IN the evening the National associa-
ton held another meeting which the
Eastern league and the American as
ISOLATION did not attend The latter
two associations decided to hold a
meeting in New York on December 4,
at which all the club owners are to
map out future actions. A committee
representing the boiling organizations
requested that they be allowed to con-
fer with the national baseball conf
mission, but the request was denied
by officials of the commission.