Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-05

w wind. that sure forerunner OF
the approach of spring. which
comes perforce. if it follows poetical pre-
cedent, tripping DER the lea. with focks
of nice little sheep, skipping fawns, dane
ing nymphs and rusty brown ball players
in its wake
Nor is II a sad confession to make. but
one much to the credit o. the sterling
American people for their good-natured
participation in the incidents and the de-
tails of fine national sport. that not
least of their appropriations is that for the
rusty brown bali player" who has been
tanned and baked by the southern sun
While his friends and his future clientele
have been fighting away pneumonia and
influenza in the last rally of the forces of
nature against the all-Conqusrins and tire
less sun. whose march 10 the north is I'M
checked by gale or tempest.
1t is almost needless to say that the
base, ball season OF 1907 was in every way
TIE best in ;he history o the pa"time. not
only from tie standpoint of the profess
Sional, but from that of the amateur.
In attendance, in the quality of the
games. in the department of the play
ers. in the interest taken by the public
and in the incidents of the base ball
races there has been no year the equal
Of 1907. 1t is true that here and there
have been bitter Gisappointments in The
cities which failed to see a championship
team, but 1t is also true that disappoint
ment in one city is not without its cor
responding elation in another, and in a
measure there is always an established
balance which is TO the good of every
body
II has come to a pass in base ball where
attendance is no longer reckoned by
thousands. but by millions. Tn. wisest
computer of statistics has yet 20 estab-
1ish satisfactory basis upon which the
total attendance Of base ball games in
1907 can be estimated.
1t tS known that more persons at
tended the games of the maj ur and
minor leagues than ever before. 1t
never will be known how many persons
witnessed amateur games. and 1t is safe
10 say that for every spectator at a pro-
fessional game there were three anna
teur games. which were scattered
through every state from TIL. far-off
pine trees in the hills of Maine to the
mammoth SeQuoias of the Pacific slope
The organization of base bail never
has been so perfect nor on such logi-
cal basis as it is at present, and woe
betfde the man or men who cndeavor
TO upset it.
The strength of the present base ball
situation is demonstrated most strongly
in the minor leagues. More minor
leagues lived through the season of
1907 than did through that of 1906.
to- withstand the Universities of 1905.
andsmore are likely to live and prosper
through 1908 than did through 1907, all
because the minor leagues are on sub
stantiaI footing.
For these reasons 1t is fair to assume
that the season to come shall benefit the
promoters of base ball. and it is certain
that II the promoters are benefited the
players will be benefited correspondence,
for the days are rapidly passing away
where a league fades out in the middle of
the year and leaves the players without
recompense for the past and with no
surety for the future.
The maintenance Of this stability in the
control of base ball means its existence.
The necessities OF base ball demand
that. as nearly as possible, all of its de-
tails be kept on an equitable basis. Few
players are ready to jump into the major
leagues at the first call. and the enormous
salary rolls that are carried by the larger
organizations at the present time are con-
tingent upon the fact that the players OBJ
tain their first grounding in the game in
ouch ways and through such leagues as
the sturdy organization which are now
scattered from one ocean to the other.