New-York tribune., 1908-02-02
THE COST OF BASEBALL.
EXPENSES OF A TEAM
What Club Orcner Mast Obhgatd'
Himself For.

ball team In either Of the big Leagues Figures are
never made public. but ii Is safe to say that IN ono
season it mounts up into hundreds OF thousands
Of dollars. To own a baseball club IN one OF tbs
major leagues a man must have fat purse With
out a doubt three theatrical companies cocic %
put on the road cheaper than one big league team
But on the other hand the receipts are tn1nltey
greater, the baseball, loving public would %
unable TO enthuss over its great national game
The closed season does not mean that rne oase-
ball machinery has shut down for the winter
There is almost much activity in the winter
months when the fans are pouring through tns
turnstiIes. Just as the playing season ends
preparations begun for the next year. Ths
players retire their homes IN various parts os
the country and take up their winter occupations.
but the clubs office stan does no. disband- Owner
and manager put their heads together and plot
and plan how they can strengthen their club They
discuss the new players. how they can bene1r by
trades and hundred and one things which the
fans never know and don't care about so long as
they have winning team n their home town
The burdens Of the club secretary are many and
varied During the early winter months he ar
ranges for the training trip, making schedules and
throwing them away because they don't suit ths
manager. Lots OF things have to be taken into
consideration in planning for these preliminary
games Some Southern baseball towns would not
furnish gate receipts large enough to pay for the
players ''rubdown-" These towns are 10 Be
Stunned in making the schedule In other places
the teams are not strong enough 10 give the team
a worthy battle.
Before the players assemble at the training head
quarters somewhere in the South the secretary
and the ground keeper have gone ahead to look
after the playing field. the hotel accommodations.
the advertising arrangements and the inlun1erabis
other minor details. With the team finally gath
cred together the work comes thick and fast It
costs nice little figure to feed and house SONS
forty healthy athletes including trainer. rub
ha-1 and 9th SoI1o Tbay,t tba-a
good. big transportation bills. fair sized items for
playing paraphernalfa which includes suits for
home and out-of-town games. gloves, hats and
balls and numerous sundries. The training trip -
an expensive necessity. and the club is lucky If the
preliminary games have paid hall o. the cost of
the sotourn in the South
The actual playing season is about six months
long. from the middle OF April to the first or
second week in October When a manager has
weeded out the men whom he thinks OF no value 20
his team there will probably be about twenty-hvs
players on the salary list Baseball players
well paid for their services. Their careers on ths
diamond short. but they make money fast
while they last. always provided they help I'll ths
Golfers of the club Thousands Of fans will 90
game just because of the chance to watch
one player cavort about the diamond.
Hal Chase the young first baseu1an and Willis
keeler. the veteran fielder. are the idols OF tbs
Highlander enthusiasts and consequently their SAL
aries are large Here again it IS fnrossibi4 TO
about 5000 each for PLAYING through the season Oc
course the majority OF men ger considerably less
but an average Of s2.5ao would not be far wide OF
the mark Twenty-Five times s2-5o is 81 500. Trs
manager draws q large salary. and then there ara
others who VIII be the payroll for short periods
The two New York clubs. for instance, viii un-
douhtedfy pay more than 10000 each for SAL
aries alone the coming season
Then there are other itenls-smalIer. IL Is t-uas
but still worth nentionins-to show what an ex-
pensfve thing It is 10 club. AZ American
League Park. Just at the Polo Grounds the
number varies with the importance OF the game
and the size OF the crowd Last season some days
there were close to fifty. and other times less than
a score They are there for every home game
Besides the special policemen. there cashiers,
ticket collectors and 1a5orers to keep the grounds
and stands in condition
The Highlanders and Giants play In seven other,
cities besides New York This means that the man
agement has to foot big railroad bills The teams
travel as far west as ST Louis and as far
Boston While they are on the road they stay ae
first class hotels. II is hard lie Jumping from
one city 20 another. one day in ST. Louis the next
in Chicago. To keep the in good condition
the management supply the best OF every-
thing for the players always on edge and
easily grow peevish Three months and a half OF
costs small fortune
Every owner and manager is always the look
out for stars. and you can't set star in these
days unless you pay for him. Some OF these glit-
tering lights have brought as much sl9eN. Mr..
Farrell didn't get his stars for nothing. Money
however. won't always make a winning team or
there would have been up the Heights loas
ago.
With the expenses running into the hundreds OF
what must be the receipts? This Is an
open question. but they quite few thousand
more than the expenses. The owners may De good
sportsmen. but they also interested the divf-
dends and. after ALL the fans pay for their aruuse.
ment by footing the bills. With one or two excep-
tions perhaps. all the clubs In the two rnaior
leagues made money last year and counting on
another prosperous season. the sport Is more
popular than ever.