The Washington herald., 1908-03-28
GREAT NATIONAL GAME
FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

The day OF the reign OF the horsehide
sphere and the ash stick is upon Us.
Every baseball team In the country has
visions OF a pennant floating before It.
and is now laying foundations upon which
II hopes 10 reSr a championship super
structure The major leagues. with for
tunes behind them. are training in the
South. The minor leagues are not so
well provided with money. so they train
at home. The college fellows do likewise
But II all takes money. and II is hard 20
tell just how much it does take. There
are over fifty baseball leagues in the
United States. There are over 800 clubs
in these leagues. and they employ over
1900 professional players.
The expenses OF baseball clubs take as
wide range as they do with individuals
The major league clubs reach the top
notch in the matter OF expense ac-
count II cost the Chicago Cubs some
$3.50. 900 to win the pennsnt and the cham
pionship last year. To keep an effective
nine on the field whenever the ball was in
play cost over $4,000. Railroad fares.
hotel bills. and other items too numerous
10 mention. added the round sum OF S200.-
0lO 10 the account. II Is estimated that
the salaries Of the professional players
OF the United States amount 10 about 81
600 0Oo. II the ratio between salaries and
expenses In the case Of the Cubs follows
on down through the minor leagues. the
total outlay OF the clubs for professional
baseball in the United States would ag-
gregate some 5,e00. .0o0. Amateur baseball
probably adds as much more.
Baseball probably represents the most
completely united form Of amusement in
the United States. Much is heard in this
country about the theatrical trust. but
professional baseball has outdistanced the
theater in this particular. The few pro-
fessionals that are outside are known as
outlaws" and their future has little OF
promise in Il. The man who Is not an
outlaw stands a chance TO get 10 the top
il he has merit 70 take him there. but the
outlaw is communicated. bell. book. and
candles, and thrown into outer darkness,
where the dogs may bark az him The
National Association OF Baseball Clubs
might be called the United States OF
Baseball. so thoroughly does it follow out
the idea OF the Federal government. Au-
gust Hermann, the president Of the ma
tional commission, may be 1ikened 10 the
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and
the commission which he heads, 10 the
court itself Mr. Hermann is also the
president OF the American Bowling Con-
gress. and is about the only man who
has been the top notch man Of two
classes Of sport at the same time.
Training for a seasons work is not the
life Of idleness and ease one might think.
Neither is il so attractive or spectacular
as making an unassisted triple play be-
fore applauding thousands. or playing the
role they hoped Casey would play when
he went to bat II Is rather the day or
dolefdl detail. The rough places in each
player are to be smoothed out. He must
be chiseIed down and polished up phys
ically and mentally until he is a general
/ in thought and action on the baseball
battlefield. II is the day of grinding
| routine. But the work of making
! foundation can never be as attractive as
the putting OF the finishing touches on
| the skyscraper. II was this trsining-up
work that made Wagner decline two SlO,-
900 offers 10 get into the game this year.
Wagner and Lajoie are the only two
players who have scored above 800 for
ten successive years, who were in the
game last season. But still II IS not all
drudgery. When Comiskey took his White
Sox outfit to Los Angeles 10 train them
he chartered q special all-Pullman train
and issued souvenirs OF the trip. There
were thirty-f1ve players and some fifteen
others who went 10 Los Angeles. Comis-
key plans to go to Honolulu next year 10
prepare for the pennant.
/ The baseball fever is spreading farther
every year. In England cricket has had
/ TO bow its head TO baseball on more than
one occasion. In far-off Panama there
/ is an eight-club league in the Canal Zone
and hsIt for the lack OF good umpires.
like O'Day and Sheridan, everything
would run perfectly Last year the Guile
bra team was the winner of the cham
pionship. The japanese in the West are
taking a lively interest in the game. and
Spokane. Wash. boasts Of an ali-Japanese
tee1n. II is said that the little brown
men make good stick artists. and that the
American team which meets them has TO
look to its honors.
But for baseball fans the Filipinos
have the rest Of the world backed clear