Connecticut western news., 1908-10-08
BASE RETROSPECT


 lage, Sharon, Salisbury, Sheffield and Lakeville. has closed and the pennant has been awarded to Lakeville.
 a It is now matter of history. Let all petty differences, grievances and jeal- ousies, if any::sssuch thereH ;are, be put aside-forgotten On six ball fields six hatchets should be carefully buried, buried so deep that they will not work further difficulty. And at the conclu- sion of the interment, let six ball teams retire to their respective lairs and, with malice toward none, prepare for the sea- son of 1909.
 The season of 1908 was success from the standpoint of both sport and finance. The games were well attended and, taken as whole, the residents of the various villages were loyal although in some places there were certain peoplewho witnessed the games and persistently refused to pay admission to the grounds. With regard to these people we simply say Ill passing, shame on them.
 An organization of base ball teams of the character of this league was some thing new in northwestern Connecticut The players were confined to residents of the various villages and no player was paid for his services unless such payment was clandestinely made, and THE NEWS does not wish to believe there was such violation of the agreement which was entered into by the players and the directors.
 There were differences and disagree ments during the season but careful review of the situation shows that har- mony prevailed among the players of the various teams and that umpires' de- cisions, ill the majority of cases, caused the trouble.
 THE NEWS does not propose to dis cuss the fairness, or the, lack of it, on the part of the umpires because. as we say at the outset, the season is closed; 1t is completed chapter. The decisions made by these umpires prevailed, in every instance but one, the games were decided in accordance with them and only the men who have been criticized know whether the erroneous decisions they made were due to accident or in. tent.
 But 1908 has taught lesson; it has blazed the way for a more harmonious and still more successful season in 1909. It has shown, perhaps more than any other one thing, that there is need of systematic umpiring by men officially designated in that capacity at the be- ginning of the season and, above all, men who have no local interest in any of'the competing teams. The adoption of such a system would go long way toward eliminating the possibility of the mistake of an umpire being construed as partiality to 8 team in which he is in terested by reason of local pride. We have no particular instance in mind when making the above state ement; it is general and applies to the entire league circuit.
 THE NEWS suggested the league there fore we feel particularly interested in its welfare. At the outset we had no idea it would arouse the enthusiasm that was evidenced in the different viii lages and their contiguous territory. Never ill the history of Litchfield county was interest ill the national game more intense and this augurs well for league success in 1909 if the season it IS correctly started. .s
 We also believe that the 1908 presi- dent of the Board of Directors should not be reelected. That sentence sounds rather vigorous, does it not? The presi- dent will again accuse THE NEWS of throwing mud at him. Not a bit of mud does it contain, however. Nor is there an atom of malice i'll it. If THE NEWS has taken exception 70 any of the acts of this official, it che1ishes not particle of i'll will toward him. As we remark above, all differences and mis- understandings should be put aside. And with them go whatever part thls news paper has had in the controversies We do not know that the president would accept another term of office, we hardly think he would, however, but we believe the honor should be rotated, passed around" as it were, and that the 1909 president should be a resident of one of the other league villages. And our view of the matter would be precisely the same had the 1908 president been Oanaanite or Sharonite or any other site"
 Inasmuch as the writer was a repre- sentative of the Canaan team in the 1908 Board of Directors, he, perhaps, gives reason, in the above statement, for the belief that he would not be averse to being the 1909 president, himself He proposes to forestan the possibility