The Washington times., 1908-12-12
Cantillon No Longer Seems
Anxious to Trade Prom
ising Pitcher.
BAN JOHNSON HAS
KEEN EYE FOR ADS
Saw the Value of The Times
Suggestion and Adopt
ed Ii.
Bv THOMAS S. RICE

BY IhOMAS y. K1CE-
We note with approval that the mania
which seemed t. possess Manager Joe
Cantillon. of the Washington bali team,
for trading Clymer, his only hitting out
fielder, and Bill Burns, one Of the most
promising left-hardei pitchers in the
country. seems TO be dying out. and
that his mental vision is clearing.
Nay, SO great has been the improve
ment in the manager THAI he has even
been quoted as saying THAI he might be
persuaded To- trade : lnIey AID keep
Burns. ThaJ is a possibility which has
occurred to several thousand fans here,
but IT did nos 5awn on CantH,ol until
the Tag end OF the American League
meeting in New York.
The offer Of lie pick OF about twenty
men on the Washington team for
Elherfeld strikes us as little
liberal There are some men un the
Washington roster who -ouid well De
traded for Elbcrfeld. but # Bin Burns IS
among the twenty Cantillon had in mind
when he made his offer. his sense Of
proportion is badly twisted.
There is "A very large class or low
browed and loud-talking persons who
take It for granted that every sporting
event Is either an active fraud or could
easily he turned into one. 1t is class
very prevalent I'm New York. where it is
much given 10 splitting through its teeth
and talking out Of the corner of its
mouth. That some Of these potential
secOnd-story men and brace dealers got
the Idea into their heads they could buy
Umpires Klein and Johnstone and make
St a sure-thing for New York to win
the National League pennant, there can
be little doubt. Il was just the kind OF
a saud-bagging job that would appeal 20
first-past-the-post workers, and the only
wonder is that they have not tried the
scheme before. For that reason We are
inclined to give credit 10 the reports %
the seriousness OF the alleged attempt
10 bribe the umpires. Should the people
who tried 10 turn tho trick be convicted.
we hope 1t will be before dyspeptiC
Judge who has been up all the night be-
fore handling 'cOhcky twins, and there
fore feeling savage against the entire
world. Baseball is a great public insti-
tuition. and no punishment could be too
great for the man who aspires to turn
il into system Of robbery for tnhorns-
President Ban Johnson of the Amer
scan League kept his promise to The
= imes and carried through at the meet
ing Ia New York a ruue by which all
the clubs I'm the circuit VIII have 20
adopt n system by which the spectators
can tell exactly who is on the field in
q ball game Whatever his other faults
may be. Johnson is not lacking in ap-
probation Of the possibilities OF adver-
tlsing He saw that The Times sug-
gestlou would make a big hit with the
fans and be a distinct improvement;
over the conditions winch viii obtain
in the National League unless that or
ganization adopts the same rule, where
fore he promptly put the American
League OF record as leading in a very
much needed reform. The fans OF
Washington will see the difference next
season II the leagues ruling IS cOnsci-
entiously carried out.
While we are complimentinE peopIe
we have never hesitated to cTiticise,
we would like to say that there is much
truth in Jim Sullivan's reply to Baron
lie EOubeTtin, that the International
organization. The fact that James Haz-
en- Hyde. who. when he lived in the
United States was about as far from
the type of the average American as
could be imF gined, and Prof. Sloan. Of
Columbia, are the American represeu-
tatives on the committee. speaks for it.
self and IS a clear evidence that in
this one instance, at least, Sullivan is
in right Whether the A. 4. L. was
polite i'm going 10 the front at this
time with a resolution TO call an inter-
national conference TO discuss the
games Is another matter.
Cantlion says the slvFy the Washing
ton team would train at Hickman, Ky
instead Of Galveston was a fake orig
mating with space writer. but it was
first class advertisement for Hick-
man, KY, and put that town on the
map Tor few minutes.
somehow, 1t is not clear Just what the
Boston Americans gained by trading
Lou Crtger to st. Louis as long as Cy
ScunS Is pitching like he did in 1908.
When a manager advertises a boxing
Show and does not have the coin to
pay the fighters IL the house happens
TO be smaller than expected he should
stop promoting. Running boxing club
is not all beer and skittles, and if a
man loses on one venture he should have
capital enough and gameness enough
10 stand the gaff in the hope OF getting
Square in the future
EnDD EvTT To HHTTT