The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1908-08-06
MAJOR LEAGUE
CLUBS COSTLY
EXPENSE OF RUNNING TEAMS is
BECOMING QUITE A SERIOUS
PROPOSITION.
FAT WALLET is NECESSARY
Practically All Of Clubs Return Good
interest on Investment " They Are
Observation-Disclosures 10 Always
Ready to Stand for a Loser-charn.
pions Essential In New York.

Major league baseball is a serious
problem. With an annual expenditure
of over 100000, the clubs must do
good business to come out ahead on
the investment. Take the city of New
York for example. For the first month
of the season the highlanders were
playing winning ball and drawing fine
crowds, while the giants were playing
to empty benches at the Polo grounds,
as the result of weak ball playing.
1t was fast growing to be serious
proposition for John T. Brush, as the
expenses of running the game at the
polo grounds must reach at least $780,
600 year. This means good average
attendance at home and good business
IN the road to win out. To make 1t
worse club that cannot draw at home
will prove poor attraction on the
road, and lose both ways.
The highlanders looked like win
ners to number of clever critics and
Frank Farrell stood a chance to make
a lot of money with even fair break
Of luck. But there was no good luck
for him.
New York must have winner Re-
Gently the visiting teams have played
to handful Of people at the highland
grounds, while the giants were practi-
cally turning people away at the polo
grounds. reversing the conditions of
he first visit of the Boston club to
New York, when the highlanders were
leading the procession and the giants
railing.
Brooklyn, which has been accus
toned to have losing club, was draw.
ng finely until Donovan's boys
slumped, when the attendance dwin-
lied to handful and Charley Ebbetts
commenced to figure how he could get
out with whole skin.
Even the Quaker city, that hotbed of
baseball, displayed the signal of dis
tress after the return of the Athletics
from disastrous western trip. Ben
Shibe worried about the thought of
putting his fortune into a new base
ball plant. But few winning games
revived the Quaker population, and
the crowds commenced to win, until
Connie Mack's smile returned and
Shibe was able to sleep nights.
Billy Murray had the Phillies show.
ing rare form on the last western trip.
Many could see the youngsters walk
ing right through the bunch to the top
but, as usual with colts, they went into
the air, and before Murray could get
them to earth they were in sixth
place and the Quaker fans disguised
with the team picked out only a few
weeks before as world beaters The
question OF gate money must now wor-
ry the Quaker stockholders.
With Sunday ball almost any city
can live, and with winner make big
money out of the business st. Louis
is fair illustration.
1t has never been the misfortune of
the Chicago clubs to have weak teams
since Comiskey went to that city and
1t is hard to say what would be the re-
suit of weak team at Comiskey's
park.
Washington is the one city that will
stand for loser, first, last and always
and perhaps this Is one reason that
the capital city is constantly favored
with the target-bearer.
Boston will turn out to see the visit
ing clubs Irrespective of what kind Of
a game the home team is putting up
Yet let Boston get into the running
and the parks there would not accom-
modate the fans. This Is interesting
from the fact that Boston has won
more championships than any other
three cities, and didn't know what a
tailender was until two years ago,
just two years after landing the cham
pionship of the world. The Boston
public loves the sport and can see
others play good ball without knocking
the home players.
The responsibility of running a ma
jor league club with 100000 outlay
each season makes it serious bust.
ness to enter unless fortified with a