The Washington times., 1908-12-03
Their Use of National Guard
Name Confusing to
Amateurs.
MURPHYS PLANT
IS UNAVAILING
National Commission viii Go
Right Ahead in Ticket
Scalping Case.
BY THOMAS S. RICE.

There Is blood on the moon in Wash
ington amateur athletic circles because
the National Guards have both an anna
Ueur and a professional basketball team
in the field
President Theodore Straus, of the
South Atlantic Association of the Anna
teur Athletic Union, is coming TO Wash
ington this week to look into the mat
ter. and will put some pertinent ques-
tions 10 the military managers The
trouble seems to he largely due "a the
fact that when the professional team
was organized it was allowed TO use
tie name National Guard as an ddyeI-
tisement. Had the team been composed
OF guardsmen, but playing under
name that would not confuse II with
the amateur quint Of the same or
ganiZattou. il is hardly likely that there
would have been a chance for the \. A.
L. TO get busy. There is no reason why
a militiaman should not engage in as
many professional sports as he chooses,
and the A A T. would be foolish 10 in
terfere with that privilege. but it is
that seeming active support OF the pro-
fessionaIs which is causing President
Straus so much mental stress
Ban johnson comes right back at.
Charley Murphy, OF the Chicago Cubs
and announces that Murphy's windy
howl about his club being the victiEl
of persecution in the ticket scalpins
matter will not in the least prevent the
rational commission from tanning the
aforesaid Murphy. AS far as can be
learned from the unofficial statements
about what the commission found in
its investigation, the Chicago .-Wner 3
due Tor a severe roast-and il the
charges are sustained there will be no
sympathy coming to any of those in
voIved. II was a bad piece of busines.
all around, and the warning not to re
peat the trick should be driven homo
as forceful as possible
The real truth about Hal Chase is
difficult TO obtain because of the bias
OF some Of the New York writer's who
are furnishing the stories. Last spring
when the New York Americans led tn,
league for awhile these writer's got ou
81 lot Of Sush about them beins the
fastest team in the history of baseball
The critics and writers in other cities
laughed heartily Ut such VapOTings and
kidded the New York scribes not g
little. All Of a sudden the club hit
the tObOggau and in a short time wa.
50 deep ia the cellar that rescue parties
could not find it. When the sad slumH
became a continuous performance the
busy penCileTs OF Manhattan who had
been so fulsOme I'm their boosts for The
Yankees felt foolish and looked that
way. ThereUpou, they began throwing
the hooks into Griffith, EibeTfeId, Chase
and everybody else in an effort %
square themselves. That the animOsiu
against Chase and Elberfeld remains Is
PERFECTLY clear in many OF the dis
patches, and New York clippings, 80
you can't tell exactly what TO believe
To mere pTOVincials like us down heT4
IN Washington. il would appear thai
the national commission would ne
nothing but an expensive Jest If Chase
were allowed to return to organized
baseball without heavy punishment OF
some sort. He quit mis- team cold IN
the height OF the season, jumped his
agreement, and went 10 play with AN
outlaw team on the Pacific coast. II
he can get away with that for a uomi-
nal fine the decisions OF Garry Herr
mann's court will not be worth news
paper space in the future.