The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-10-18
Br WILLIAM PEET.

BY WILLIAM PEET.
The baseball season is over and every
body seems TO be happy. everybody ex-
ccpt those financially interested in the
outcome of the world series TO the ex-
tent of betting their good money on De-
troit
From now until the clans gather In New
York during December for the annual big
league meetings there Will be just enough
baseball on the sporting pages to keep
the average fan alive in December when
the moguls get together and trades are
made. together with a lot of other i'm
portant business, things will hum for sew
eral days and then comes a long rest
until February. when the teams start
South ON their training trips.
Jimmy Isaminser. the North American
baseball expert. cuts loose with a we'll
written and interesting editorial on the
silly charge that the world series games
were fixed Mr.. Isaminger says: An
other unfortunate incident in connnec-
tion with the world series was the publ
cation i'm a Pittsburg newspaper of an
inference that the games had been fixed
10 swell the low OF money in the box
office
"Of course only those ignorant OF the
workings of the sport or disappointed
shoestring gamblers placed any credonce
in the story. which presented no tangible
facts of anything wrong, but merely
printed sidewalk gossip. The paper in
question retracted the story the next
day
Aside from the overwhelming ambition
of the players of the contestlng teams TO
win the highest honor that can 90 10 a
baseball team. which is I'm itself proof
enough of the honesty OF the games.
there are other facts which would pre-
ClUde any possibility OF crooked playing.
In the first place. the players share
only IN the receipts taken IN the first
four games Of the series. The money
taken at the other games goes to the
club owners and the National Commits
SION Therefore the players would not
be financially benefited even n they
stuoiedly attempted 20 prolong the series.
Were tho club owners secretly to give
Ire players bonus FOR prOionging the
series. it would result In wholesale black
mail. even If the club owner or the
player attempted such scheme
TT Is this fear Of blaClIman that would
make any club owner hesitate 20 manipu-
late a game if there are any owners un-
scrupulous enough 10 try g. which Is n
matter OF much doubt. IL is the great
protection for the honesty OF the sport.
This year. last year. the year before.
emf for seasons back there have been
numerous cases Of Quarrels between club
owners and players which have been air
nd Co s.afH. r.as ...H.
70 the controversy would exhaust his
ammunition Of charges against the other.
but not once has there been scintllla OF
an accusation that q club owner has
asked p player to do something dishonest
ON tine field.
isn't II fair 90 presume that a PLAYER
Who has decided 10 retire from the game.
owing 20 grievances with his employer.
would rush into print and tell Of crooked
games and manipulated playing that
came 20 his knowledge when Inc was on
the teams pay rolls
cut loose from the game. ne would not
hesitate 10 divulge everything. The fact
that there has never been such an expose
IS positive proof that there is no crooked
or manipulated playing in the big leagues.
III there had been. baseball would not be
on the scale il is to-day.
Coming back 30 the worlds series. +;
there was any frame-up. ball players ere
the greatest actors in the world. In
Thursdays game between Detroit and
Pittsburg. three Detroit players were
severely injured IN stopping Pittsburg' 9
nine-inning rally. In a previous game.
Leach OF Pittsburg. a. a risk Of broken
bones crashed into fence trying TO
catch a liner.
I'm another game. Cobb. scornng any
thought Of personal disablement. made a
head-frst dive TO catch a short liner be-
fo,c Il fell 10 the ground. There were
many other instances OF heroic fielding
which shatter the foolish report that some
thing was wrong. The real baseball fan
needed no such incidents as these 20 keep
his faith in the honesty OF the sport
lie knows that II baseball were crooked
there would be no $500 and 5000 salaries.
and that the pennant would never leave
New York ana Chicago"
As stated IN The Washington F-ersld
yesterday Jimmy McAIeer. the new man
agcr Of the Nationals. will he I'm town
the last OF the week or the first Of next
week. and WIN have some interesting dope
% hand out as to his plans for next sea-
son
shortly after the stockholders selected
McAleer 10. succeed Cantillon, he was In
tervieWcd by The Washington Heralds
correspondent in Philadelphia. and asked
fo- a statement Of his plans for next
year. also II It was true that he would
trade Walter Johnson and Charley Street
FOR FIVE Of the New York Yankees, in
Guiding Kid Elberfeld and Clyde Engle.
NcAleer's prompt answer was that he
had made no plans. but he did say that
he had no intention of letting go of john
son and Street. for which the fans sent
up 4 sigh Of relief
II Is certain that az least half a dom
of the men who finished up the season on
the Nationals pay roll will be either
traded. sold. or released. but as % just
who the men IN question are nobody
knows except the manager, and he Is not
ready 20 tell quite yet.
~ McAleer's visit 10 Washington will be
Looked forward 20 with more than passing
interest by the faithful fans here.