Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-22
BY j. ED GRILLO.

The steel spike against which there has
been a crusade ever since Ty Cobb acct
dentally spiked Frank Baker of the .Ath-
doomed To be relegated out of base ball.
Though there were no less than three
different newly invented spikes. the use
of which makes injury almost impossible.
presented at the recent meetings of the
major leagues in New York, none of them
received the slightest consideration from
the club owners. and it can be authOrita-
lively stated that there will be no change
made in the rules against the use of the
sharp blades which the players have been
wearing for years.
While the magnates did not publicly
announce their stand i'm favor of the
present spike regardless of he danger
this device brings to the players. any eff
foIt to have less harmful spike adopted
will meet with defeat.
II is argued that to change the presen.
spike for one which would eliminate the
danger of injury would be to take much
from the game Charley ComiSkey, owner
of the White Sox, will never stand for d
change of spikes He says that the game
as il is played today is anything but
rough. ana 10 put spikes on players SLoeS
which need not be feared viii MAKE base
ball a parlor game. SO the inventors of
the various snOn-injuriouS spikes might
just we'll pack them away. for there
does not seem TO be a chance to have
them adopted by the powers that be in
base ball.
st. Louis viii never forgive Jim Nc
Aleer for failing to win the pennant in
1905. when with a team which really
n
division, he managed to be contender
for the flag until the last few days of
The campaign.
The team with which McAleer made
this splendid showing finished seventh
he following year, during which it played
10 its real form. Nothing but the eie-
ment of luck which the game affords
made il possible for that team to be in
The fight in 1878. and yet st. Louis lays
the blame for the failure of the Browns
TO win the pennant that year on Nc
Aleer.
The very mention of his name in con-
nection with the deal whereby Hedges
was to get out of base ball has brought
Jut columns of abuse against McAleer
N the St Louis press. McAleer is &C
FUSED of about everything short of muir
der. and all because he failed to win
pennant with a team which had no right
% break into the first division.
The st. Louis Republic in its issue last
Tuesday made use of column OF type
warning the American League committee
about to arrive there to approve the
sale of the club to st. Louis syndicate
not to saddle McAleer on the st. Louis
public. The following is only Part
IF the rebuke against McAleer:
While OH this interesting topic II
night be Just as well to inform the IN
coming magnates of the American League
hat if St Louis has been for the past
two wears base ball mogue she
holds no man responsible therefor be-
.ond James r. McAleer. As matter OF
'act. any ordinarily alert aged LADY wouia
nave won the championship of lNS Win
he team which Mr.. Mc!tleer ingloriousy
conducted into fourth place. The same
team should have come back and won III
l9r,. and enough of il should nave oee"
81. tn make MATTERS merry IN l?lV
IT'S said that MIR. Johnson is very Ioi'o
If Mr. McAleer Wen and good. MS eiso
Eid that as a reward for faithful serN
&c to the american League Mr. Johnson
wishes to promote Mr.. McA'eer 10 the
arr ownership and management OF the
Il. Louis American League CLUB Ill ana
bad o-;o.r
lin faithfully serving the Americali
league Mr. McAleer has more faltnIuI!
seryed himself Mr.. McAleers service u