The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-11-16
BIG LEAGUE BALL
ON THE DECLINE?
STATISTICS SHOW THE OLD HER.
oEs ARE FADING AWAY AND
NEW STARS ARE DEvEL-
oPiNG SLOWLY.


which has been argued pro ana con
to considerable extent this year. and
last. too, for that matter. is whether
mr. not baseball is going back
Appearances at present are very
much i'm favor of the affirmative side
of the question; there can be no doubt
IA the mind of the close student of
the game that Americas national
pastime Is slowly but surely deterior-
ating: not necessarily a permanent
deterioration. but one which will man
fest itself for several years to come
The present-day galaxy of stars reach
ed its zenith four or five years ago,
and since that time the head liners
have been gradually dropping back to
the minors, or out of the game en-
tirely. During the current season the
two classiest of all twirlers, Mathew
son and Brown, have experienced bad
years, compared to the roseate seasons
they have previously enjoyed. Both
the stellar moundmen were made
to lock like class 20" clowns during
the present championship race by the
Cardinals, a trailing second division
aggregation. In a little while the
count of $40 will be handed them, and
their individual greatness will pass
into history, while the nurlers them
selves will be peggng along in the
minors. or be content to retire.
II is certain that such great stars
as Bobby Wallace, Larry Lajoie, Hal
Chase Hans Wagner, Fred Clarke,
Johnny King and a horde of others,
including the intrepid Bresnahar,
have served their best days on the
diamond, and their future careers will
continue for only brief period at
best and their places will be filed with
youngsters from the minor leagues.
Reconstruction Will Be Slow.
This reconstruction and bolstering
of the wabbling major league teams
will continue for several years until
the standard of perfection which pre-
vailed several years ago will have
been attained and the chances are that
in the meantime n 10. 20 and 30 class
of ball will be served the public. and
the game will drop into the nickel
odeon class of amusements.
The magnates of baseball fully APP
preciate the seriousness of the situa-
ton; this is evidenced by the mad
scramble being made each year for
promising looking youngsters in the
iungles. Statistics show that one out
of every ten or eleven of these BUSH
men is able to make the big leagues.
According to this ratio IL will be read
lily understood that the old stars are
dropping out of the game much faster
than the new ones are developing. An
army of juveniles is herded into the
big arena each spring, and before sui
try summer months roll around we
find the ambitious lot with their faces
lTmed lack toward the minors and
their hopes crushed and fallen.
There are just as good fish i'm the
sea as have ever been yanked from the
salty brine, the old adage runs. and
there is no reason for a contradictory
argument along the same lines so far
W. b'eNDtiii 10 NOllNtil'hs bui iilt SBii ~
of commercialism which has unseated
the fundamental principle. the real
sporting end of the game, has had n
demoralizing effect upon the greatest
athletic entertainment ever revised.
The woods should be full of ball play
do not take the proper course toward
developing them into big league ma
terial. A more uniform basis or sal
aries and "a better system of equaliz-
ing the strength of the teams would
be conductive to better results and
greater interest among the patrons of
the game.
Weak Teams Are Oppressed.
Suppose the club owners should get
together every winter and place i'm n
receptacle slips of paper containing
the names of all the first basemen. in
another receptacle the names of all the
second basemen, and so on down the
llne of players of different positions.
ana then each club owner draw a team
Tor his city for the following year, of
"'t pphSdtllB nlilStll W pay th'
salary provided by the player. This
would hurt some of the owners who
believe in keeping down the salaries.
The scheme would be as fair for one
cub as another, and would have the
erect of dealing a solar plexus blow to
we selfish set now running over the
weaker teams and turning n deaf ear
10 all offers to purchase or trade for
superfluous talent Every club I'm the
american league has declined to aid
the st Louis Browns. Whenever de-
srable player has been placed on the
market it's n foregone conclusion Col.
hedges will not get him. The same
condition applies in the National with
reference to President NJ. Stanley
Robinson of the Cardinals There is
no hope In sight for either club, and.
Just as sure as little apples are red.
~ Louis will have two second division
teams again next year the same as
Tor the last 20 years or more.
---
In case Harry Davis is released. Ben