New-York tribune., 1910-11-07
COMMENT ON SPORTS
Another Rublcon Crossed, This
Time in Baseball Skirmish.
JUST A TASTE or RACING
News and Views on Live Topics
of the Day, Both Amateur
and Professional.

August Hermann, chairman of the Ma
tinonal Commission and president Of the
Cincinnati Club OF the National League,
[ crossed the Rubicon early last week when
/ he signed McQuillen and Bates. two Phila-
delphia players. in the face Of 4 statement
Of Horace Fogel. president Of the PhiIiies.
that the players in question were on the
reserve list Of the Philadelphia club and
I that the deal for the exchange Of four
plavers. arranged by Charles Doom, his
manager. could not stand. The penalty in
organized baseball for tampering with a
player or 5or signing a man under reserva-
ton 70 another team is most severe. as #
well should be It amounts almost TO the
/ forfeiture Of property rights under the ma
tiOraI agreement. Under the circumstances
+ II seems plain that Mr.. Hermann is con-
fdenr that ne holds the whip hand in his
! controversy with the president of the
Philadelphia club, else SO well informed a
( man in the intricacies Of baseball law
would not have placed himself in such a
/ delicate If not dangerous position. Mr.. |
Hermann is not the kind OF a man TO
lump bIlndly and. taking everything into /
+ consideration, il begins TO look as though (
Horace Fogel was on the wrong side OF
the vordy war which has been waged for
upward Of TWO weeks. He is quoted as
! saying that ne knew nothing of the trade
and consequently would not approve II, and
vet Mr. Hermann, knowing the rules Of
baseball 10 the letter. has persisted in 60
ing along just as If the president Of a club
had nothing whatever TO say about the
transfer of property rights.
There appears TO be only one answer 70
the question which many followers Of the
sport believe will bring about factional
war 70 which the fight last winter over
the election Of a president and playing
schedule will look like mere skirmish /
No war is imminent IN my opinion, and
the olive branch is likely 70 be extended
without an appeal TO the board OF directors
OF the National League, or even 20 the
president Of the league The trade after
all IS not such bad one and IN my opin- /
ion the Philadelphia club Is well rio OF e .
player who. 1t IS claimed, can but will not
pitch.
Lovers of the thoroughbred and the sport
Of racing have every reason to look Tor
ward with keen pleasure 10 the two-day .
meeting OF the United Hunts Racing Asso-
ria+ior, al Belmont Park terminal to-mor- /
row and Saturday. Those who could nov /
follow the horses al PiTnlico and James
/ town will welcome even taste OF the
sport, Of which they have been deprived .
this fan in the metropolitan district pe-
cause OF the passage Of law at Albany [
last winter making the directors ana own
ers Of racetracks personally liable for any
betting on their premises. Until sucn time
as the courts have interpreted the law
lovers Of racing must content themselves
with the occasional amateur hunt club
meetings Of which the one tomorrow ana .
Saturday is by FAR the most ambitious
An excellent programme has been arranged
and it is hoped that the efforts Of the
United Hunts Racing Association TO pro
vide a touch Of the sport in this its hour
Of gloom. viii meet with 4 response so
justly deserved.
IN sacrificing intercollegiate rowing for
the space OF 4 year TO the end that an
old debt may be paid of, & stand has been
taken by Syracuse University which must
be applauded. II is no mean sacrifice, and .
now that the athletic governing board has .
had the courage 70 take such radical action
il would be doing the right thing at the
right time if the undergraduates and grad
uates could follow the lead and by making
Z few sacrifices themselves raise the money,
nay of the note and start the crew going
once more. syracuse has been well repre- q
serted on the water in recent years and IL !
seems pity that rowing should be made 20 .
suffer more than any other sport, even IOr :
such a laudable purpose as getting square
with the world There is such a thing as /
'ro5btng Peter 10 pay Paul"
Syracuse has been q conspicuous figure
and q potent factor az Poughkeepsie since .
1903. The crew stands alone as the only .
eight that has beaten Cornell over four
miles in ten years Syracuse won the var
sitv race in 1904 and 1908, and the fresh /
man race also in 1904. In 1905 Syracuse +
was second in both the varsity and fresh
man races and Won the four-oared strug-
gle in record time. II is a record 10 be .
proud Of and one that has brought much =
credit to the university. The Syracuse
Michigan football game on October % !
drew eighteen thousand persons to the (
Stadium. according to reports. That .
should help. I remember the time when ,
played on the Union eleven against SYRIA
cUse. when four hundred undergraduates (
looked like . big crowd. Times have
changed.
Byron Bancroft Johnson, autocrat Of the
American League. is squirming under press
IRE OF the $1,000 damage suit instituted .
by John NJ Ward. In filing an answer
johnson denies that he made or authorized .
the published interviews and statements in
WTlCn ne was Hldue 10 say tildL III. ~ liII
was a "trickster' when the latter was run
ming for office as president of the National
League Men in the public eye are fire.
uuently misquoted but If memory serves
Johnson did not make any effort 10 right
a wrong by denying the spurious state
rnents at the time when, as he himself ad-
rnits he objected 70 MI Wards election in .
private" conversation with Z member Of
the National Commission Some day Ban
r. will be discovered.
I am told on good authority that whereas
Fred Tenney, the Old Brown University star
and so long first baseman OF the Giants, II
being considered as coach for the Harvard /
baseball nine next spring. no selection mas /
been made in spite OF 2 well defined rumor
70 the contrary. Harvard could go far,
however. and not fnd a better man What
most colleges need is coach who can pick
out and develop young players, not merely
develop q machine OF more or less expert
enced boys. Tenney knows baseball ana,
what is more. knows how 10 teach IL
Barney Oldheld discovered last week that
the -'totterIng old hulk' as ne calls the
American Automobile Association, was still
sound enough and strong enough, with sam
Butler, at the helm, 10 block his efforts
10 drive a car on u recognized track while
under suspension. Oldfield IS now suing
for damages to the extent of $1,000 for be-
ing forced 10 suffer the penalty Of breaking
q rule that he knew fun well carried with