Evening journal., 1910-12-09
GRAHAM LAUGHS AT
TRI-STATE RUMORS
Philadelphia Scribe Says Fans
Need Not Worry About
League Blowing Up
SAYS TALK IS ONLY
MID WINTER FOOLISHNESS

ne Ii-DldNt lttdButt hlUNt iAh VI
Iganization some seven years ago, has
travelled some exceedingly stormy
seas and has ever come through with
colors flying. II survived two years
of war with the big leagues and or
ganized baseball and passed through
couple of panics, and still Il exists
with but a few changes in the circuit.
George Graham, OF the Philadelphia
North American, and always a good
| fighting friend Of the Tri-State, says
that all tho doleful reports concern
ing the collapse of the league Is mid
winter foolishness and that the or
ganization is now in better shape to
deal with the situation now confront
ing 1t than ever before in its his
tory.
Graham says:
Money for the 1911 campaign Of
the Tri-State League Is coming a lit
tie hard in some of the towns, hence
a few pessimists on and on of news
papers profess to see danger that
the organization has about reached
the end Of its existence.
This is mid-winter foolishness.
Starting In 1904. the Tri-State has
now gone through seven seasons. II
was able to survive two years Of war
fare with all the powers of organized
baseball, and except for the passing
of Wilmington from the circuit, and
one year in which York was absent,
the circuit has been maintained
virtually without change.
Because there is now a little trouble
I'm JohnstOwn. Reading and Williams
port, is far from being a reason for
assuming that the life Of the league Is
threatened
II must be remembered that con-
ditions IN the towns of the Tri-State
have seldom been duplicated In any
other minor league organization.
The league had it's birth in the de-
sire of lovers Of the national game
to have the sport in their home
% towns.
r In some cases. as In Williamsport
{ for instance. the hackers Of the clul
We're men of ample means. In places
p like Johnstown and Lancaster men OF
n far smaller resources bore the bur.
= dem Harrisburg and Altoona have
g solved the problem by having an ath-
/ letic association. all Of whose mem
bers bear an assessment
Nobody has ever made any money
out of the league except the players
Occasionally "A club had a good sea
son. as. for example, Lancaster. il
1909. when Manager Hogan, with Z
moderate-priced team, succeeded il
= winning the pennant after a hard bat
tie. in which, for long part of tn
=, way, Wnliamsport and Reading wer
d both close contenders.
oil But the season of 1910 saw no igh
r Altoona got away TO a flying stai
h. and nobody was every able to g
1d near Manager Ramsey's men.
81 This took the money-making poss
be bilities. out of the race and even hu
n the receipts of Altoona.
Johnstown has not had a winnin
season since 1905, when the club jul
O. missed catching WilliamspOrt IN th
exciting four-cornered contest of th'
year. Reading passed into ne
IL ownership IN 1910, and the heavy e'
penses Of the first year on a me-
er playing field made losing season
hard burden for the new owner
H. Williamsport. which must have a win
ner. somewhat lost its enthusiasm
n- when the club, mainly through IN
accident TO Manager COughlin, finish
y. ed in third place.
Therefore. there is large talk of th
v passing of Tri-State ball IN thes
towns and of the possible collapse c
n. the organization.
But the North American ventures
H. prediction that with the approach {
the playing season there will be les
~ aud less of this kind Of talk, unit
finally II dies altogether.
" The baseball bug will get wOrknl
and notes which now seem hard
IL meet will be satisfied. New financis
combinations, new directors and III
y, tie application OF the skilled d
plomacy of President Carpenter wi
IL gradually whip matters into shape.
II any club must drop out Wilminl
Al, ton is eager to get a franchise, an
there are plenty who believe that tf
b. big population of the Delawai
metropolis. with any kind of a tear
al, would respond in a way to make
one of the big winners.
", But the Tri-State is a fixture. Il hi
gone through a worse crisis than Il
al, present, and the fact that salaI
limit has been brought to a basis pr
portionate to the size of the towns
the circuit means that the leagi
is in better shape TO deal with q
situation than ever before.
~ Nobody need worry over the dolef
Y reports, The Tri-State will be
the job all right