Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-30
SPORTING COMMENT.
BY J. ED GRILLO.

For the first time in its history the Ma
tional League is giving indications of an
awakening. The announcement that It Is
the intention to elect Thomas j. Lynch
for a period of three or five Years will
indeed be q step forward. For years
there has been a wrangle among the club
owners of the old circuit regarding the
presidency, IL position which had to be
filed every year. Every time club
owner found that his team had lost a
game by reason OF a decision which he
thought unjust he took the matter to
the league president and not getting a re-
versal of the decision from him dug I'd q
candidate to run against the incumbent
the following winter. This has led to all
sorts of strife and friction, and has had
much to do to discredit the league With
the public.
II is Il hopeful indication that some one
recognizes the error that las been made
IN electing a president for but Il single
year. The result will be that the league
will be better served and the position
carry with it more prestige than ever
before.
There seems to be n disposition among
the intelligent members OF the National
troVers1es which spring up at every an
nual meeting which have done much to
ridcule the organization. The pity is
that such stand was not taken years
ago.
Much Of the success which the Ameri-
can League las attained has been due to
the fact that the club owners from the
outset have shown every confidence in
their president, Ban johnson. He has
been allowed to rule with an iron hand.
He has been 1hln n DIV no Of
fairs of the league his entire attention.
not being hampered by internal strife or
handicapped by having to fear that he
might not succeed himself from year to
year.
That the National League las survived
all its foolish wrangling is one of the sur
prises the game has furnished.
a prize fight. according to the grand
jury OF Alameda county, Cal. is a contest
Ill which one of the contestants is knocked
out. These exhibitions are to be barred
III the future, which means that there will
be TO more fights in that section, for the
only way to eliminate the Knockout is to
have the bout framed or give merely spar
ring exhibitions, and the public does not
attend these.
just what has happened TO pat the game
under the ban about Frisco again is hard
to understand from this Viewpoint but
the chances are 1T IL not reform wave
that has caused this decree against the
manly art. Politics is very likely behind
the stand against the sport. for lighting
and politics have ever been closely idcnti-
fed in California.
D. a. Fletcher. promoter Of the so-called
third league, has offered to wager Owner
Murphy of the Cubs $1,000 that lie can
show optional agreements signed by
twelve members OF the Chicago team.
Murphy has not accepted the wager, be-
cause he feels that Fletcher is betting on
n sure thing. There does not seem to be
the slightest doubt that quite a number
of players affixed their signatures to these
agreements. which called for Il payment of
$1,000 to the player soon as he signed
a regular contract. 1t is no wonder that
the players took chance with Fletcher,
for to receive so large sum for the mere
signing of a contract was too good thing
to pass up. The average ball player
would have to work about three seasons
to get that much money, and many of
them will not be in fast company that
long. So why not take the chance?
But Fetcher's boast that these players
will be on a new Chicago team next sea-
son seems absurd Here it is not far from
the first of the new year. and yet there
has been nothing to indicate that there is
anything but hot air behind Fletchers
scheme. He acknowledges not having any
funds. but he hopes to interest capital a
matter which he has by no means found
an easy task.
That the demand 1Or Dali players Is
greater now than ever before is shown
by the innovation Jim McAleer will in
augurate next spring. when he will send
Scout kahoe into the camps of rival
major league clubs for the purpose of
getting line on their youngsters. Every
year the manager of every major league
club is asked to waive on lot OF ball
players that he has never heard of. In
many instances these are players of con-
siderable ability, who cannot be used by
some club, and are intended to be farmed
out for development McAleer's idea is
to get line on these players SO that he
can put i'll claims for those who may be
of help to his team. While it is an en-
tirely new idea, and may not bring about
satisfactory results at the outset, it is
we'll worth trying. for ii may in q way
prevent some one club from corralling all
the promising youngsters and farming
them out to minor league clubs
There was a time, and its not so many
years ago, when the ordinary ball player
had 10 go begging for Il job, but nova
days he is much sought after
The time cannot be far off when Abe
Atteil, featherWeight champion will meet