Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-21
DOLLY GRAY SIGNS
FOR COMING SEASON
Contract Reached President
NoyeS in His Mail This
Morning.

Anothet twirler came into the Wash
ington fold this morning in Dolly Gray
the California southpaw. ''Dollys" CON
tract was in President Moves mail this
morning, and it came all the way from
I.apoon Bay, Cal, wherever that may
be. Gray has been winterins well, and
says that he has taken on considerable
weight. Continuing, ne says in the letter
accompanying the contract:
My work last season was not at all
satisfactory To me. and I am sure did
not create a sensation in the American
League. The only game i'll which l
worked with anything. like my Pacific
coast form was against the Dctroita in
the cighteen-inning battle. At that time
! thought ! was hitting ms stride, but
i Immediately fell nack into the old rut.
The coming season I will he more ia
miliar with the opposing batters, and L
;tm sure my record will be many points
above that of last year. ! will be there
for the spring trip. as l am dead stuck
on taking that boat ride down the Po-
tomsc.
Gray should be insplendid shape right
now. as he has been pitching out on the
coast all winter at the rate of one game
week If Gray should be able to de
liver his Pacific coast goods in the east
ern states. he will surely be winner this
season,
With the termination of the schedule
meetings of both leagues last week, the
fans from now on will be treated to some
thing more substantial than mere base
bah legislation. The National League
magnates who favored the extended or
16s-game schedule died hard. In obedience
IL the pubic demand as voiced through
the newspapers they agreed to the 1J4
ms of adjoining
gracefully, they showed their feeling by
plastering il over the entire playing sea-
son, or rather the term of the players
contract. Under this condition il will be
impossible to start the playing of the
series for the worlds championship until
October Il. which is bound To detract
from the public interest in the series
There was not the slightest reason for
this childish action. IL is the manifesto
ton of small. narrow minded. I'M
sportSmanlike temper, which should have
no place in such a broad-sauged sport
as base ball There is not the slightest
the long schedule to try to justify
their action on the ground that il was
done Tor the best interests of the league.
1t looks as though they were animated by
desire to punish Barney DreyfuSs of
PittSburE. who they think must nave
he coming seasons pennant einched, or
Else they thought by scheduling the games
to the very close of the players con-
some way or other they Were not being
dominated by Ban johnson. 1t would not
he = bit surprising, though if the dates
We're not pulled in week or so before
he championship races begin.
The Cleveland and New York American
League clubs were the first to start for
the practice grounds, and both take their
initial spins today on southern fields.
Two weeks from today and the Nationals
wil trot out for their first practice on
The Norfolk field 1t hardly seems possible
that we are 50 close to the opening of
the base ball season. This winter has
been a hard one. starting early in De-
ccm5er and the wiSeacreS are predicting
IN early spring. If it comes the Ma
ionals will be in luck for once. and
should be benefited TO a wonderful de-
gree. The boys can't get back into Wash
ington too soon 10 please the fans, and
the chances are that the exhibition games
with Brooklyn and Philadelphia will draw
out big crowds
The resolutions passed BY the American
League at Chicago leave no doubt where
that organization stands with regard to
syndicate base ball. In brief, il declares
that no man can hold stock in two clubs
and in the event of some imprudent per-
doing so. he will he treated as one
whose presence IS prejudicial 10 the best
interests of the game. There is no chance
for any one 10 carry water on two
shoulders under this resolution 4 man
may own a club. but he cannot OWN a
share Of stock in another. For years
past there has been a great deal of talk
about syndicate base ball, much OF which
has not been altogether justified by the
facts. but upon the occasion of entering
upon new agreement to cover period
or twenty years. IL was hut proper that
the American League maGnates should
take the public into their confidence Tn
der the resolution passed syndicate ball Is
impossible in their league The National
League also went record as being on
posed to syndicate base hall so called but
the resolution was nothing like so far
reaching that passed by the American
II expressed us disap prevail of any one
rcrson controlling more than one club
hui il did not say that a stakeholder in
one club could not be a stockholder in
another One resolution was clear and
direct to the point; the other read more
ike an apology.