The Washington herald., 1911-08-06
Nv G. w, SWAN.

ing I'D this season in the different anna
teur leagues have done more to hurt
amateur ball than any season in the past.
Such cases as the Wilkinson, Joe Engle
Sunday School League, and Suburban
League are the ones the writer refers to,
while there were a dozen or more minor
ones considered.
In the Wilkinson case, where several
players were charged with having re-
ceived money for their services, nothing
ever came to light, as the commission
did not have the power to look deep
enough into the matter.
Joe Engle Out of 1t.
The Joe Engle case is settled for this
season. as he was suspended for the bal
ance of the year at the meeting OF the
amateur commission Friday night. Engle
signed contracts with perhaps dozen
teams. and after signing with these teams
played with the Cornell aggregation OF
the Capital City League. This was the
first team he played with when he re-
turned to the District.
Then Engle played with the r. P. An
drews team, of the Commercial League,
and after that, Notwithstanding the fact
that he had already played with two
teams, he played with the Manhattans,
of the Independence League, without get
ting his release from one or the other of
the teams that he had played with. This
was IL direct disobedience to the rules or
the amateur commission.
When the board of arbitration held its
first meeting Engie was declared the
vroperIy of the Andrews and Manhattan
teams, although he had played with the
Cornell Tigers first. The board held, and
rightly, too. that contracts held the right
Of way.
Coufroct Ruie Too Weak.
If such is the case. a manager can have
twenty eligible players and hold contracts
with fifty more and al the close of the
season, or the time for the final register
ing of PLAYERS. say that as he has
these contracts with these players they
belong to him. and if his contracts have
been signed previous to the ones held by
the teams that the player had been play
ing with all season the ball tosser in
question belonged to him This is a very
regTettable state of affairs, and unless
the amateur commission changes this rule
for next season more Squabbles of the
Tame sort will come up.
Another important matter that the
commission will most likely settle will
be the question Of how many teams con-
stirute league. This is important in
more than one sense. II the commission
had made this rule al the beginning of
the present season the muddle that the
Suburban League is in at present would
he smaller by a big degree. Now the
entire outcome of the decision of the
bitration board hinges on the constitu-
ton of that league. If il is found to con-
tain a rule saying that the league must
be composed of not more than eight or
cot less than four clubs the Suburban
League stands good chance of not be-
nC represented in the post-season series.
That this will be a hardship on the
players of the Petworth and Silver Spring
.eams, but more so on the Petworth
cam, is plain TO he seen, as when the
eague was reduced to two clubs they
were leading by a good margin. What
he decision of the board will be remains
% be seen.
Change Umpire system.
Another thing that would greatly facli-
tate the umpire system now in vogue
would be for the commission to engage
all the officials and change them, say,
once a week. thus giving every league a
different umpire every week for ten
weeks, should there he ten leagues under
the commission, and in this way give
every league a chance to have each UNI
pire officiate for them.
In this way the umpires would become
better known and their work would he
stale" if he is kept on the same job too
long. This is fact that is admitted by
the majority of the indicator handlers
Now that Commerce and Labor has
Won from Navy. by forfeit. it is true,
but they are credited with the game
nevertheless, and Manager Shoemaker
has protested the game which the AgrI-
culture won from the Laborites last week
on the ground that they played an in
eligible man, it looks if the Commerce
boys will land the bunting in the De-
partmental League after all, and with
out playing a series with Post-office at
that.
Manager Cornell will go into the post
season series minus two of his PLAYERS
no matter what team wins the pennant
in the Departmental League. If Com
merce and Labor wins the Tigers will
lose Moran and Mcdonald, and if the
Post-offfce aggregation takes the flag
Manager Cornell will miss Barnhart and
Vaughn. Either loss will hurt the Tigers
somewhat.
This week will most likely tell the tale |
in the Independence League. Manhattan |
and Kendall meet once, and they also
play the other teams in the league sew
eral times. One of the weaker teams |
may spring a surprise on the leaders, and |
then watch for the fur to fly.
The Capital Athletic Club and the |
Eastern Buds will line up at 2:3O p. m. |
to-day on the Commercial League |
grounds Probable batteries: Capital |
Athletic Club. Shalin and Heinrichs; |
Eastern Buds, Richmond and Brewer
Now that the amateur season is on its
last lap, the teams are playing a fast
article OF ball and the winning aggrega-