The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-10-29
WILL Be
UNIVERSAL SPORT
All Spalding, Pioneer Player
and Manufacturer, Predicts
General Interest.
TO SHORTEN SCHEDULE
National League Will Play
Fewer Games and End
Earlier in 1912.
TO SHORTEN SCHEDULE

enough 10 excite The envy OF trust mag |
mates aud high hnanclers. ne "olia
series is giving good evidence that
fhc game is really the greatest thing OF
iii in thc minds Of the American peo' |
Pile.
IL the races arc as close and exciting
next year as they have been TINS year
IL is pretty safe TO say that pasephil
will divide interest with the preslden
tial election and ] am not at al SURF
that the national game VIII hold seeoho
place either.
A. G.. Spaldine who is perhaps one OF
the most enthusiastic baseball men IN
the country. in recent interview tore'
casted a great future for tho game.
Baseball - he said, his eyes gbsten-
ing with enthusiasm, us destined 10
be the universal sport of the world
the earth S one best game. IL is pros
porous today because 1T appeals pecu
liary to the American Temperament,
which demands something quick, snapPH
and manly. IT is being taken TO al
parts of the globe by our sailors. !.
warship never enters port but there Is
baseball game next day, ana the sail j
ors of Uncle Sam are doing great ms
sionary work in spreading the game
popularity. Nothing can stay baSeoall
progress, and although Vt VIII nave
hard time on English soil-because the
| Briton dearly likes his cricket-it VIII
| eventually gain foothold even there.
Pioneer of Baseball.
! Mr.. Spalding is hale and vigorous
| despite his wears. He played baseball
nearly half century ago, and his well
set frame still fills a good-sized blue
serge suit His ronnd. strong featured
face fairly rlows with health. LIS eyes
| are keen with tho Joy of living and he
declares baseball did IT,
| No subject does he speak of more IN.
terestingly than upon the early days OF
baseball. Constant association with the
game for nearly fifty years has gwen
him an insight into il that few others
euioy,
chow little real difference there is be-
tween the game the BOYS of today play
and that which delighted their grand
fathers Why, if you were to. go ont
today and play game under the rules
! of lS45 there wouldn't t be such vast
difference from the game the boys In
the next lot we're playing under l9i
rules. OF course, we hear lot about
the difference 'out on the first bounce
and underhand pitching make, but out
side Of that the game is Just about the
same. Generally speaking. the system
of strategy OF today is the same as dec
ades ago.
TODAY PLAYERS and those of the seven
ties and eighties?'' Mr.. Spalding was
asked.
"Wcll. us old fellows are blamed for
thinking that nothing is quite so good
now as it was in the old days, but |
honestly believe that the early stars Of
the game compare favorably with the
heroes of today. And. also, ii must be
remembered, that thev had to originate
the methods that now come to ball
player when he is less than 10 years
old
uAnd they could bait umpires in
those days, too. OF course, the epithets
were crude and the methods of apply
ing them was not as systematic as to-
dav, but they certainly were pictur'
esaue Whoever would have thought
that cussing an umpire would have be-
come such an artf'
1 Johnson Great Pitcher.
Considering the fact that he is a
member of a team which finished next
TO last, Walter Johnson's s record of
twentysiX victories and twelve defeats,
is splendid one. Bender, Gregg and
Coombs arc the only pitchers who have
worked regularly this season who have
better standing among the pitchers
than johnson, and it is easily seen that
he probably would be leading them all
if he were member of n winning ag-
gregation.
This has been the most successful
wear IN Johnson s career notwithstand-
ing the fact that he got a mserab BILE
start and it was not until late in the
season that he began to pitch winning
ball That johnson has changed his
style of pitching is best indicated by
the great falling off III the number of
strike eouts he scored, Where he es-
| =. u
last season, he is scarcely over the ~
mark this year. and yet he has won
more games this year than ever be-
fore.
If a majority of magnates of the Ma
tional league. when they meet in De
cember, again allow themselves to be
caloled into voting for a schedule that
they do not want, and that is source
of trouble TO them each fall they will
write themselves down as being as fool.
ish as most people already believe them
TO be. The world series was held OF
simply 10 aid the Brooklyn president
10 con himself into belief that Co.
lumbus day is festal event Of i'm
portance in a baseball sense. and two
other sets of games also were hampered.
Ono of these was the Chicago series
1 The other that between Cleveland and
Cincinnati,
In the latter case we witnessed a
most peculiar situation. that of ball
team playiug post.season games before
il had finished its championship sched.
ule, 1t is predicted that the National
league schedule next year will terminate
earlier than this years. 1t is said that
several maenstes are in favor of clos.
ing the season about October 6 or 7.
1t hurt Chicago nightly to have the
Giants win the National league pen
nant. In commenting on the world Is
series, for example. n Chicago sporting
writer said
"Thc .Ginnts and Athletics are en-.
tirely- different types OF ball players,
The Giants are rowdy PLAYERS. whie
! the Mackmen are quiet gentlemen. who