New-York tribune., 1912-04-07
JUST FANS
It Costs the Major Leagues
$4,000 a Season for Balls,
but This Is a Tiny Item
in Millions Handled.
f<~ HRON ont the ball"
oh. 90 chase Yourself. '

On, 90 f0dSH No1i~NH
Now. look here. vouns man.
Don't 20 getting fresh to me-. IN call a
oop.
Chorus Of voices: ON. YOU funny teller"
Where do YOU come from. BROOKLYN =?
There's vacant spot behind the ribbon
counter to-d2,. all RIGHT. CcUic o.. Givo us
the ball"
Arne Latham. the wit extra ordinary and
Jester plenipoteutiary of the New York
Giants. was attempting to retrieve a base
hall which Larry DOYLE had lined for a
foul into tho stands at tho Polo Grounds
With apparen; force enough 90 carry away
part Of the stool and concrete structure
ArIie. who by the way was released a
few weeks ago to make room on the squad
for a promising yoUngster, did not know
who had tho sphere. but no had watched
the vast sea OF faces sway 10 on" side as
the hall struck ana kno" Tia; it nestled
somewhere near by.
Picking out a prominent candidate for
president Of the Souvenir Hunters club as
the probable holder of the pellet. he adj
dressed a few remarks Of n pertinent and
caustic nature To the grinning fan But
boots and icers. punctuated here and there
bv the cries Of some soberminded citizens
10 give IL up" were his reward. one Of
the special patrolmen assigned to the park
hrowsed thrcateningly and fOrblddingiy III
the offing. seeking to ferret out the pur-
loiner. but all to no purpose. Arlie was
forced to retreat under the fire of the
enemy. Now. Latham was never at loss
for something to say i'm verbal war. and
his flank movement TO the coacher's box
1.s4. "a
side directed al him with interest and bore
off all the laurels and trophies OF the en-
gaeement. with the exception of the Ssuch
coveted baseball. which was carefully
slowed away in some Youngsters pocket.
The game was interrupted for Few MIN
utes while the celebrated humorist OF the
New York team bantered the thronG. Nor
decai Brown. who svas pitching for the
Chicago Cubs stood on the mound in an
appealing attitude watching the episode.
For the used ball with the slightly rough-'
ened surface and Soiled so as to blend wei
with the background of the field, thus max
Ing the batsman'S task more difficult Is
dear to the pitchers heart But the three
fingered marvel found no sympathy among
the fans" The umpire turned and called
for new ball bright and glsteninG. and
the game proceeded. The incident had
cost the New York club 81 80.
1900 6AsE6ALLs A SEASON.
Between eleven and twelve thousand
baseballs are used by the sixteen major
league clubs every season. About half of
these are worn out in actual service. The
rest are batted into stands and appro-
pristed by the fans" The cost TO the
two big leagues for balls every season
runs up TO 81 80. and when it is considered
that $500 or 5000 worth is stolen by
,.the spectators il is small wonder that the
games are delayed and the players coop
crate with the owners TO retrieve the lost
property.
Sixty dozen or 30. baseballs are used ny
each team during a season. at cost OF $i'ooV'
which forms by far the biggest expense IN
equipping club for one campaign. AS
matter Of fact it makes up nearly halt OF
the total cost of all the paraphernaiia' III
cludng uniforms. bats, bases and multi
tubes OF other things. At the beginning OF
each season every club owner is forced 10
pay out nearly $500 TO buy the impie-
meDts Of the national pastime. ASIDE from
the sixty dozen baseballs, each OF inc
twenty-five players must have TWO UNI
forms a white one TO wear while playing
at home and colored one to use aDroa"'
These cost in the neighborhood OF goo.
Then come twenty-five sweaters at -
apiece. costing sl75 in all; hundred ana
twenty, or ten Dozen bats at sl2O twenty
hve sliding pads at s62 30, movable pat-
tlng cage which costs modest S"' two
chest protectors at $40 apiece. three eaten
ers masks at s. each. two pairs OF sIli'
guards at 81. six canvas bases al $|'
The much needed home plate commands
81 price OF 81 70. while the plate In the pi.cn-
" ers box can be purchased for a 70 Dill
There are many other incidental expenses
at the start Of the season and much OF the
equipment has to be renewed before the
campaign is over so that the total expense
for a season is somewhere around 500,
making the cost TO the sixteen CLUBS ior
athletic goods annually reach $500.
The traditions OF the game require that
each player purchase his own glove ana
spiked shoes. 80 that the club owner is re-
lieved OF this expense. which involves an
= outlay Of about $3.50 for the twenty-five men
? on a team. Time was when the athletes
were compelled TO furnish their own uni
forms and bats. but the owners have taken
over these expenses. In the old days IL
cost about $500 to equip a club with the
best OF everything. but prices have made
material advance in baseball goods as well
IA In everything else
Such expenses, however, are trivial when
compared TO the huge sums which the en-
We'd franchise holders OF the big leagues
are forced TO invest TO maintain the hard
earned supremacy of one team or build up
and strengthen another. The rivalry is In
tense and the competition keen. The stakes
which are played for are so large that
economy is laughed at with a possible pen
nsnt In sight Another season is at hand
ana nearly nine million fans" Will have
passed through the gates OF the big league
psrks before the next worlds series has
oeen played. The attendance last year was
around eight millions, and this figure forms
me crest of q steadily increasing annual
Patronage. New and larger baseball plants
- xks care OF this thropg hays eprQps p2