The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-10-14
by I. E. sanborn.l

THE Curse Of Drink and its rela.
ton to baseball has been brought into
prominence by the. i'll timed but other.
wise righteous effort of President
Murphy Of Chicago's Cubs to decrease
the amount of alcohol consumed by
the players on his pay roll.
There Is. no question that baseball
would be improved by the elimination
of alcohol and tobacco. In all round
physical condition and fitness for com.
bat there is nothing in professional
sport that "a equal the college ath.
lete, trained al he is to abstemious.
ness in all things during the season in
which his supreme efforts are put
forth.
It is no argument to the contrary
that a mediocre professional baseball
team will trim the crack college. nine
as a rule. The professional knows a
lot about the game which the collegian
has not had time to acquire, and in
baseball the knowledge Of what to dc
and how to do it cuts more. figure
than physical fitness. :
The point is that if it were possible
to line up two baseball teams Of equal
mechanical ability, experience. and
mental equipment in the science of
baseball. n of them composed of
players who drank moderately but
habttually and the other composed of
players who abstained from all. drink
ing and smoking, the latter team
would beat the former in any series of
games long enough to eliminate most
of the element of luck. 1t would
think faster and play harder.
1t Is no argument to point out that
this player who does drink and smoke
Is superior to that player to uses
neither alcohol nor tobacco. The fact
Is h former would be a better player
II he was a teetotaler in every respect,
and the latter would not be as good
a player as he is If he were not tenn
perate in his habits. .
There Is nothing to be gained. by the
enforced abolition of drinking and
smoking cigarets proposed by the Cub
magnate. Those who know baseball
and its players know hat the innova-
ton inaugurated by President Drey-
fuss Of Pittsburgh several years ago
has been a failure sc far as the intro
auction OF teetOtalism into his team Is
concerned. It has not reduced the
quantity of liquor consumed by mem
bers OF the team who were bibulously
inclined. 1t has changed the manner
Of consumption from regular to peri
odic. There will be no other result IL
AAuAp HS eoCC Oueu W1lI Ills purpose
to prohibit drinking and cigaret smok-
ing among the Cubs.
The only way absolutely to prevent
either or both in a baseball team ia to
sign a complete roster of players none
of whom drinks or smokes. a great
of improvement could be produce
ed by grading salaries according to a
players known habits. Let the play
er who has lived Il temperate life and
has refused to fall for the JOY stuff
sign a contract calling for $1,000 more
In a season than the player who has
formed bad habits and there soon will
he produced n generation of players of
exemplary physical condition. They
may not excel the stars of today whom
has led into over-indulg-
ence. but t hey will last longer.
1t does no good to sign Il player to
contract by which he forfcits a GER
tain sun for imbibing liquor or inhal-
ing the dopcd fumes of II cigaret. He
will merely play the fox and break his
contract in secret instead of openly.
Not until his stipend depends upon
away from bad habits out OF
season as we'll as in. season will the
player reform.
Things were worse Il couple of de-
cades r. than they are today. Then
1t was the exception to find a ball
who was abstemious. a. man.