The Washington times., 1912-10-09
FIGHT FOR SEATS
IS REAL FEATURE
George Fitch Believes Battle Over Pasteboard Over
shadows That Between New York Giants
And Boston Red Sox.
By GEORGE FITCH.

NEW YORK. Oct. 9.-The greatest
contest In sporting history ended yes
terday afternoon at the National
League baseball park. the score being
5000 to 3,45s,s7s. or thereabouts.
Lot no one rashly infer that this was
a baseball game. Far from It. 1t was
the game of getting In to see a base
ball game, a pastime in which vast
numbers OF Americans passionately en-
gage for several weeks at the end Of
each summer. Baseball is all right in
its place and is a neat little pastime,
calculated to distend the lungs and drive
dull care several hours into the future,
But what iis baseball compared to the
annual scramble for seats at the world
series7
Matter Of Weeks.
This latter game has been going on
with more than it's usual frenzy for
three weeks. 1t is being played by most
OF the citizens OF New York and Boston,
together with several thousand selected
fans from Chicago. Philadelphia. San
Francisco. Baraboo. Wis. and other
points. Men have bribed. fought and
palavered. They have left good Jobs
In exposed positions and have given up
their winters coal money without
In In Al
relatives In the far East and Eastern
men have stood for days and nights be-
fore a ticket window slowly congealing
and subsisting on sandwiches and news
papers. Enough diplomacy has been
wasted to stoke down the Balkans into
a ten years snooze and enough grim
desperation has been extended to storm
Port Arthur with tooth picks IL neces-
sary. This is the length to which men
will go to say proudly to the envious
fallen: why, yes. OF course l saw the
world series. Took some scheming, but
YOU can't keep me out. I've seen every
championship game for eight years.
d., With Faces Like Saints.
At 2 o'clock yesterday the victorious
o,0OO were firmly seated in the bal
,,ark with such looks on their faces as
new-made saints wear in Paradise
after a long and unusually uncertain
tourney and the other 100000 were try
ing to persuade themselves that they
needed the money anyway. II Is sac
to think Of some of those who didn'
get there. They have been going faith
fully to the league games Iass for year.: c.n,
pieces into the Golfers of the manage.
ment. And yet they must sit OUTSIDE
and get the dead and dried skeleton Of
excitement In the form Of buplietin and
a box score while the happy COUNT,
more than usually impertinent rich arr
seated inside. Why should the bleachel
oug snout and encourage his team
through the long hot summer, day aftel
day. only. to have his seat In octobel
occupied by some man who could ar
ford to hire a frostproof messenger bo,
to stand In line for him for thirty-si'
hours
There must be reform in the disposa
OF worlds series tickets. There must b.
Let the fans arise as one maniac anc
demand that worlds series tickets b
issued as a reward Of merit to the bug
eyed hacker OF the home team who cal
produce certain number Of attendance
coupons, accumulated during the sum
mer. Let 100 attendance coupons entiti
the holder thereof TO pay half prices 70
the worlds series and get q seat. lie
| those who have fifty coupons take tn
next best seat and let the proud an,
has to be told which player is "Chief'
Meyers content himself with rotun'
knot hole or a seat on a box kite.
Real Ball Game.
These evils having been commented
| upon In kissing tones and the remed!
for them forked over free to an eagei