Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1912-01-11

The necessity OF MAINTAINING Il VIII /
ming or near winning baseball team
in order TO get a reasonable income |
ont Of the investment
Inability TO obtain material with |
which 10 recruit his team 10 the nee
essary standard without developing
1, almost from the cradle.
The maintenance of a farm" IN
some minor league, either through
actual ownership of a subsidiary club
or by a "gcntleman's agreement for
the purpose of developing promising
green material.
Investment Heavy.
Take the case of club owner like
Charles \. Comiskey IN the Amerl-
can league or Barney DreyfusS in
the National league, each of whom
owns outright the land on which his
team plays and the expensive stan1
erected for the accommodation of his
patrons. The actual cash investment
would erect a fair sized business
block or office building ard the run
ming expenses ard upkcep Of 4 mod
crn building would be small compar-
cd to the cost OF running q ball team
and keoping Il m to standard.
The office building would be pro
ductive OF revenue from the rents
during the year round, while the hall
nlant is working less than three
months OF each wear 4 major league
ioam. plqviug a l5i-eame schedule,
Is booked to appear on its own
Grounds only seventy-seyen days dur
inc the year. At least ten ard gen
orally more Of these appearances VII
be- prevented by rain or had weather
Take the average Of the last ten years
and Il will he found that the team
which PLAYS seventy days on its own
Grounds is fortunate. The plant main
tanned hv the owner Of the team Ia
expensive.
Yet taxes, repairs and incidentals
20 right along tho same as II II we're
IN office building. and the only thing
that stops during the off season is the
salaries of the players. These salaries
run for six months, but they are on a
twelve-month basis.
No Use for Vacant Dates.
II is n serious proposition what to
10 with the plant during It's idleness.
nrevfuss partially solved It by devel-
oping the dippodrome fad in Pitts
burg. hut that has not proved sue
cessful In other cities where 1t has
been tried. Comiskcy and Herman
tried baseball hy electric light but 1;
did not solve the problem
To maintain team that will pre-
duco Il reasonable income from the
heavy investment In modern bal
ward. the club owner spends tens oil
thousands of dollars each wear To gel
recruits with which to strengthen the
weak spCts or rcnlace retiring veter'
ans. The scramble has become so in
tense that II Is necessary 90 grab hall
baked Youngsters from the outermos
bushes and take chance OF finding
a rought diamond among them. The
none of nickinr up n finished bal
plover from the minor leagues Ion.
aro disappeared. Occasionally NheI
there Is promise Of obtaining such
rlavcr the man who has claim OF
that player services can command
almost any price. as was the cast
with Marty O'Toole last fall.
How II Would Pc DOM
To summarize the situation an'
p make possible such thing as contin
nous baseball II is wise here TO men
ton that It would be impossible Il
plav bali in the win'or time hu' thi
could easily be overcome by playif
two teams In the same park.
suprosing George Tebeau. owner o
the blues. should own the stock q
the 81 Joseph club in the Wester'
D league. This is for the purpose .
farming out Young recruits, but al
u most as expensive for the returne
cleaned as maintaining the Blue
here.
Nv agreement Of course. surpos
: 4, were possible for him TO have
Blue team number .. In the Westcr
- league. and with The privileges Il
ulavinc in this territory The sched
j. rles could then be arranred for eac
q. team SO that no conflicting HON
latcs would be- encountered and som
= l1iO games would be PLAYED on thcs
Grounds. instead Of the &C or 20 thG
, We now set The extra expense Z
:. maintaining two grounds and othC
.rcideutals would be done away Will
Instead would be hut one ground an
:, he returns on the investment con
I ing IN on twice he number OF ia,
Il THAT now prevail.