The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1913-10-20
NJ. FORWARD
STER IN B. B.
NATIONAL GAME HOLDS IT'S OWN
BUT MAKES NO AID.
VANCES.
WORLDS SERIES DOES NOT ELE,
VATE THE PLANE OF
SPORT.

" l
or baseball season has closed and
only the records remain to proclaim
the proves of player and club In
Americas national sport. Consider
cd broadly, 1913 produced play fully
up to the standard of previous years.
but no appreciabie step forward
could be detected. The game appear
ed to hold its own in popularity.
speed and technique, Dut did not
surpass the record of recent seasons
in this respect.
The worlds series. with its attend
ant ticket scandals, scr"mhltng and
chickering's. created the usual inter
est but did little or nothing to ad-
vance professional baseball or elo'
vate the plane of the sport. In fact
many of the cIevercst "f the club
owners and league officials are be-
ginning 10 doubt the wisdom of tlIe
post season climax in its present
form. The play-off for the worlds
championship under the present sys-
TEN is felt to hold menace OF more
or less gravity to the future OF base
ball by some OF the best informed
men connected with the game.
The idea of a sportsmanltEe series
Of contests to decide the title honora
Of the year is apparently lost in tile
wild scrambling for the enormous
gate receipts and the attendant side
cmolumcnts that accrue to players
and club owners. Those stOckhOld-
crs whose teams do not share In III"
distribution of the prize money vie"
with chagrin the division OF many
thousands Of dollars among the moro
fortunate. Fans who are unable 10
GENRE seats for the games rail ut the
roupon distributing policies Of the
ompcting clubs and all in all there
+, more dissatisfaction at the close OF
the season than citation.
All this has been brought home
wildly to the national commission
and the magnates Of both the Ma
tional and American Leagues and
there is q movement on foot to dis
cover substitute season climax
that will leave less Jealousy and
ncurtburning tnan al present. What
| Is particularly desired is Il form Of
;nterleague series that will premtt
all clubs and players to participate
IN the financial benefits aud the tallj
of many cities to enjoy the spectacle
without being obliged tC stand III
line twrnty-four hours or pay ticket
spcculators fabulous prices for two
dollar seat coupon.
While British and American
yachtsmCN are preparing TO spend
half million dollars to win or re-
tain possession Of the Americas cup
the old schooner that captured the
trophy. originally known as the
Ouern's Cup, floats in the sluggish
tide Of Fort Point Channel, beside
the South Station in Boston. The
America is owned by former Con E
gresham Butler Amcs, Of Lowell
who inherited her from his grand
father, Gen. Benjamin i. Butler.
Every schoolboy knows that after
her famous exploit i'll English vat
crs, the America became Confeder-
ate blockade runner under the name
Memphis" and was scuttled in the
St. Johns River. Fla, during the
war. The federal government raise"
her. and subsequently General But
Ter purchased the old yacht. She
has been rcplanked several times
and her interior fittings, including
many of her frames, have been re"
nrwcd, but her model is practically
tbe same that James Steers design
ed G. years ago.
The America was las: in commits
sion in 1901, when she swung Tor
several days inside the Horse Shoe
at Sandy Hook at the time OF sir
Thomas Lipton's second cup lifting
gttcmpt with Shamrock II on one
side and Columbia on the other. BE-
fore leaving for Europe last montA'
Colonel Amcs was asked regarding
the future plans for the America
the suggestion being made that SEc
hc rrrittcd with Il gasoline engine.
lie stated. however. that while lie
might place the boat in commission
again in 1914 he did not believe that
he would give her any other power
except her sails.
Thousands Of persons pass tAe Old
schooner every day but as the great
,. r"rr Of the commulcr tide leaves
and enters the doors on the opposite
,,ue OF the s;a;c, very lew persons
poticc the trim white yacht, with
her HORSEPOWER deck m0Ored In Fort
Point Channel. just above the Sum-
mer street bridge. Only the yachts
man recognizes the saIutes the ia
nous and original winner OF the cup
which has become the most desired
md greatest international sports
rOphy in the world.
IL.