The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-01-27
Most Compact League i'm tire
Country is That Surround
ing Detroit
MAY BE THE FIRST WORD
IN AUTOMOBILE LEAGUES
Prospects for Coming Season
Are Bright-TwO New Clubs
in Organization
BY RALPH Z. YONKER.

Place one point of an Imaginary
compass near Rochester. Mich. swing
Inc other point around describing the
circumference OF circle the radius OF
hich is so miles and you will lave
epelosed the territory of the newl' or
Sanized Border league, whicE starts
is second season this year
The Border league Is ,he most COM
ast association. geographically, In
organized baseball. II is the last
l;ord in real trolley leagues. II may
ne the first word in real automobile
leagues.
Six Michigan towns and Windsor
are>embraced in this lively little Class
=, affair. Port Huron an Mt. Clemens
.crm the north spoke Of the wheel
ipsilanti and probably Ann Afbor,
9ill be the west spoke. Pontiac is an
ptner with Wyandotte and Windsor
os the hub.
ANY OF thes towns can easily he
reached from any other by automobile
nd II may be that the trolley cars
Will be abandoned for tle motor cars
The Blue Grass league in -<entucky
Fas the first 10 originate this scheme
The Border league vas one OF the
few Glass ID organizations that came
1t of the season OF 1912 ready 20 be-
rin the season OF 1913. Failure after
failure was recorded In these bushes
/. wear The Border league. how
ever, was not only anxious to start In
again for 1913, but Wiling TO take on
the additional burder OF two new
,Icbs. Ypsilanti Is assured a team
A rlN tc In
Three games a week will be played
IA 1918. rather than two. Wednesdays
saturdays, Sundays and other holi-
LAYS are to be utilized.
The salary limit this coming se2so
sill probable be $500 per month for
each club. The maximum number oil
ncn each club can have is Ii. Port
Huron and Mt Clemens are actually
;,icking for a 5000 raise in the salary
INIT, but as these two clubs arc far
~ the minority, 1t Is likely that they
won't get what they want
The league picks up and develops
men from its own territory almost ex-
ciTsively. but some men are imported
The men are given good positions III
We stores and factories OF the cities
they play for and are paid for their
baseball besides.
Pitcher North, of the Mt Clemens
,.ub, for instance, had good position
;here and was receiving 500 month
for working in one or two games a
..eek
The league is almost purely ar, ad-
.ortising proposition. 1t loses money
each year. but the deficit Is saken
cpre of by civic organizations In the
different cities. The various boards
If trades figure that ii is worth a lew
thousand each year TO them TO Eave
club in organized baseball.
The team sent several men up TO
higher company last year Pitcher
Nichols. OF the Wyandotte club, who
wsr practically the property OF the
etroit club once this fall, will now
probably go to Grand Rapids instead
cf the Tigers. Curtis, the Port Huron
hurler, is also likely to become the
property of Bert Annis.
The Border league broke into the
baseball record book this year. An
examination Of the records contained
thcrein shows why Wyanuotte won
aet years pennant with percentage
uf 1892
Among the first ten batsmen, t1ere
were Ave IDottes. In pitching Nichols
ard Boettner lead the league In games
won and in fielding In fielding, Wyan.
do;te was first at first base. second at
third and third at shortstop. IN the
nutfield. II had one first and two Sec
Ohds In the list.
Last year was an experiment for the
league. This year II is expected TO
be better President Ulbrich NOW an
attorney In Detroit, Is an old baseball
,layer and fan and is enthusiastic
about the coming season. Richard
Jackson, Jr., who organized the
league, is vice-president.
fan from Milan. Mich, has found
an error In some recently published
.igures on the performances OF Ty
Cobb and Larry Lajoie at the bat Ac-
tording to the published figures Lar
,y's batting average during the 13
Years he has been In the game Is .377.
cotained from total of 2.179 hits in
5,752 times at bat.
IL is found, however, that an error
has been made in the total number of
times at bat The adding machine
makes II appear that Larry has had
G,152 official chances to hit and that
nis average should be 1854 for the 13
Years. AS the average OF the avera ges
II each year gives Larry about the
same figure, It looks as II that must be
correct
Taking .S54 as the basis on which
to figure, We find that Cobb's average
FOR the seven years he has been in