Evening star., 1913-01-20

big figures in the American League for
ten years and have won four pennants
and two worlds championships. While
occupying their old field, on Columbia
avenue they made plenty of money. but
since they have occupied their handsome
new uuarters-for four years-though
they have drawn tremendously, they have
not paid a dividend. Connie Mack admits
this. The burden is too great to permit
much of margin.
The Philadelphia National League clup,
though situated in one of the pest DaSe
ball towns in the country, has made
money only about one year in the last
ten, and then such small amount that it
scarcely weighed against the losses of the
nine other years. In favor Of the Phlllies
it might be said in that time they nave
purchased no new grounds and erected
no new half million dollar parks, but they
did spend considerable sums on the i'm
provement of their old home.
The worlds champion Boston American
League club made money last year, but
a good part of it's margin was the money
taken in at the worlds series. For a
couple of years previously. though al
ways in the running, the Red Sox dld
not make such great sums OF money
that it was good investment. The other
Boston club, the Nationals. has had a
hard row to hoe for ten years in an Ell
fort to make money, and it is doubtful
whether there was a good interest earned
on the money invested.
Washington Gets First Real
Earnings.
Washington of the American League
made money last year for the first time
in ten years, and then only because the
team was in the running for the pennant
almost all season. Brooklyn has made
some money steadily for ten years be-
cause of its large population and its
proximity to New York. In addition to
the fact that it has been well handled.
Now, however. with it's three-quarter-
million-dollar plant 1t will have to be an
outright winning team to hope to make
the interest on the investment.
Detroit has made some money, though
not a great deal, in spite OF the frequent
winning of American League champion
SHIPS. Detroit earned because it had
some great attractions such as Jennings
and Cobb and was fine road team,
drawing better away than at home. The
st. Louis Americans have lost money as
a regular thing and so has Cleveland.
The st. Louis Nationals have earned a
little money in the past few years be-
cause the team has been revived and kept
in the running for most of the season,
making 1t good road attraction. Then,
too. the Sunday ball has helped. Garry
Herrmann's Cincinnati club has not been
a moneymaker, though it might show a
slight margin of profit
The moral is obvious. The days when
major league base ball could be main
tanned as sport pure and simple are
past II has reached a commercial stage.
where the maintenance of club in either
the American or the National Leagues
involves questions not Of thousands.
but hundreds of thousands of dollars
during a season.
The magnates are awakening to the
fact that they have been assuming so
many obligations and burdens that the
business has become risky. When the
time comes, as 1t must in the near fu-
ture, when the club owners will be
forced to retrench. the ball players sal
aries will have to suffer to certain de-
gree Then will come the grand howl.
AS at present constituted. the magnates
have been assuming all the risk and the
players have been reaping the reward
regardless of whether the club is win
ner or a loser.
Minor leagues throughout the country
have been feeling the squeeze for several
years and are only now beginning to
find the remedy. The new system of
salary limits and player limits, which
the class A, B, G ana ID leagues have al
ready adopted. and over which the class
AA leagues-the International, Pacific
Coast and American AssociatiOn-are now
wrestling with the national commission
are to be the means Of putting minor