The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-07-20
SkALLSHOW FOR
IHIRDLEAGUE
Big Baseball 0rsanizatisas
Are Admirably Fortified
Against 0ppes;ties.
LACK OF TALENT AN AID
Seseiiy Il fhst-Class Playing M.sS.
rial Weld Hinder Creatiou
Il New Circuit
LACK OF TALENT AN AID

~ Weesa n1aoef Creation
e New Circuit.
| New York. July 1s-organized bas.-
ball u admirably fortified against nos
abIe opposition In the big leaeu.x
especially IL this true. The bes, terri
tory 70 already represented in both r,.t,-
leagues. and being firmly establisbsd
could put UP a long game at "cut.tbro.,..
with any aspiring outlaw enternriss ~.
major leagues have very wisely ut,,iz.d
the vast earnings Of the ten years N
peace by laying hands upon the CEN
tralised locations where park sights rish,
De desired and by building maznihcen,
steei ana concrete stands, with all At
tenoant conveniences. where the popuIaca
~ oeen educated to the very hiShestN
standards that obtain in baseball
Because Of the fact that baseball h..
outhved its infant days of wood bas.-
nah 10 safeguarded tenfold over saw
even nve years ago. Every American
League club save New York boasts tha
most mocern type of plant, and PreA-
dent Farrell's building Operations az.
under way. The majority of National
League clubs as fortified in the Same
manner and those that are not will be
within year or two. When thi. ~
accomplished there will have been 100
against possible opposition of a third
major league something like SIS, ooo, 900 in
real estate and fixtures alone
fresuming, however. that capital vcf,Yd
pc willing TO risk such considerable out
lay on mere speculation, that in itself |,
would go very short way toward assur-
ing success to any rival enterprise The
greatest safeguard to the peace and
prosperity of organized baseball at uras
a Ia he
playing material The club presidents
Of the various big leagues expend an
nuaiiy several million of dollars in still
hunting for talent and In gambling u,on
the minor league prospects unearthed BY
the sleuthG
One does not have to look farther than
the home doorstep for an Illustration
Of the famine throughout the leagues. No
one in baseball pursues a more liberal
policy than Frank J. Farrell. president
Of the tailend New York Americans. He
has spent thousands upon thousands Of
dollars during the last five years, bat
his team is right where it was WHEN
Grf6hth threw up his hands in 1908. IL
viii take Frank Chance a year or two
to build up club capable of making a
favorable showing. and then he may
count himself lucky. There is no sen:t-
ment In baseball
to get players nowadays Ia to 60 out aad
dig them from minor league o5scuriv.
develop them. and plant them where
they may be called upon in the time Of
need A ball club Is no stronger than
its reserve strength Connie Mack was q
possibly the first manager to realize the
full importance Of the farm" He has
bright prospects planted from coast to
coast He calls upon the jewels as they
are needed. By getting the jump on
rivals II stands to reason that the crafty
Connie has built up the most wonderful
reserve force that can well be imagined
Connie stands conspicuously as an ex-
ample that Ito him that hath shall be
given"
Yet in his business relations with his
associates Mack is cold as ice He pur-
sues the well known policy of ciinging
tenaciously to everything of value in his
possession. Never for an instant would
he entertain the idea OF sparing some Of
his surplus strength to help out the weak
members Of the league. Idling on Cor
MES bench are a bunch of reserves that
would add first division strength to most.
any Of the American League second
division clubs. Philadelphia would be
foolish to part with any Of them. for its
financial success depends directly upon
the ability Of the White Elephants to
beat out all opposition. STRENGTHENING an
enemy Is not one of warfare's approved
ethics. Peckingpaugh. Of the High
landers, is an example Cleveland tried
every way to keep this fellow from
Connie. The Maps couldn't use him just
now. but they wished to plant him in
Toledo where he might be called upon
later on If needed.
As q result Of the scarcity of the
cobbs. Speakers. Johnsons. .Mathewsons,
and Archers, those clubs who have been
favored with the best talent are habitu-,
ally rapping at the door IL not enjoying
the upper stories of the great amuse-
ment structure BY the Same token 1t
must be confessed that both major
league clubs are but in-baianced. The
weaker teams do not begin to class with
The leaders. and usually the race Is over
by midsummer. In the old American
League days Ban johnson, In his war
IN the National circuit. grabbed all the
BEST talent Of his rivals. and 50 evenly
distributed 1t throughout his, eight club
circuit that most every entranf had a
lair chance when the curtain runs up
zach spring.
Something should be done to give the
weak teams OF the two major league
hubs better chance with thes strong.
t seems that great deal OF the best
alent is going TO seed with the first
iivision clubs. Organized baseball has
been rather too lax in the application Of
/ roster limit, From May Is TO August
o. major league clubs are allowed to
larry TWENTY-FIVE players. and at other
lines Of the year thirty-five players.
These numbers appear aitogether too
iberaf-H might be good plan to gets
,ack to old conditions; when eighteen
players was considered . wealth Of
luxury for any club. 80
There u no way to supply the demand
lnder the present extravas1nt policies.
By limiting the rosters the field also Win !,
De limited and the really high class
'layers more evenly distributed
H0KEs BOARD 10 SHOW.
sarsen fheates WIN Give score Of
INCONSISTENCIES Cane.