Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-01-17
Sallys ~only-4- Castoffs' Rule Proves Success
Southern May Try 1t; Too Many Gibbs Lose Money

frosty touch which every small
minor organization needs must
suffer where sales Of its players to
faster company are few.
Artistically, it is doubtful wheth-
er the South Atlantic ever pro-
duced a better season than that
which wound up with the close Of
the championship series between
Columbus and Jacksonville. Moth
ing like rowdyism and umpire
batting transpired to mar the
tranquility OF the first presidential
year of Nick Corish, while the
article OF baseball in evidence
was. if anything, an Improvement
over that offered the two previ-
Gus seasons.
All of which leads up to the
practicability OF the rather radi-
cal and interesting policies adopt
ed by the magnates previous to
the opening of the 1912 campaign.
Careful scrutiny of the rule
changes revealed considerable
baseball legislation of a novel
character, and yet in practice
there proved nothing strange
about any portion OF it. In fact,
fans, players and magnates re-
eeived the revisions In the light os
natural evolution of minor
league baseball, and beyond the
first few weeks of the season
there were no misunderstanding
f,,t Tot W a M
use OF vulgar expression, all
hands, apparently. took to the
rather revolutionary changes like
ducks to the deep brine.
Only in one way We're the eX-
pectations Of the magnates stump
ed, that in point OF sales of young
performers to faster company. 1t
was with the idea that the ma
iors have ceased to pay atten-
ton to minor league veterans that
the ban was lowered against
these in favor of placing a prem
ium on young ball players. The
doing away with the veterans was
comparati lively easy, aside from
the reluctance with which every
loyal fan sees an old-time idol
discarded, but the securing of
Youngsters of sufficient class to
attract the attention of the major
league scouts in a single season
proved a vastly different PROPOSE
tfon, and here only the magnates
seem to have failed in their eX-
pectations. But this is easily ex-
planned.
On the scale ball players are
paid today, salaries in the South
Atlantic last season were attrac-
tive to only the advanced amateur
or bush league performer, conse-
quently the material gathered 10
fill In around the four veterans al
lowed was practically all of this
caliber, and any one at all famil-
lar with the development Of a bah
player will realize that only the
exceptionally promising youngster
can discard his slap bag amateur
isms for sophisticated baseball
manners in the space OF single
four and a half months season,
That in a nutshell is the answer
for the failure of the Sally to send
more youngsters out labeled
sold" The two or three men
disposed of in this manner were
ones who had been in the league
at least two years.
Looking ahead to the coming
season. the prospects are bright
for a ten-fold increase in sales.
and drafts especially drafts \
young ball player nowadays must
measure pretty close up TO
the major league standard before
a scout is willing to recommend
purchase, whereas the young
ster with any considerable amount
OF natural ability is good in
vestment at the draft price, and
there are any number of the lat
Ter in this league who viii be
grabbed up next fall
There is no getting away from
the fact that the salvation of all
minor leagues in which the re-
turns at the gate no more than
balance the running expenses, lies
in the development Of young bah
players, and, though. as explained.
greater profits we're expected from
sales last fell than were realized.
the working out Of the policies
toward the general end of placing
the game in these sections on fit
ing basis has been sufficiently sat
iSfHinE 10 convince the maGnates
That their step I'm ousing the old
tuners was decidedly i'm the right
direction