Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1914-10-22
HARD YEAR FOR
THE BASEBALL coat
Everything. Including Mag
mates, Sitting Tight as to
Next Years Prospects
MANY TROUBLES
TO BE ADJUSTED
BY HAL SHERIDAN.


written for the United Press)
NEW YORK, Oct. 22-Ali baseball
fans, major, minor and outlaw, are
hereby warned to sit tight and take
firm hold on themselves. For this
winter the old baseball boat is go
ing to be rocked as it was never
rocked before. ana any who haven't
got a death grip vii, so overheard
sure.
The magnates are not talking much
for once That in itself is an
ominous sign, for when a baseball
magnate won't talk, one may well
know that something is brewing and
something of a mighty serious char
acter at that But confab after con-
fab is being held behind closed doors
and many mighty important missives
are passing back and forth between
the ruling powers in tho baseball
world.
Just what is going to happen is
hard to forecast One thing is GER
tain, however, and that is that when
the gong rings in the spring of 1915
! for the getaway in the baseball
world, the field will have a vastly
different appearance - the one II pre-
scented during the past season. The
i warning powers in Europe won't
massage the face of that country any
more than the kings OF baseball will
muss up the looks of organized base
ball this winter.
The reason for this change is very
plain--baseball clubs Throughout the
/ country lost more money during the
past season than ever before in their
history And there are few who
don't believe that the cause lies in
the Federal League aud they also
think that If baseball Is to continue
as a profitable business that peace
will have to be made with the Fed
erals.
II isn't that the Federal League
made the two major league clubs
lose so much money. They didn't do
that But the clubs they did hurt and
; hurt badly, are the Glass AA teams
making up the American Association
J the International League and the Pa.
! ciiic Coast League. The Western ani
: Southern Leagues Glass A organiza-
, lions, were handed terrific wallops
too, in the shape OF greatly reduced
profits
The great race in the National
League enabled that venerable BODY
to toddle through the season with a
better profit on a whole than IL has
had In some time. Bostons great
squirt from the bottom to the top after
July 1, lent an interest to that or
ganization that resulted In packed
parks and big gate receipts. The
American League didn't fare so well
as the Athletics early got away in the
lead and stayed there. At the Ameri-
can League clubs didn't lose enough
money to scare them any.
But the heads of the American and
National Leagues realize that they
have got to do something to appease
the powers in the Glass A A Leagues
The International League is clearly
on the rocks. The Federals wallop-
/ ed that organization numerically
! And the International League is a
great asset of the major leagues.
a In fact the entire structure of base
e ball depends on the minor leagues
o. The major league have to have then
8 to develop young players and to tak'
a care OF surplus talent. They coulC
no more do without them than al
aeroplane could fly without an en-
CINE. And the minors are demand
O ing, and in no uncertain terms. tina
T. the major leagues make peace will
/, the Federals. They don't care jus
= how peace is brought about but peac
= they want and peace they must have
= The Fedeal League hasn't made I
y mint of money. But late reports in
Ie dictate that enough OF the clubs fin
D ished the season with the balance OF
, the right side Of the sheet to make 1
Is certain that they'll stick in the figh
. for some time to come. Just how tn
l, Federal League is going to fare Il
Is this coming peace parley is hard {
e determine. II the club owners aroun
the circuit put their fight entirely 4
II the hands of Jim" Gilmore. thei
ie scrapping president, It is certain tina
as effective and the chances of IN
"a negotiations.
There is considerable talk, howeve
to the effect that some of the clu
owners are weakening and that
M word reaches them from organize
y baseball that they will be taken car
d of that they are liable to sell out
- a couple or even one of the Federi
League club owners makes any NJ
% gotiations of his own with the enem
- Gilmore won't be able to fight near
as effectively and the chances of Il
- Feds getting much out of the settl
ment will be very slim.
Gilmore stoutly asserts, howeve
that his club owners are all loyal
man and that they'll see hi
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