Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1914-07-09
Ban johnson Should Quit
Roasting Fed and Attend
to His Job.
TEAMS NOT BALANCED
Yankees Losing Money Because of
Poor Showing, Lacking Players of
Quality That are Carried as
"Excess Baggage" by Clubs.
(By Frank G. Menke.)

(By Frank G. Menke.)
New York, July Sit wouldn't be
bad plan for Ban Johnson to stop
wasting time making absurd and caus-
tic remarks about the Federal league
and devote his time to the affairs of
his own league. They certainly de-
mand somebody's attention.
There are two or three teams in
the American league that need
strengthening-and need it Immediate
ly for the good of the game One of
those teams is the Yankees. If they
had a real ball club here they would
outdraW every other city in the
American league circuit. But they
haven't good ball club; they have
and have had for number of years
just about the punkest ball club that
ever posed as major league outfit.
The result has been that the
Yankees instead of clearing hundreds
of thousands of dollars year by year
as would be the case with even a
halfway decent ball club-have an
nually lost from $4,000 to $75 5000.
And the visiting teams, instead of
picking up some soft money here,
usually get just about enough to pay
hotel bills.
1t was suggested some years ago
that some of the clubs in the American
league that were we'll fortified with
extra players of major league calibre
turn them over-.at a price, of course
to the Yankees. 1t was known that
Ban Johnson, as head of the league
could force such move-one that
would strengthen the Yankees and in
no way materially weaken the other
clubs. But such move was not made
1t was pointed out then that such
move would have made the business
side of baseball stand out too much
But the advent of the Feds eliminated
this coyness on the part of organized
baseball about letting the dear public
know that the magnates don't care
whoop about sentiment-that they
care only for the dollars. There is no
longer any attempt to conceal the
business side of baseball, simply be-
cause such attempts would be futile
in the face of the facts that have come
to light since the Feds became active.
And now that everybody knows that
the magnates are in the game for the
money that's in it, why don't they do
something that not only will add
money to their bank accounts but also
will give some towns real ball club.
Why doesn't Ban Johnson force some
of the stronger teams in the Ameri
can league to hand over to the Yanks |
some of their surplus outfielders, a |
surplus infielder and a surplus pitch
er? The Yankee management doesn't |
want those player gratis-it is willing
to pay for them and pay good price.
But the other clubs hang onto their
extra players, not because they will |
have any immediate need for their
services but mort because theyy don't
want some other club to get those |
plaers.
The Cleveland Maps need two or |
three good pitchers. Charlie Somers,
the owner, is willing to pay huge
price for trio of twirlers, because he
feels that such an acquisition would |
quickly lift his team out of the rut. |
The Maps have lost most of their !
games this year on account of poor |
pitching-not because of poor infield- |
ing or weak hitting.
But Somers can't get those pitchers.
There are at least three teams in the
American league who are carrying |
one or two pitchers as excess bag
gage. They are so well fortified in
the pitching department that they |
90 thn nyfr |
has bid big prices on these men and |!
has been turned down. The other
clubs fear that if the Maps should
happen to corral two or three good
pitchers they still might make lot
of trouble before the 1914 curtain
drops. And SO they won't give Som
ers any help.
The situation is about the same in
the National league. The Cincinnati
Reds are in need of an experienced |
outfielder. The Giants have about six
of them. Will the Giants sell one of
the excess gardeners to the Reds? Not
SO you could notice it. Why, if they
did, it would strengthen the Reds just
where they are weakest and maybe
the Reds might win the pennant.
The Boston Braves need a pitcher
and an outfielder. They are weak in
the backstopping department, too.
Will any yof the first division clubs,
who have some extra players in these
positions sell or trade so as to bolster
up the Braves? Nay. nay.
The Phillies need an infielder. Sew
eral of the clubs in the National are
carrying two or three extra infield-
ers who would. fit in fine in the Phil
lies inner works. But they won't sell
because the acquisition of the needed