The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1914-12-23
JOHNSON KICKS OUT
7 men WHO MADE
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Menke Reviews Bans Ef-
forts to Break Into Base
ball and Cites Aid of Far
rell and Devery.
By FRANK G. MENkE.

NEW YORK, Dec. 23-Once upon
a Time there was a Fellow named Ban
Johnson, who was Booming a Baseball
League. Those were Parlous Times.
Money was Tight. Ban was leading a
New Organization against Powerful
Foe. and pretty nearly Everybody who
was Approached by Ban on the sub
ject of Money said Whatsha Think
am a Boob to Sink my Money III a
Baseball League that amt go no more
Show than a Rabbit of Living?
Well, in due course of Time, Ban
got enough Fellows excited about the
Baseball Proposition to form an eight
club Outlaw League. Ban placed
teams in all the Big Cities except New
Capital in New York, but it was Il
tough Job. Nobody wanted to risk
kale that way. The National League
Club was so strongly Entrenched in
that Big City that it seemed like FL
nanCial Suicide for any one to put up
a Wad of Money to start club to
compete against the Giants.
They Take Chance.
Just as Ban was near Despair
Just when he Thought that Never VIII
] be able to interest Capital in the
Big City. along came Frank Farrell
and Big Bill Devery. They said to
Ban:
I'VE will Take a Chance"
And they did.
They put up a large amount of
Lucre. A large amount was Neces-
sary, as it costs Money to buy Ball
players and to pay their Salaries and
to get grounds and Hire Groundkeep-
ers and Secretaries and pay Hotel
Bills and other Things. But Frank
and Bill We're good sports. They came
through to the Limit of Their Wads.
That Made the American League.
Ever since the Entry of the Ameri-
can League into New York 1t has been
quite Much in the Baseball World.
If it Had not Horned into the Big
City it might never have Amounted
to darn But Frank and Bill took a
Chance, and they Made the American
League what it Is today. But Ban
wasn't Satisfied. Not Him.
Costs Some Money.
It cost Frank and Bill quite Lot
of Money to establish \ Team in the
Big City, and Each Year thereafter It
cost them More and More. They said
they Sunk their Rolls in Baseball.
Somehow or Other they just couldn't
get Together Pennant Winning Ball
team no matter how hard They tried.
Money was no Object with Them
They spent Lavishly. They did every
Darncd Thing they could to make a
Winner in the Big City, but they could
not.
Well, in Due Course Of Time Frank
and Bill. who once we're Rich Men,
became Poor Men. They had fought
a Game Fight They had put Nearly
Every Dollar into Baseball, but they
Simply couldn't make Money.
The reason that Frank and Bill
couldn't mako Money on their Ball
Club was largely because the Oppos-
ton Club known as the Giants were
winning pennants quite regularly and
were big Drawing Cards. But in 1914,
the Giants failed to Win the Pennant.
Another team that came from a Town
where Beans were eaten Won.
Things Look Rosy.
Thinks looked pretty rosy for Frank
and Bill for the 1915 season.
The Giants had Ceased to be a
Drawing Card. The Team that Frank
and Bill had Assembled looked pretty
Good on Paper, and it looked pretty
much If Frank and Bill might get back
Some of the Money they had Sunk in
the other Years.
And then Ban came along and order
cd that the Club that Frank and Bill
owned should be sold. Frank and Bill
Objected They Asserted that We've
Been losing Money all these Years.
Now is our Chance to get Some OF 1t
Back. But Ban said, 'Nothing Doing;
I'm going to Sell that club to Jake
Rupert, who Is a Brewer. You Eel
lows were all right as Far as Starting
the Club was Concerned, but now
you've Gotta get out and let another
Fellow have a Chance"