The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-05-04
MAJORS SEASON
MAY Open LATE
Playing of Exhibition Games
Prior to Season May
Be Stopped,
LATE START ADVOCATED
Fans Fail to Patronize Early Contests.
Would Close Season About
October |.
LATE START ADVOCATED
neci.I 10 The WASHINGTON HeaId.

Special TO The Washington Herald.
New York, May 3-It's quite likely that
the regular baseball season will open
around about May l next year and in all
future years. And it's also quite likely
that hereafter the organized major
league magnates will stop the little prac-
tise of trying to garner extra skekels
by staging exhibition games in their
home towns before the regular season
opens.
The poor attendance at most of the
opening games this year. and the luke
warm interest that was shown in baseball
up 10 the first Of May, finally has con-
WINGED the magnates that although the
fans love the national game, they love
their health just a little bit more, and
refuse TO be present IN large numbers at
games that are played during the raw,
chilly days of April.
For many years the fans have advo-
Gated a latter opening They have ar
gued that If the league opened around
May l 154-game schedule still would be
possible by reason of shifting the clos
ing date from around October s to Oc-
tober y or so. But the moguls. with a
proud and naughty air, inquired who's
running this here pastime. anyway
and went right ahead and opened the sea-
son at a time that suited them-which
was around about April Il
The fans stood for it until this year
They then baked. They decided that
they could see just as good a ball game
in May or June as they would see on
the opening day. or any day during April.
and not run such a chance of contracting
pneumonia and a few other ailments
one gets when one sits out in the open
for a couple of hours and tries TO keep
warm on hot dogs and peanuts.
Have Learned Lesson.
The magnates now seem to sec the
error of their ways, and it is said they
have tentatively decided TO open the
season hereafter around about May /,
when it is almost a certainty that the
weather will be balmy.
The maGnates have learned another les
son, too. That is with regard TO exhibit
ton games. In the last two or three
years these money-mad persons figured
that it would be a nice little lucre gath
erinG stunt to stage a few exhibition
combats in their home towns before the
regular season opened. But they were
poor mathematician. In the first place
the fans didn't turn out in any ouauti-
ties at these games, and in the second
place. when the regular season did open
II was found that the exhibition games
had taken away much of the fans base
ball appetite. As a result the opening
day crowds have been disappointinEly
small.
Postponing the opening of the season
until May and having it conclude about
October 20 no doubt would bring bigger
returns for the moguIs. The weather
up to the latter part of October usually
is mild and pleasant. But during April
practically every club in the league suf-
fers from three to seven postponements
on account of rain, wet grounds or cold
weather
Later in the season these games are
played out in double-headers. 4 double
program usually draws an extra crowd.
but 1t rarely brings enough extra people
to make up for those who would have at
tended the regular game had il not peen
postponed.