Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-02-27


not attended by his usual coterie. He
came as a baseball fan
G
From all appearances the sale OF
the Chicago Cubs is off. The syn
dictate which was dickering for the
club has dropped all negotiations, and
it looks as if Charley Taft will have
TO go right on with the Cubs him
self. why the sudden termination OF
overtures for possession of the team
on the part of the wealthy syndicate
no one seems to know, but Louis j.
Behan, who was doing the business
for the prospective purchasers, says
the matter has been dropped. so far
as his hackers are concerned. 1t is
said that an offer of three-quarters
of a million dollars was made for
the Chicago Club. but in return the
syndicate insisted on having it proven
to its satisfaction that the reserve
clause would stand the test of law
and that Johnny Evers would be re-
turned to the Chicago Club. Mr..
Taft, while willing to sell. it Is said,
could not give the assurances re-
CURED by those who wanted TO buy,
come-to- terms death. The opinion
prevails that Mr.. Taft wants to sell,
but he must get his price, which is
known to be a very large sum of
money.
Charley Murphy deposed owner of
the Cubs. is whistling a merry tune,
1t is believed, while the negotiations
are going on. Murphy seems to be
satisfied with the price offered for his
stock, but as he hasn't received the
money yet, he is still the rightful
owner of the club. He is game, too,
and he is sticking to his post right up
to the last minute, He declares he
will rule the situation until he is
handed over the bank roll for his
stock and maybe in the absence of a
buyer Charley will have his say as to
how things are run in Chicago.
g
Murphy, in a long interview in a
Chicago paper, tells lot of truths
about baseball. He declares men go
into the game for the money there is
in it and not for the sport of it. He
says it is a business proposition, just
the same as a department store or a
newspaper and that sentiment "goes
for Sweeney" As to local people con-
trolling local clubs, Murphy said that
was all bosh. He cited several in
stances in the big leagues where clubs
were owned by outside parties. Base
ball is a business. Murphy contends,
and it must be conducted on business
lines. He said he allowed Tinker and
EVers and Chance and Brown to go
because they were slowing up. TAX
ing his interview as a whole and the
arguments he presented therein. Mr..
Murphy may be stamped as no mans
fool.
@
As regards local men controlling
local sporting enterprises, Murphy is
perhaps more right than wrong.
What difference does it make" he
asks. so long as you give the city
you are in winning team? That
is all the fans want-a winner. Give
them a winner and you will get the
big play" Here again Murphy is
right. 1t has been proven. There is
always a hue and cry for local cap
ital in local sports, but you will find
very often that the local men in
local enterprises are the ones who
have the most to contend with Time
umns, have advocated local owner
ship of the Newark Baseball Club,
but if local men were to take over the
Tigers tomorrow you would very like.
ly find much grumbling and a lot of
from various sources. An
evidence of vicious treatment toward
local enterprise may be cited in the
case of cycling in this city. Although
the sport is very popular here and
the track is owned by local men, the
Evening News, which is crying for
local ownership of the baseball club,
is doing it's very best to destroy cy-
cling in this city. And if local men
should secure control of the baseball
club the chances are they would be
pretty friendly to me, in which event
the News would very likely find some
homespun excuses for criticising the
proposition. As a general thing, local
men are not half as likely to get by
in their own town as are strangers.
That is why most of the big sporting
propositions in the country are owned
and controlled by persons who are
from the outside world.
g
Native son or stranger, it makes
little difference, as long as you can
produce the goods-produce results.
Outsiders owned the Newark club
last year and they own it this year.
The support of the team last season
was the best in its history, and
something like $50, 900 was made. The
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