Evening star., 1914-07-14
T0D|SCUSS SERIES
FOR DISTRICT TITLE
Matters Relating to Post-Sea-
son Amateur Games Will
Be Taken Up Soon.
POTOMAC LEAGUE HAS
BEEN DRAWING CROWDS
All the Circuits, With One Excep-
ton, Appear to Be in Good
Shape Financially.
BY Il. c. BYRD.

A meeting will be held within the next
week or ten days to determine the dates
| for the post-season series and to discuss
all matters relative to the classification
| of the leagues. Several of the circuits
are about to finish their schedules and it
will not be long before the final list of
games for the city championship will be
played.
Robert II. Young head Of the amateur
association. this morning said he did not
know exactly what would be done, and
could say little or nothing definite rela-
tive to the final series until the meeting
had been held and the voices Of those
interested had been heard. Mr.. Young
said this meeting would be called upon
the first convenient date within the, next
week or ten days and that everything
would be cleared up at that time.
There will be eight leagues represented
IN the post-season series: Railroad Y
NJ c. A., Marquette, Departmental, Cen
tral. Potomac, Rosedale, East Washing
ton Sunday School and Northwest sun
Day School. Just how these will be
classified remains to be seen, as there
may be objections on the part of the
representatives of one or more Of the cir
cults to decisions that may affect the
nnal adjustment. All the leagues will
most likely have completed their sched-
ules oy the end Of the first week in Au-
gust postponed contests as we'll as the
regularly scheduled ones, and the first
game OF the championship list will begin
Immediately thereafter.
The Eastern club, probable winner of
the championship in the Potomac League,
left this morning for a weeks trip through
west Virginia, Maryland and Pennsyl-
vania for a series Of contests. The team
Will meet Martinsburg today and tomor-
Frederick. after which it will go to
Chambersburg for a game
There is one league in the city that
has been drawing crowds pretty nearly
as large as any that have ever attended
amateur ball games here-the Potomac
At the contest between Fairlawn and
Eastern a week ago there must have
been somewhere between 1000 and 3.OhO
persons present, fact which speaks well
and the financial status of the circuit
The chances are that the Potomac League
will be a moneymaker this year instead
Of loser In fact, it appears that all
the leagues are weathering conditions of
finances better now than at any previous
time in amateur base ball. There is one
organization that has had some trouble in
that respect, but nothing has been heard
of any difficulties from others.
1t Is not necessary that an amateur
league should be big financial success
to be successful. Amateur base ball is
conducted solely for the benefit of those
who take an interest in the game from
pure love of it, and these men have not
expected to profit from a pecuniary
standpoint by being engaged in it. No
person Is SO foolish as to think that he
can benefit himself financially by run
a n haS ho1
and there is certainly nothing in it for
the players. The majority of the leagues
are not able to boast Of as large an at
tendance this year as in past seasons
but sufficient persons have been present
to render the contributions large enough
to keep the leagues running. which is
about all that is necessary. The players
taking part in the games are doing SO
because they want to play and for abso-
lutely no other reason, and the men who
are running the teams are doing so
because they get recreation and pleasure
out of their connection with the sport
1t is questionable If there has ever been
year when as many circuits have had
such close races, and. if these things be
true 1t is hard to see wherein amateur
base ball is anything but a success
There is one feature to amateur base
ball now that has not been evident in
IL ri
doubtful il there has ever been a year
which was not marred considerably by
squabbles of various kinds. There were
rows over the disposition Of players,
clashes because of alleged faulty work
of umpires and numerous other thinks
These necessitated frequent meetings of
the amateur commission, in which arose
discussions that more than once descend
ed to an inexpedient engagement in per-
sonalities. These things did not do the
nd IL 4
from the high plane on which amateur
athletics should be conducted. Neither
this season nor last has been marred in
any such manner. If mistakes have
been made in the leagues. the other
clubs have condoned them, and certainly
those engaged in the sport must have
worked along honest lines as nothing
has been considered OF enough moment
TO bring before the higher body of ad-
judication
Just how much Is due President Robert
H. Young for clearing amateur base ball
Of the wrangles and squabbles that were
frequent some time ago is hard to tell ex-
actly. but 1t Is safe to say that the
greatest part Of the credit should be given
to him. Anyway, it is a remarkable COIN
cidence that when he came into office
these wrangles began to grow less fire.
quent, until within the last two years
there has been little of that kind of thing
to come up for discussion beyond the con-
fines of the leagues themselves. President
Young made it his business to lay down
before those engaged in the sport certain
principles that he wanted them to follow.
Ihat they have about carried out his
IDEAS shows how just and fair those pre-
cepts were. Amateur base ball is mighty
fortunate TO have a man of the caliber of
Mr. Young at its head.
II appears very much as if the Army
ana Navy game will be played here next
Iali This seems almost too good to be
true: and 1t will not be accepted as fact
untii IT has been made certain that there
can be no possibility of change II the
Dill pending before Congress goes through.
1t Is hard to see how the contest could
De played anywhere else than here. but
there Is one point which seems to have
been missed by those who are back of
the project. The Army refused absolutely
last year to come as far south as Phila-
delphia, and went SO far as to back its
refusal by scheduling a game with the
Carlisle Indians. The Navy finally agreed
to go to the Polo Grounds in New York.
with the result of which everybody is
cognizant. Then the Navy stated en-
phatically that 1t would never play in
New York again. because OF the difficult
ties Of the trip.
Now, II the Army refused absolutely to
come as far south as Philadelphia for
tho to ! m