Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-06-11
What IS WRONG
WITH BASE BALL?
H EVERS TELLS OF
REASONS WHY IDOLS OF
THE DIAMOND FAIL,
NOT TIE CAUSE
Must Have Full Benches or Play
ers Cannot Be Held to Best
Work in Them.

CLUBS. II IS also a real i've topic with
the hackers OF many more minor base
ball enterprises and has even caused
the Federal promoters to sit up and
peer around in search of an answer.
In fact, virtually everyone financially
interested in the national game is anx-
ious to know what has happened to
cause an apparent s%lackening of inter-
est in the national pastime.
Appended are a few things John
ny" Evers had to say on the subject.
Every "fan" knows what a great un-
derstanding of the game from the
playing point of view Evers has, but
one must hear him talk base ball from
the business end to realize that his
knowledge does not stop with afmere
study of it as a player. Evers is keen
ly to all the business phases Of base
ball and he has formed some interest
ing opinions regarding the widespread
falling off in attendance at the big
leagne parks.
Breaking Down Of Idols.
ut looks to me-" said EVers, cas-
though the public had begun to lose
confidence in some of the idols of base
ball-nOt all Of them, but some. For
a great many years now there have
been certain ball players before the
public who have been idolized for
their skill on the diamond. In every
city there has been at least n play
er whose career has been watched by
the loyal rooters. Their names have
become household words, they rave
been looked up to and revered. May
be all this adulation has been foolish
but it has existed nevertheless. It's
part of the game, this thing of having
base ball heroes, and the box Office
receipts prove that the more heroes
there are the bigger the financial re-
turns.
"All heroes are supposed to conduct
themselves along perfectly good hero
ic lines, and when they fail it gives a
terrible jolt to the confidence reposed
in them. A pitcher who is a public
idol may lose a close game and be for
| given promptly, or he may be batted
from the box and have 1t overlooked.
The public is tickle regarding such
things. But when base ball idols CON-
NIT breaches of a different character
there is a decided difference. 1t hurts
the faithful fan deeply to think that
some player who has helped to lift the
favored team to a high place il the
standing would jump to a rival organ
iZatiOn just because he is offered a lit
tie more money. The public REALIZES
a player is no more than human, that
he is anxious to make just as much
money as he possibly can, but the
pinch comes when this fact is put be-
fore them il a cold, m~atter-of.fact way.
1t destroys a lot of the thing called
sentiment.
Sentiment Lacking.
at hasn't been the Federal League
so much that has caused the trouble
as it has the unpleasant features of
ball brought out through the entrance
of another league into the baseball
world. The public thinks hard things
of the player who is SO ready to vio-
late his contract. It likes to think
IllClC 10 q CClJdlu dulOu4lL VI 0CllJll1lCllC
surrounding the continued presence Of
any star on a certain team: that is, it
believes he would hesitate to jump
just because it would not be loyal to
the city that has supported him so
long. And when he does jump it is
ready to believe that he would commit
other acts. that he might even throw a
game to the opposing team. Believ-
ing that, it loses interest and is not so
eager to see him in action. It's just
the breaking down Of old idols.
"There is still another phase to it.
Ball playing has reached a peculiar
stage. There is not a ball team in
either big league that plays its best
to empty benches. Ball players have
become so accustomed to the presence
of crowds that the cheering and all
that is now part of the game. They're
not expect an actor to give a decent
performance in an empty theater.
The inspiration is not there. AID 1t
is not there when a crowd is not on
hand to see a ball game. Let two
teams engage in a contest without a
soul watching them and the brand of
ball you would get would be far in.
ferior to what you would see if the
stands we're filled with an enthusiastic
crowd"
Still Other Factors.
And that is how Evers views the
troubles that have beset the national
game this year. His logic is undoubt.
edly good and interesting, because it
is different from theories others have
formed. There are still two other big
factors, however. One is that base
ball has been overplayed this year and
the other that the weather in the
early part of the season furnished a
handicap sufficient to give it a black
eye. An instance of the effect of the
bad weather is found in the fact that
thus far this year the Giants have ten
double-headers in this city piled up on
their schedule. whereas last year they
only had nine throughout the season.
Base ball has been a trifle over.
boosted il consequence of the turmoil
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