The Detroit times., 1914-12-05
with Johnson Signed, War Sit
nation Will Not Materially "
Change Until Spring
IMAGNATES' SQUABBLES
WILL COUNT FOR LITTLE
Question of Drawing Power OF
Big Hurler Will Justify His
New Salary
By HAROLD Y. WILCOX

b1 HAhOAsD -
IL now looks as IL the Eederdls
pulled a ninth.inning rally when they
signed Walter johnson and forced
the basel ball war into extra innings
Al also seems probable that they have
reached their limit and are likely 10
\ crack under Tire strain long before
there is a chance for hostilities TO be
4 called off an occount of darkness, but
that Is for the future TO reveal. II is
still the year 1914. notorious for tre-
mendous upsets of dope, and all pre-
dictions are ont OF order.
There is now only one answer TO
the whole situation. and that is q
matter of psychology. The Federals
have evidently decided that they have
\ lost too many blue chips already to
quit the game at present, and have
staked their whole pile on the for
tune of another season, II is no limit
session that the ball magnates are
NOW engaged in, despite the asser-
lions a week ago that table stakes had
been put under the ban and that both
organized ball and the outlaws were
going to fight it out with a sane and
safe limit.
The fate OF baseball now rests en-
Z firely with the dear public. The
league that gets the gate receipts
4 wins. With Walter Johnson and his
fellow hurdlers, the outlaws believe
themselves due 10 play 20 packed
grandstands. Organized baseball pro-
fesses to believe that il will hold It's
old following. even without Johnson
ct al, and by superior brand OF
all-around ball, leave the Gilmore cir
q cult with no more patronage than II
\ had last year That result would, OF
course, ring down the curtain on the
Feds.
But il is a matter for the fans to
decide, and they will not get into ac-
ton until the season opens in April.
There is little that any OF the mag
mates can do. beyond the trading and
signing of players, between now and
then that will change the situation as
II now stands Further signing and
swapping OF players will not have any
: great effect until the season is well
under way.
IL would be crime tospredict what
3 the fans will do next summer. IL Is
true that there is little reason TO be-
lieve that the quality OF ball in the
& Fed circuit will improve sufficiently
to appeal to the old guard in the way
that the organized major league game
will But the public is tickle thing
It's as wild in sport as 1t is in poll
tics. Its psychology is amazing. and
maybe the Feds know what they are
doing. At any rate. therell be moth
ing doing now in the baseball war ex-
cept hot air until the turnstiles begin
TO click. or fail to Click, next sum-
mer.
Meanwhile. of course, a goodly por-
ton OF the magnates will take II upon
themselves to continue TO grandstand.
I. Gov. Tener will have to inject him
4 self formally into the National league
with display OF fireworks, Ban John
SON will continue TO below and make
contemptuous comment on the things
that do not please him. and President
Gilmore cannot be expected to cease
TO predict that the Feds will kidnap
N every player of fame and invade New
York, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Wash
& ington, Saginaw, Cadillac and, per
haps, Windsor and Belgium. before
spring. These three presidents will
be very much In the iimelight during
the remainder of the Hot Stove league
season. They may even win some
3 fame as strategists and heroes OF nc
ton. But the fact will remain that
a with the signing OF Walt Johnson, the
& Feds have sent the war into extra
D Innings, that the likelihood OF peace
] or immediate collapse is past, and
y that the present situation Will con-
a tinue to be the baseball situation I'M
y I'll the season starts and the fans
n themselves decree the future OF the
y third major circuit.
During the lulls in the lombard
ment of the dreadnaught Jim Gilmore
by the battleships Gear Bancroft john
son and John X Tener, the most In
teresting bit of Hot Stove league fan
fodder will be the question Of wheth-
4 ct Walter Johnson Is worth his new
salary, whatever that is. Walt is adj
mittedly merely Fed box office as
set. He was hired for the shekels he
is expected TO garner for the mag
notes, not for the games he will win.
tTy Cobb is admittedly the best
drawing card in baseball The fans
\ have delighted 10 watch Johnson
speed 'em over the plate sizzling hot.
but they have always raved when
Tyrus banged warm one 10 the
fence, stole couple of bases, and
went home on a pop fly to shortstop.
(. Tyrus also is supposed to play every
day. Johnson will not average more
than one game a series this summer.
The Georgia Peach is getting about
+ the same salary as Johnson will draw
Cobb is getting all that he is worth.
TO a man up the tree. IL looks as II
ban Johnson,s casual comment that
the Feds had costly luxury" in
Johnson Is based on something be-
sides imagination. But that. again,
Il for the fans to say when dog days
ron around.
Branch Hickey is stealing some OF
/, 1fughey Jennings stun. Last year
the Tiger pitching staff was heralded