New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-06-29
Racing Needs No Tonic
but it Does Need Care
full, Earnest Watching. F,
FEDS HAVE PLAYED
HAVOC IN BASEBALL
Rating of the College Mines a
Puzzle Far Too Complex
for Fair Solution.
Rv HERBERT.

BY HERBERT.
Thoroughbred racing needs no TOME
Int il does demand careful watching
lest the growing interest in the IN
vioorating sport leads to a freedom IN
betting which those who control IT'S
destinies are trying so hard to pre-
vent The courts have decreed that
oral betting is not against the law,
snd regulations have been laid down
Cor the proper conduct of all betting
~ the track. These regulations must
he enforced. The arrest Of eleven men
on Thursday for overstepping the
bounds. as it were, may not be Justihed
Iater in the courts. but in point OF taet
IL will make for good and teach
nroner lesson to those who shaved the
STRICT letter of the law at the RISK OF
damaging the sport. 1t seems utterly
absurd. of course, that man cannot
roske cash wager with the same Tree
dom as he can make an oral wager
With an individual so long as there is
no exposing of prices and genera
solicitation of wagers, whlch tne
courts construe as pubic pooSmaAlh i
Whether absurd or not, however, tne
go remains that cash betting at the
racetrack is not allowed, and those VINO
40 - under cover not only are risking
arrest but jeopardizing to some extent
the new and healthy growth OF racing
When Buckhorn won the Brooklyn
uandicap on Tuesday in driving
6nish with Buskin and Rock view the
enthusiasm of the big crowd furnished
s+r;kino evidence of what the sport
means TO so many. When crop OF
warnings was sold in the sales pad
iock at Sheepshead las: Monday 1or
an average of 81 900 a head, 1urtner
ovidence was furnished of renewed IN
terest and growing confidence on the
mart of those who like to see their
colors I'D. Breeders have reason 70
feel encouraged. 1t follows, then' thai
the greatest care should be eXerclseu
in fostering the breeding lhuus.Ig'
which means so much to any county, t
bv controlling those VINO care ohIg ~
the wager and nothing Ior inc Sp0i'
except as a means to an END
No Golden harvest will be reaped IN
orsanized baseball this year. Salaries
80 GONE M and receipts have come
dovn The Federal League Is respoh
c;bIo for the first reason, even II noI
for The second. In talking with man
cIoseIv identified with one OF the Dig
major league clubs last week the sug
oestion was secuted that the so-caileu
entiaws had cut into the attendance
Ssures, He put the shrinkage down 10
General business depression and wnat
Re nresumed TO call "hard times. IL
is true that the Federals have not
y,eaned away many fans from the Dig
iosgne Games, but the Federals IN
,,ossurc arc n contributory cause 10
tbe General falling off, and for the rea
con That the fans are heartily SICK o.
baseball in the courts. They want base
hall on the diamond, and are beginning
IN resent the petty feud waged by IN
;nnctions. writs and briefs. After ALL
then the Federal League is largely re-
snonsible for the vanishing prohts OF
oroanized baseball, although the pIghI
Is not so unhappy as some would nave ,,
the fans believe. Quite a lew are SIN
going to the parks each day
There is more reason just now Tor a
General and widespread interest IN
baseball than is usually the case al
This noint of the race. Six teams IN
the American League are so wen
buncbed that the Chicago White Sox,
IL sixth place, are only about ive
Comes behind the Philadelphia Attn
Istics. in first. The Washington Sen
ators in spite of the disastrous slump
in the West, are within easy striking
distance of the worlds champions,
while Detroit, St. Louis and Boston
are hanging on in great style and
threatening every step of the way. Not
in several years has the struggle been
so close, and also so uncertain.
The same thing almost may be SAID
Of the National League race. me
Giants are more firmly settled IN hrst
Mace than the Athletics, but on FRIDAY
only ten games separated them from
the Superbas, which had tumbled into
last place for the dag. Ten games are
ouite a span, to be sure, but there IS
still iustifcation for the fans across
the bridge TO be hopeful. win seven
teams clamoring at the heels OF the
Giants within that span there IS no
reason for any eXuberant confidence
that a fourth straight pennant is
cliuched for New York, but much rea-
son for added interest in the keenness
of the struggle.
For the first time in several years
II ssems absolutely futile to rank me
various college baseball teams with
any degree of fairness. Complex situd-
fiGns have arisen in the past but never
in my experience have the scores been
so muddled or the problem so hard Of
solution. There is not a peg apparent
IN on which TO hang even reasonable
theory why one team or another should
be placed at the top. To give some
idea of the maze into which compare
tive scores lead it may be recalled that
Princeton won the odd game in the
series with Yale. that Harvard beat
Princeton, that Cornell won the odd
game in the series with Pennsylva-
Tia, that Pennsylvania beat Harvard
and broke even with Princeton, that
Columbia beat Pennsylvania in two
games, that Yale and Cornell beat
Columbia, that Brown beat Yale
twice, that Princeton beat Brown, that
Dartmouth beat Cornell and that Will
Jams beat Dartmouth Anybody who
wants to unravel this tangle is well
come to the job.
If anything. Cornell. Pennsylvania
and Harvard were the most consistent
throughout the season and deserve t1e
leading honors, but the University Of
MichiOaa comes forward with az inst A