The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-03-02
Enough Of News About Murphy
and Scandal Now For the
Real Sport
FEDERALS HAVE HAD TO
HARM NATIONAL GAME
In Order To Fight They Had To
Show Up Some Of Games
Politics


~ ULFPORT. Miss. March lit II
well that the magnates OF or
~ ganized baseball decided to
send their teams south early this
spring for preliminary training. For
the pure, warm breexes from the
Dixie camps are cleansing the Aegean
garages Of organized baseball north
OF the Mason and Dixon line.
This IL the time Of the year when
all baseball news from the south u
fresh, clean and inspiring. Every
veteran never was in better shape
since he broke into the big league
Legs strong. eye clear. arm--well. .
little slow, y'know. but coming
around nicely. thank you.
Breathes there vet with soul -
dead who never to himself hath said.
Never felt better In all my lief"
Whose pep hath ne'er within him
burned as south his Pullman car has
turned from winter Of magnuts'
strife?
The youngsters are all the nnest
prospects in the world at this time
Of the year, too. you see. They
wouldn't have been picked to try
out with major league clubs II they
didn't have records that entitled
them to excellent chances OF making
good. Furthermore. the ravages
made in the regular ranks by the
Federals have left many moro places
than usual open. The y0ungSter is
brimful OF enthusiasm.
Also. because he Is younger than
the regular members Of the club he
gets into shape more quickly and
soon IL showing the old fellows up
with his speed and curves. Several
years before the National league
started to throw out Charlie Muir
ply, Cicero handed out . warming
for recruits which Charlie Wheatley
failed to get: ut IL truth but too
well known. that rashness attends
youth, as prudence does old age.s
But I'm spite Of little thof6s Hike
these warnings In the path and m
spite Of sore arms and legs, every.
body Is happy. The managers are all
winning pennants or climbing from
the second into the first division.
All this il well. for the talk about
baseball is conducted in terms Of
base hits, stolen bases, balks, errors,
speed and curves and not In terms
Of dollars, salaries, contracts. re-
serve clauses, and court suits.
The past winter has seen mose
printed about baseball than any other
in history probably and yet Il 81
doubtful II any other has done more
harm to the game. What General
Sherman said about war ID - true
OF conflicts in baseball politics @ AZ
Is In international strife.
The public should not BE- concern
ed in the business end OF the gar9e.
1T is the sport and not the busi6e6q
that II II and should be most In
terested in. But one Of the necos-]
sary evils of the baseball war. espes
|cially with men like Murphy and 3D.
belts In the battle. II publicity on
the disagreeable parts Of the game.
The Federals have carried on q
shrewd fight. however. whatever the
magnates Of the organized game may
say about not fearing them, they
have disrupted the game. Talk about
f0rding the affair Into court ID wild,
for nobody wants the baseball Ut.
|uation to be threshed out before
Judges and juries. The Feds may
keep up their blum Of taking things
to court. however, to force cOncoo-
'sI0ns from the f6XuIxH. Just m tiUy
have forced the regulars to suit ~
and take notice by taking some Of
their best players away from them.
For men without any experience IN
baseball, like Gilmore. Weeghman
and others. the powers behind In the
new league have struck with nm
'canny certainty 1t the weaknesses of
the organized game.
OF course. II was not hard 70 nick
the National league ~ the one 90
hit and hit hard. Anybody who
knew anything about the game Ct
|all would know enough TO do that.
But notice the moves Of the Feds
In securing men. They grabbed
Tinker when he was sore ana raw
at being laid on cold after Z hot year
at Cincinnati. They called Ebbetts'
|"$25,000 advertising blufl'' and Tot
Tinker, who 10 the corner stone o.
which the league has been :. built.
That was the master stroke. the mai
ing of Tinker Chicago manager.
Otto Knabe. of the Philliss. wa
dissatisfied because he wasn't sent 20
Cincinnati a. manager. The 1oder-
ais knew him to be approachable.
They made him Baltimore manager.
Gilmore and Gseghman depart mysA
teriously for New York Just before
the time when Murphy aunouncea
there the deposition o. EvsrS. On
more and Weeghman make con.
sistent effort to get Evsrs and plant
q club In Brooklyn 1T the same dine
They scare Charlie Ebbotts into
letting the Newark club come %
Brooklyn and they friehten Charlie
6omers into letting Toledo - 60
Cleveland 20 that Napland nay have
continuous baseball.
Until the Feds are victosioua -
defeated there Will be more or t.
politics mingled in the days boso-
ball news but the stories Of the
Eamcs and the players, will over.