The Washington herald., 1914-07-12
WOULD CURTAIL
DOUBLE-HEADERS
Scheme Is Offered to Reduce
Twin Attractions to Seven
Innings Each.
OTHER TIMELY GOSSIP
Federal League Invasion Has Set
Baseball Back Ten Years. De
clares Ed Barrows.
OTHER TIMELY GOSSIP

New York. July 1I.-why not limit the
double-header games to seven innings
each? Its a scheme that has been tried
out In the Southern leagues with great
| success -
Two sevcn-lnning gamer in one aft
ernoon- would Give. the average fan just
about as much baseball as he could COM
fortably absorb. il wouldn't force the
ball player TO the extrsme limit OF his
endurance. aud. best OF all. II would
enable the fan TO get home in time for
a warm dinner.
Cutting the double-header games TO
seven innings would do no one harm. II
world do plenty OF good. Cutting OF
four innings from an afternoons base
ball session would mean lessening the
playing period about one hour and. there
fore. the pastime would end before dark
ness settled over the land.
The season OF double-headers Is now
upon US. Every fan is keen about TAX
ing in a bargain bill. but along about the
fourth or NTH inning of the second game
the exhibition becomes monoionous. OF
course, the greatest majority OF ths
fans stick to the bitter finish. but they
stick not SO much because their base
ball appetite isn't satisfied, but because
they want TO see Just how the game will
finish.
Most double-headers begin about p.
m... allowing something over two hours
for each game and a fifteen minutes in
termIssion between combats. II means
that play doesn't end until about 6:5O
That means that the fan doesn't get
home until from tbs TO p. m. owing to
the delay In getting out OF the crowded
park and the usual delay caused by
the slow moving OF a feet OF special
street cars And every housewife Is
fully agreed that 7:l5 10 $ p. m. Is too
darned late for any man to expect his
wife to keep dinner simmering."
II the games were cut TO seven innings
eech. the playing period would be lessen
ed about an hour, which would mean that
the final innings OF the second game
would not have to be played by torch
light and that father would get home on
time to dine with the rest OF the family
The seven inning double-header idea
probably VIII prove TO be a popular one
with the fans, and II is likely that II
the agitation assumes sufficient voice that
the ruling powers in baseball will read il
and amend their laws 50 that seven In
ming double-headers will be rule starting
with the 1915 season
Ed G. Barrows president Of the Inter
League, declares that Baseball
has gone back ten years as the result
pl lne fnETdl League ADVENT.
While the vast majority OF fans agree
with Barrows about the game perform
ing ',go-back," only few are in ac-
cCrc with his idea that the Federal !
League Is mainly responsible.
In our opinion. the aYaTiCiouS big league |
are more responsible than any !
one else. In fact. they are primarily at
fault Had they paid the ball players |
salary commensurate with the money !
the PLAYERS earned for them there Is lit !
tie likelihood that any Of the PLAYERS |
would have jumped to a third league. or |
tha. an OUTLAW league ever would I
have sbeen formed. But the maEnates 4
hgured the players their slaves-figured I
them as something Of A heaven-given
>hattel, and they treated them just as
suited their mood and paid them just as
title as possible.
What was the result? The players be-
.ame dissatisfied and aired their griey-
lnces- The howls reached the ears Of
Gilmore and the men who started the
Federal LeaGue-and IT gave them their
Big league idea.
Gilmore, after reading the walls from
he under-paid players, figured that by /
'nering them more money he could get
hem TO jump TO the league he was then
or organizing. He tried to sX-
'eriment on Joe Einker-and he found Il
Iuccessful. And ne has tried il on others
md found that a salary increase brought
lin players from the American and Ma
ional League ranks.
II the magnatcs in the American and
National leagues had played fair with
most Of their players and given them
n salary a fair. share Of the huge
Irohts, the ball players would have been
fairly contented lot. They wouldn't
ave had any Srievances-at least, there
wouldn't have been such volume of
hem. And the idea Of starting a big
outlaw league never would have been
iven a second thought by Gilmore and
is crowd for they knew that they had
o have good ball players to start a new
eague and they wouldn't have tried TO
AXE away contented players
II was the niggardly tricks of the mag
ates toward the players that gave the
'ederal League its chance, Mr.. Bar ,
ows. and the fact that baseball has been !
et back considerably is directly trace .
BILE 10 the greed of those sixteen big ..
ague magnates.