El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-01-04

M big minor league clubs may
= abandon the spring training trip
this year in keeping with the re-
trenchment policy.
1T costs us from $4,000 to $4,000
each year to take the spring trip and
past experience has convinced most
of us that the trip isn't worth the out
lay, said one minor league magnate. IF
we hit a nice streak of weather dur
ing the training camp days it is likely
Jhar our men will get into pretty good
shape. But even at that it doesn't
mean that our men will come north in
much better shape than they would be
IN II they had remained north and
worked the kinks out of their system
there
Very often a club hits a spell Of
very bad weather and that means that
the benefits of the trip are almost nil.
The players come back in but little
better shape than when they left.
Another thing is this: Players
who train in the south get used to
the warm climate. When it comes time
to travel north they begin to hit cold
weather and when they reach the home
town it often happens that their mus
cles have become stiff again and it will
be month before they are ironed out.
If club trains in the north, its
men will work out in the same sort of
gin the regular season. If the weather
is cold during the first two weeks of
the regular season it would not prove
a set back as it does when the men
train in the south. The men won't be
50 liable to get sore arms and stiff
muscles because they will be used to
such weather.
THE major league clubs make up
part OF their expenses by playing ex-
6ihfffOr1 rvnf1a hoa oh
to the north The minor leaguers are
not much of an attraction because
there are so many major league clubs
down south and il rarely happens that
we can get an exhibition game that
viii bring US any sort of a gate re-
ceipt divvy-"
It looks just now as though the big
league clubs in organized baseball are
not going to observe the new rule that
limits the roster to q men between
May 1 and September 1. Most of the
managers have baked at the plan.
A club can operate for a season with
q players, argue the managers, but
it can't build for the future by carry
ing q men, and successful manager
is one who builds for the future by
keeping a lot of cub players on the
bench throughout the regular season.
If the p player rule had been in force
some years ago it is more than likely
"Rube" Marquard so long, for "Rube"
would have been taking the place of a
man who was more valuable to Nc
Graw at the time. Connie Mack would
not have kept Eddie Collins if the q
player rule was in force, for Just at
the time that Collins broke into the
game, Connie had a large flock of
veterans and he would have given them
the preference over Collins If he had
been forced to let some of the excess
baggage loose.
There are a score and more of in
stances similar to the Marquard and (
Collins cases and the managers who (
are bowling against the p player rule |
point to them as examples of the folly /
OF limiting the roster to p men.
Therefore, it is more than likely that |
the National league, at its February |
meeting, will rescind its rule and place |
the limit at %.
The American league, it is said, will |
not force the managers to adhere |
strictly TO the q men rule and the |
managers will be permitted to carry |
about % men.
If the q rule wasn't supposed to be !
in force in the National league right !
now John McGraw wouldn't waste /
much time in getting the signature Of /
Germany Schaefer to a contract The !
funny man from Washington has been /
wanted by McGraw for a long time. /
McGraw figured that Germany with |
his rapid fire flow of humOr. would do /
an awful lot to keep the Giants in /
good spirits, and that Germany
would keep the fans amused during |
the dull moments of the game.
But can't grab Schaefer now |