El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-03-04
II BIC BASEBALL TEAMS TRAIN
IN TEXAS FOR COMING SEASON
-Four Are Major Leaguers the Remainder Texas League
Aggregations; McCIoskey, Organizing Rio Grande AS
ISOLATION, Is Suggested or President Of Southern
League, Succeeding Lat President Kavanaugh.
BY F. W. SrosEBACH.

TAN ANTONIO, Texas, A1arcn T.
Texas is certainly in the sport
ing spotlight now. With four bis
league clubs and a white hope in active
training, the Lone Star state is the
cynosure for baseball as well as pugil-
lstic eyes, since the dividing lines for
the splitting up Of the state in various
parts have not as yet been drawn.
While the majors are down to work
rounding into form for an active base
ball campaign there is a busy bunch of
healthy hopefuls in each of seven Texas
cities working off the rough edges pre-
paratOry to entering for the pennant
land American league team, number
ing about two dozen besides a press
squad, is holding forth at League park
with BensOns BrOuchOs, the pride of
Santone; while out at the Hot Wells
the st. Louis Nationals are cutting
CaDers. over at Houston, Pat Newman
is lining up the Buffaloes against the
St. Louis Browns while the New York
Giants are operating at Marlin with an
OCCASIONAL run over to Dallas TO hook
with Gardeners Giants.
Training Costs Small Fortune.
This big league spring training stuff
Is no trifling affair by any means.
sized up from the standpoint Of dollars
and dimes, it represents snug little
fortune that is laid out annually for the
sole purpose of putting the players on
edge for a hard fight ahead When this
fact alone is taken into consideration,
the enormity of the proposition can be
realized. and when the fact is further
considered that the men at the head OF
baseball affairs are not spending this
money for the mere purpose Of getting
rid Of it, an idea Of how the grand old
game stands with Miss Popularity can
q a q 81 q
get every one Of the dollars back
through the turnstiles, besides others
on the strength Of their investment.
Nc ClOslSey stopped Gambling.
Comes to mind an incident of how
the gambling spirit was nipped IN the
bud in a Texas league park when John
y. McCloskey was running things. 1t
was during the progress Of game
when John J. observed man IN the
grand stand with a stack Of silver dol
lars in his hands, passing it from one
hand to the other, inviting a bet on
the game. Mac walked quietly up to
the young man and told him he would
have to stop that and put the money IN
his pocket, as no betting was allowed
on league ball games There nave also
been instances where men were elected
from the ball parks for betting on the
game.
Southern League Chief Dies.
Tt was with profound regret that the
news of the uutimely death OF preSl-
dent Kavanaugh of the Southern league
was received here. There are many San
Anuonians who remember Mr.. Kava-
naugh since his visit during the an
nual convention of the National as
ISOLATION Of Minor Baseball leagues
several years ago and formed an
intimate acquaintance with him. Among
these was the former BronchO boss,
Morris Block, who was about as close
to the Southern league head as any Of
the delegates in attendance, and they
were frequently together. The death
Of Mr.. Kavanaugh removes one Of tho
most prominent, popular and valuable
men from the national game" said Mr.
Block He was man of splendid char
acter and intellectually and he has
done a great deal for baseball He was
connected with the game because he
loved if and baseball has lost one of its
pest frienGs."
McCIOsISey Suggested as Successor.
With the death Of judge Kavanaugh
arises the question as to his successor
as president Of the Southern league.
Going down the line Of baseball
notables, there is proably none who
is more deserving Of the hOnOrs and
who is better qualified to fill the Of
flee than the selfsame John J. Nc
CIoskev. to whom reference is made in
a preceding paragraph. Having been
at the head of clubs in the southern
league at various times, McClOsl1ey is
fully acquainted with conditions in the