The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1915-03-30
HARD SAILING FOR
THE WESTERN LEAGUE
MANY or THE CLUBS OPERATED
AT LOSS AND SEASON
LOOKS GLOOMY.
There Has Been Il Cut In Salaries But
the Hold Outs Are Expected to
BE in the Fold

DENVER, March 3O.-Anything
is likely to happen in Kansas, and
the anything this year may be free
baseball, Remembering the we'll
known love of baseball magnate
for the sound Of dollars dropping
into The till, this may sound un-
reasonable, but nothing is reason
que for the coming season. When
it comes TO trials and tribulations,
Job had a bed of primroses as com
pared with the Western League
All he had was boils. The Western.
Of which Tip O'Neill is the head
with offices on Charley Comiskey's
bear skin rugs in Chicago, is shy Of
money in spots. These spots are
mostly in Kansas, hence the sug-
geston of free baseball. 1t is con-
tended that the Western League
will start its schedule with all flags
+,
teams in the league have about four
or five players and bat boy sign
ed up. Everybody is waiting to
grab the cast-offs from the AA and
major leagues and few managers
have much Of an idea of what their
team will look like when it takes
the field.
p"t getting back to free baseball
-an attempt was made this winter
to transfer the Topeka franchise to
Colorado Springs. Miles of news
paper space was taken up negotiat-
ing the deal, but it fell through.
John Savage. new owner at Topeka,
then announced that the team would
start as per schedule, but in the
meantime made proposition to the
Commercial Club of his town. He
agreed that il they would undertake
to sell 5000 worth OF tickets good
FOR any game during the season, he
would guarantee that the club would
play out it's schedule. Buck Ebright,
president Of the Wichita Club, made
similar but more radical PROPOSE
ton TO the business organization OF
his town. Conditions in the two
Kansas towns are much the same,
namely those who happen to go to
a ball game get lonesome up there
in the stands all alone. Ebright sug
gested that the business organiZa
lions of Wichita guarantee the
teams expenses by subscription.
Then, he said he would withdraw
the gates open and admit the pub
lie free to the games. That is the
answer of free baseball in Kansas.
Wichita may have it.
Sioux City, winner Of the 1914
pennant, will be in better shape At
the start this year than any of the
other teams because of the large
number of players signed last year
who have been signed for 1915
without waiting for the ''leavin 8"
from the majors. The Indians are
expected to set the pace from the
opening day.
The Denver Bears, who led the
league a greater part of last season.
but caved In during the last six
weeks when their pitchers gave out,
are handicapped this year by the
loss of men through drafts and hold
outs. Butcher, crack out-fielder and
cleanup hitter, has been moved
along to the indianapolis A. A..
team. The Bear infield win show
la big change with Bill Fisher at first,
Mathews, second, Kelleher, or Gal
loway at short and Manager Coffey at
third. AT this writing only three
pitchers have been signed.
Jack Holland, manager of the ST.
Joseph team, promises to come back
strong again, despite losses through
drafts and sales. Holland has lost
Catcher Bobby Schang, brother OF
Wally. of the Athletics. He has al
SO moved into the majors His sec
ond string catcher was traded, bat
Holland has landed Troy Agnew and
Jack Withrow as back-stoppers. Out
side Of his batteries Holland ex-
poets to start with last years team