Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-11-28
CUT OUT EXHIBITION GAMES
Magnstes Are Seriously Discussing
the Elimination of All Ante
Season Contests.
HUSTON TALKS OF YANKEES

NEW YORK. hoy. GIN the private
counsels OF the big league base ball mag
mates held within the last few days the
question OF abandoning all exhibition
games before the opening OF the regular
season has arisen, and. despite some OBJ
jections. It would not be surprising II
/ both organizations went back TO the old
! system.
, II is claimed by advocates OF the new
I plan. or rather the very old plan. that
exhibition games between big league
clubs early in the season take all the
interest out OF the official opening day
and in that way have killed off a big
slice Of the receipts
1T is also a question openly discussed"
said Captain Huston. whether the teams
should play any exhibition games at all
ON the way north from the spring train
ing camps. Some of the owners. more
versed I'm base ball matters than l..
think it is the better plan to have all Of
the clubs jump right from the training
grounds into opening Of the season II
is their contention that injuries to players
offset what little money could be taken
in at the gates in minor league towns.
THE other magnates ana the newspaper
writer's are more familiar with how these
things work than are Colonel Rupert
and myself, and l don't feel qualified to
discuss the advisahility of the change
until have become more experienced. I
doLt mind telling you. though. that all
OF the owners are discussing the matter
seriously and something may come of it,"
In the days when these ante-season
games were unknown and the opening
was the big thing of the year the fans
got to see the players for the first time
and there was lot Of hurrah about II.
Nowadays the fans have seen the players
so frequently in exhibition games that
there Is no novelty in an opening The
change certainly would not be frowned
on by the public
Must Cut Down Squad.
I'VE have made our plans to 60 south
March L." said Captain Huston ''and at
Macon we will find an excellent training
place l find, though, that we over
played our hand a little in buying new
ball players, and we have so many under
contract now that we'll have to get rid
of at least ten OF them before spring We
can only carry thirty-five men. believe,
and there are more than fifty on our
books.
What Is this about Fritz Maisel play
ing the outfield7' 1 asked.
Might be q good move" he parted.
Fritz would like to play out there and
he has had experience. We certainly need
q player like Maisel In the lineup, and
II we don't find better outfielder Bill
Donovan may make the switch. He's
thinking about II. II he does make an
outfielder out of Fritz he will put Paddy
Baumann at third. You may not know
1t. but the figures show that Baumann
outhit any man on our club and plays
third better than second"
What about the location Of the new
Yank park?''
I'VE are going to be able to make an
announcement within few days" he
said. land 1 think everybody will be sat
isfied. It may be necessary for us to
play at the Polo grounds the greater part
of next year, but we are going to build
fine plant Make no mistake about
that"
Feds VIII Not Hurt.
"Will the Federal league invasion of
Manhattan affect your plans?'
Not at ALL" he answered. There is a |
doubt in my mind as to whether they |
build on Manhattan at all, but IL they |
do 1t won't affect Organized Base Ball. |
Their proposed cutting Of prices will help |
rather than hurt. You know, the building |
and operation OF small priced theaters
didn't hurt the big ones"
The captain says that he has practi-
cally disposed OF all his big interests in
Cuba and the United States and will |
devote most of his time from now on
learning the base ball business.
IT'S a lot OF fun" he says, land has
for much development. am
not one of the pessimlsts about the fu-
ture OF base ball The recent season was |
what we would call in other business a
dun year. but l believe the sport will |
grow bigger than ever from now on. |
am really pleased that got into It,"