The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1915-03-09
FINANCIAL PHASES
OF BASEBALL TO
Be INTERESTING
What the Players Will Get,
Amount Owners May Make
and Other Monetary Fea-
lures Upset by New Rules.

New York. March S.-The financial
side ~ baseball promises to be one Of
the most important factors OF the pro.
fessional game during the coming sea-
son. Recent readjustments In the
sport has confronted the magnates
with problems which can only be am
swercd at the expiration OF the 1915
ponnant races. Far from the least
OF these il the question OF the play
er's salary. a large majority Of the
club we In both major and minor
league circuits are convinced that the
limit has been reached IN this direc-
ton and curtailment Is necessary. Just
how and when to put this economy in
To eject Is a proposition over which
there h a wide variance Of opinion.
Manager Connie Mack OF the Phil
adolphia Athletics has shown Spartin
qualities by pruning his former worlds
championship team by sale and re-
lease until Coombs. Bender. Plank
and Collins are no longer Athletics
and Bakers connection with the club
Is uncertain. President Edward BAR
row.. Of the International league. has
notined the various cub owners In his
circuit that reductions In players
salaries were In order. other league
executives and club owners favor sim
liar moves but are deferred by long
term contracts which cannot be u
lated. The move toward economy
can be seen, however, In the uncundi-
tional release Of players wherever
possible. Not In many years has there
been the number Of unconditional re-
leases, recorded since the close Of tho
1914 season.
a prominent baseball Official said
recently that the average follower OF
the game did not realize the Increased
cost Of the game due to the advance
ment In players salaries. Various an
giles In the business side OF the sport
made It necessary. including the in
creasing popularity OF basketball, in
dependent opposition and the band
Ing together OF the players them
selves, looking at II In a. broad mind
ed manner. he said that there were
conditions In the situation which war
ranted increases but In many cases
increases were out OF proportion TO
the services rendered.
II has been estimated that the aver
AK salary paid by major league clubs
has been doubled In the last ten
years. In the case ~ a majority Of
the players the increase Is Less than
s7OO a year hut when the contracts of
stars like Eddie Collins, Iris Speaker,
Walter Johnson. Jake Daubert and
sam Crawford are figured In, the gem
cr8l advance reaches "a surprising
amount. The salary limit Of the Ma
tional league was $4,000 fifteen years
ago. To-day the salary OF the medi-
OGRE player exceeds these figures and
there Is no limit for the stars.
baseball authorities who have
studied the situation carefully point
out that under the conditions that
prevailed In the early ninetics a star
inneld ana outheld containing such
players a. Delehanty. Laioie. Cross,
Flick, ana Thomas, could be secured
for an annual outiay ~ appraS!mate-
~ $4,000. To-day a similar comhina-
ton would require a yearly eNpendi-
ture Of hvo TO seven times that
amount. Yet the gate receipts prove
that attendance has not increased In
like the same ratio. Eddie
Collins acquisition and contract n
said to represent an outlay Of more
than 500. 600 during the next ave
years. a Chicago statistician has ng-
ures that he viii have TO draw well
over a quarter million extra attend -
ance 10 the white Sox park n he Is
10 individually repay the Investment.