Evening journal., 1915-01-30
four BIC LEAGUES
Wards suggestion
Brooklyn Magnate Says
There Is Plenty of Room
For More
PLENTY OF MEN
FOR THE GAME

-Four major league DaseDall leagues !
is a possibility i'm the near future, ac-
cording to John NJ. Ward. the veteran
diamond star and for while connected
with the Brooklyn Federals Ward is
a practicing lawyer In New York, but
( has kept abreast of the progress Of
/ the national game. Ward refutes the
claim that there is not room for more
4 than two major leagues, and laughs
at the howl organized ball makes
about the Federals wishing to tear
down a work to which the magnates
have devoted the best part of their
time He says that with one or two
exceptions the club owners have had
absolutely nothing to do with the up
( lift of the game About % per cent
of the credit belongs to the players.
and 75 per cent TO the newspapers.
know. for / have been through the
mill. Baseball did no amount to hill
OF beans until 1888, when the papers
first began to take baseball seriously.
From that moment its future was es-
tablishod as a signal success
In speaking of the proposed fourth
major league. Ward would put another
club in every city where there is at
present only one big league club. In
Philadelphia he thinks that the terri
tory west Of the Schuylkill river would
afford excellent ground to locate
major league club. while in New York
he lodges the issue and leaves the
impression that Manhattan would also
have three clubs. Apparently the
fourth venture would be encouraged
and promoted by Federal League off,
cias. for Ward says;
"rhe promoters of Independent base
ball are prepared TO launch another
} circuit of ma ior pretension. and within
tho next season or two you will find
the Federal champion pitted against
this new rival i'm worlds series compe-
; titon ! do not mean necessarily that
the men who have invested their money
in James A. Gilmore's enterprise will
, back a fourth circuit But they have
influence and friends of means ready
, TO furnish the wherewithal at a words
, notice.
There is no doubt in my mind that
there is plenty of room for a fourth
major league and that In time The
b public will have it's eyes opened TO the
= fact The success OF the National
:. ana American Leagues following q
settlement of their war proved con.
clusively that continuous baseball has
bcCn a blessing TO every city whici
# attempted t Enough cities of major
n league caliber are still open TO con
!. tinuous promotion TO assure the sue
: cess OF a fourth league"
Ward was asked 20 name the pos.
o hihle makeup of fourth circuit
Il "That Is the easiest thing in tho
q world" he replied. Detroit, Clevo-
Il land and Cincinnati are three recog.
4 nized major league clubs of the West
y II would not be difficult TO hnd q
! fourth with which TO complete thC
western wing Louisville always
n has been pretty fair sort OF town
Then there Is Toledo. which is a hust
~ ling city and which never has had az
" opportunity TO enthuse over a class
OF baseball that its population morit
=, ed. Now as to the East, Washingtoi
- has only one major representative
~ The International League has evacu
'e ated Baltimore. where the Fedora
League gained such stronghold las
- season. This big American cit
\ WORLD welcome a second major leagu
promotion New York. of course
will not be overlooked The ives
side OF Philadelphia, is most fe,tll
/ field There YOU have a strong ca q
: ern circuit. And there are other fin
cites in the East. such as Newark
: Providence and Rochester. whic
which would assure a most enthus'
astic and compact eastern wing"
Ward was asked where the pr,
y moters would find enough good taller
20 maintain the established maiC
a league reputation in four differeI
3 leagues
E "rhe country is swarming with goo
7 players replied John NJ This ia,
. was proven to my satisfaction by n
Federal league last year Take Il
case of Benny Kauff. The maj,
. leagues couldn't see him. vet there al
not more than two outfelders in q
National and American leagues mo-
3 valuable than he Cobb and Speak,
a perhaps shade him a trihe, But it
II no certainty that Kauff will not exc
both in a short time, fore he is your
. and ambitious. The Brooklyn tea
. picked up a Class b player last yei
II in Anderson. Within o season he b
e came one of the greatest outfelde
=; in baseball He hit something Iii
snA- A0l uNs A0uAN nt MOulU nave
sE difficulty in earning n regular Der
81. with any of the sixteen so-called mai
,soss clubs.
ssFs "Kauff and Anderson are not [
Ss only crackerjacks unearthed by I
% Independents ] could name half
Il dozen others. But these two illt
III trate the point I make. say that I
II years in the minor leagues the ms
fsss brilliant talent has been going to Sc
sss.n because Of lack of opportunity for pi
motion. The National and AmeriC
- leagues could not begin to harvest {
minor crop
-Four major leagues will be seen
the near future. and il will be a
blessing 10 all who have the inter
of the game al heart For Tie pla.
,, it will broaden the scope Of his opp
- tunities. For the promoters il v
Q stimulate interest through continu,
baseball i'm all of the major lea,
W cities For the fan it will meal
higher type of play and renewed
terest The fourth league is com
= surely. for conditions demand
Certainly the Federal League wo
welcome the move. as an annual cl
sic for its champion would place
independent circuit on an even foot