Evening journal., 1915-10-26
LEAN YEAR IN BIC
LEAGUE BASEBALL
May Slash the 1916 Salaries
to Keep the Game
Going
MANAGERS HAVE
ELEPHANTS ON HAND
BY GEORGE r.. HOLMES

NEW YORK. Oct. 26.-When the
Braves and Athletics rang down the
curtain on the 1914 season. baseball
magnates sent a booming sigh heaven
ward and privately expressed the
opinion that the old game had gone
through about as lean year fnan-
cially as was possible and to still be
Kicking.
And now that the pills and Red
SOW have pushed another season over
the brink into history, that same sigh,
seemingly louder and more penetrat-
ing. Is again mounting skyward
through the haze of these October
DAYS. Il was another lean year in
.baseball-very lean in spots.
OF the sixteen clubs in the Ameri-
can and National circuits which start
ed in the annual derby last April, II is
doubtful II more than half dozen
can show balance on the right side
Il the ledger today. Magnates' OF
course, are touchy on such subjects
and actual figures are not obtanaDle'
all of which. however, doesn't after
the fact that they didn't spend any for
tunes for oil to keep their turnstiles
from getting hot boxes
A close race saved the National
League from probably the worst sea-
son in It's history Never In history
we're eight clubs in the race after July,
as they were this year. Yet, notwith-
standing all this four OF the clubs
Pittsburgh Cincinnati. ST. Louis and
Chicago-lost money II the truth we're
known.
The Braves pulled through mainly
because of their prestige as cham
pions. and because Of the possibility
OF their stagingl another famous
squirt. The Giants always have a GER
tain prestige on the road, and THIS
with the huge rental exacted from
the Yanks for the Polo Grounds, en-
abled them to pull through by mar
row margin. The Phillies as cham
pions made money. of course, and tn
Dodgers with a first division club
the first in years-got by. Charlie
Ebbets and w. f. Baker are reporte
to have made neat sums because thei
salary lists are the lowest In tn
league.
The PROFITS Of the Braves an
Giants were extremely thin. Nc
fGraw. with a heavy salary, list whic
he couldn't get rid of because OF Ion
term contracts, skated on thin ice to
wards the latter part OF the season
and the huge cost OF the new Braves
field held Gaffney's rake-off down to
minimum.
II is extremely doubtful whethe
more than two clubs in the American
League made money.
Boston's pennant winners made
neat sum. as did the Tigers becaus,
| they we're battling the Red Sox RICH
down the home stretch.
I On the straight playing season
I probably Charley Comiskey mad
money. but his huge expenditures 70
Eddie Collins. Eddie Murphy, Jo
Jackson. Memo Liebold and a galaN,
OF minor league players cut in heav
lily on his profits Everything consid
cred, he probably broke even; Ger
tainly not more.
In Cleveland, Charley Somers ha
two elephants on his hands-the In
dams, and his American Associatio
club, neither of which made none,
The Indians never we're in the per
nant hunt and what popularity the
had skated to Chicago with Joe Jacl
son. Minor League ball cannot he o,
Z pec;ed to make money where maic
/ league fails.
II In Philadelphia, Connie Mack 10
money last season with a pennant viii
% ner. This year he had a tail-ende
: That in itself should tell Phfade
phia's story. Mack. however. prob
J.. bly, didn't fare any worse than la
~ season because he realized a mul
!, tude of good hard cash when he sc
:" Collins, Barry. Murphy and Cooml
10 Connie had a mighty slim pay-r
" this season.
y, The Yanks didn't make any mon
~ They, too. had a bunch Of long te
60 contracts, which with the big r,
a OF the Polo Grounds and a young 4
4, tune spent for alleged minor leas
phenoms, put them on the wrong s
4, OF the books.
as Washington never has been a z
nd mine. Griffith has probably the ha
est city in the country to work.
70 Walter Johnson's salary cuts no
y. tie figure in his receipts. The Sc
m tors we're lighting in the first d
sion all season, though, and the o'
ers probably got an even break.
70 The ST. Louis Browns never W
= money makers, and this season
l. proved no exception.
Something has to crack under
o strain before long. Baseball men
r its going to be high salaries, VIII
h probably isn't far from the truth.