Evening star., 1916-11-17
NO BASE BALL ROW
|SL|KELY TO COME
FuItz's TurndoWn by Minor
League Association Not Ex-
pected to End Seriously.
INTEREST IN BOXING WAVES
BY j. ED GRILLo.

Predicted trouble or war in base ball
because the National Association of
Minor Leagues has not given David
Fultz's communication anent tho clause
il minor league contracts regarding
injured players consideration is not
| based on sound reasoning.
| Organized base ball will not be dis
turbed by any action the Players Fra
ternlty may take. Players III the minor
| leagues are pretty lucky to be earning
"a living, considering the prccarious
situation of the small leagues.
Talk about major league players
having been approached by former
| Federal League promoters. who intend
to start another outlaw league, is all
bosh.
F'uItz has no influence in base ball,
for the very good reason that every
thing he has advocated has been to the
dctrimcnt of the best interests of the
sport. He may successfully convince
the members of the fraternity that he
is looking after their interests. but he
is not likely to accomplish anything
worth while.
The lure of tie gun is greater than
the lure of Cinrinuati-in the winter
time. At any rate, Christy MathewSon
has changed his original plans and
has decided to carry a gun rather than
a roll of linoleum under his arm and
bird cage in his hand. He Will not
move to Cincinnati till some time after
the end of the year, possibly not before
the middle of February.
Matty has become an enthusiastic
gunner. 1t will be remembered that
he made tour of the country last
winter with Il team of sharpshooters,
and showed much proficiency with the
l. 1C a
abundance of quail in New Jersey, and
that he is going TO remain east to get
all he can of them.
Promoters of boxing in various parts
of the country say popular interest,
for some reason. is at a low ebb. 1t is
easy to explain this lack of enthusiasm.
The boxers have, temporarily, at least,
killed the game.
They arc unwilling to fight on the
level and the public has grown tired
of paying high prices to see fake bouts.
The Dillon Gibbons affair in st Paul
the other night is a fair sample OF
what is going on JUST now. Gibbons,
who was pitifully weak when McFar-
land cutponted him, and also was a
mark for Ted Lewis. Soldier Bartfield
and other second raters, outboXed Dill
Ion, the couaueror of Frank Moran,
who was considered good enough to be
pitted against Jess Willard last spring.
When the Dillon Gibbons fight was
arranged the belief was prevalent
that Dillon would be handcuffed, and
he was. That is to say, Dillon did not
try to fight. Gibbons success, there
fore, was nothing more than part of d
we'll laid plan TO obtain money under
false pretenses. over in Boston Tues
day night Ted Lewis and Jack Dillon
boxed Il draw. twelve rounds, which
prompted one of the club directors to
declare il wasn't healthy bout"
Boxers have become business men,
but the patrons of the ring game are
on to their curves
Racing at Saratoga last August was
so successful that the track managers
have declared a dividend. Incidentally.
the long meeting resulted in much
prosperity for the residents of the Spa.
It is understood that the other New
most of them still are behind the game.
AS Il matter of fact racing in the
state of New York will remain partial
ly crippled until the betting situation
Is cleared up. The track owners, since
the Agnew-Hart legislation went into
effect, have received little encourage
ment. They have kept the sport alive
with liberal expenditures and practical
ly no profits. Except on Saturdays and
holidays the daily gate receipts since
1908 have barely paid running eX-
penses
But the turf governors are prepa red
to keep up the fight indefinitely with
the hope that some day relief will come
from. Albany. II the legislature will
interpret the meaning Of several
clauses III the tibookma kim statutes
IN" track owners say that racing again
cSu be run on a sound business basis.