New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-29
Radical Changes Due
in Spring Baseball

prove anything but economical. Pa,
years the promoters have regardsS
spring training trips as part of a nss
essary expense, like rent, taxes az.
Whatever revenues came from snr;r.
games were regarded as so much vol
vet; they were entirely unexpec,sS
The main idea was to get the club n
proper physical condition for an al
vantageous start in the pennant rsre
for the difference between a good and .
bad start in the regular campaign al
ways has been the difference betvee,
financial success and financial failure
for the year.
Speaking of training trips, probably
never again will it be necessary for anv
major league TO legislate against an
early start as the National did two
years ago.
All the managers are coming round
20 the idea of short period of con-
ditioning in hot climate with a
gradual move northward to permit
thorough acclimation. The first man.
ager to show results from the short
training scheme was Bill Carrigan. Of
the worlds champion Red Sox. Fer
years Boston has gone into camp al
Hot Springs, Ark, anywhere from two
to three weeks later than the custom
airy opening of spring work Two
worlds pennants in as many years isl
fair enough argument.
Boston," said Bill Donovan, fooled
US all last spring. The club did not
start the season so well prepared as the
rest of the field. But you noticed how
fit it was through the last month and
in the worlds series as well.
81 am of the opinion that too much
spring work is bad. 1t puts a club in
great shape for the early season. But
the long grind takes too much out OF
il. Before the season ends such a club
finds itself overturned. Staleness sets
in. The old punch is lacking in the
pinch"
There is, however, a bit Of legisla.
ton that both leagues would do well to
effect, in the opinion of many close
students of the game. All the oldtime
glamour and enthusiasm Of major
league openings have been killed by
spring exhibitions in the big cities II
teams were not seen before the opening
day, the first month or six weeks-when
interest should be at concert pitch, as
no club can we'll be counted out in that
time-would be all the golden harvest
of the good old days. What seems most
needed now is a rule prohibiting major
league teams appearing in major league
cities against major league rivals be.
fore the scheduled openings Of the
National and American circuits.
: To number of newspaper men
! friends Charles H. Ebbets, president
of the Brooklyn club. recounted many
I. amusing anecdotes during a luncheon
/ the other afternoon.
mo one can appreciate the task in
volved in refunding between $4,000
/ and 100000 TO 1. baseball mad popu-
/ lace" said the Flatbush squire by way
of prelude:
private bank Of our own. The branch
/ banks didn't care to take the RESPONSE
bility of handling the proposition for
US. They feared the public, seeing the
crush, would interpret it as a run.
But we did get three expert money
handlers from The banks who assisted
us greatly. We also had three expert
engravers, who examined the returned
tickets with magnifying glasses. We
had been warned against counterieited
tickets.
"At Ebbets Field we redeemed tickets
{ for three days, during which time We
paid back more than $4,000. The ma
/ jority of the redemptions were made IL
person. But we received more than
1900 mail requests.
"Some of these were decidedly
amusing" continued the Squire. "one
party sent STA worth of tickets TO US
7 c. o. D. The express people wouldn't
let US open the package TO see II the
contents were genuine. OF course, we
had to fire the bundle right back az
the sender. Others sent cash ae-
countings, but not the tickets.
"In strange contrast TO this was the
action of two fans from Alaska. BE-
fore leaving for the fifth game at Bos'
ton they called at the Office. Here
are the third game tickets they SAID
we cannot come back to Brooklyn
/ II the series happens TO end IN bos'
ton YOU may forward the price OF me
tickets TO The incosed address
ed McKeever," concluded Mr.. Id
bets. "broke series ticket to &C.
coinmodate one enthusiast. This was
an engineer who hoboed all the way
from South Dakota to see game. he
had only the price of three-dollsr
ticket, and he wanted to start the
long, homeward journey Immediately
after the game. He said he had not
missed a worlds series since 1890,
and as money was tight out his way
he had decided upon the freishs
route. II took him eleven days to ge,
to the series. That is why he arrived
four days after the classic opened IN
! Boston"