New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-07-02
All Teams Carry a LiSt OF
Healthy and Useful
InValidS.
OLD WAR MEASURE
PREVENTS RESERVE
But the Managers Find a Way
to Get Around This and
Take 1t.
BY FRANK O'NEILL.

Laws and pic crusts, like promises
are made to be broken. We're base
ball players and club owners willing
to obey the laws they have established
for the government Of their own Sc
lect society. there might be no need
for the National Commission But
they don't, and so il happens that the
commission is kept busy deciding
souabbles. and handing down various
decisions.
Not long ago the National League
owners decided that twenty-one play
crs were quite enough 20 enable any
team to get through the season and
fight the American League teams on
even footing i'm the worlds series. II
would seem, however, that the club
owners made the rule so that they
would have something 20 wink at and
disobcy. In order that all might be
well. they made provision for dis
ability list As well might they have
taken of the limit, for the managers
go right along securing good men
and sticking them on the disability
list. although some of the boys are
the picture of rudy health.
There may be some club in the Ma
tional League which is not making full
use of the joker supplied by this dis
ability list, but memory fails to sug-
gest its name. Take, for example,
our striving Giants. Although right
up TO the limit, they have gone ahead
securing players who gave promise Of
developing into major league stars.
These players will be carried along on
the ineligible list until the limit is re-
moved in September. Then, if the
race is decided one way or another,
they will receive their chance TO face
big league fire. Otherwise the train
ing camp a -larlin will be the scene
Of their activities. The Braves OF
Boston smile cynically and compla-
Gently at the mention of the twenty
one player limit, and not without
cause.
4 Lively Invalid.
They are far above the mark.
carrying some twenty-six men. and It
would seem that bit Of juggling is
/ being done Take the case Of Jess
Barnes, that clever young right-hand-
er. lie stepped out the injured list
into the box and trimmed Alexander.
/ Now, imagine if that boy had been
right all the time. SO it goes, right
/ through with all Of them.
How much better it would be in
the interest OF the National League
and in the name OF honesty to put
the player limit back to where il was
before the raids of the Federal League
made a policy Of retrenchment i'm
perative. The National League. with
+ is player limit of twenty-one men.
must be weaker than the American
League. with twenty-five men 10 the
team. The strongest asset Of a team is
a capable reserve. IL was a strong sec
ondary line that made the Giants 50
feared when pennants were an incl
dent. rather than an event, in this
city. As IL is the teams have just
about enough men to last through the
season If they meet with no accidents.
One thing or the other should be
done: Either abolish the twenty-one-
/ player limit. and allow the teams 10
carry twenty-five men. or else en-
force the laws governing the disabil-
ity list.
Indians Are Unlucky.
The hand Of fate is pressing heavily
on the Cleveland Indians. Fohl's men
have yielded first place. not so much
through any vast superiority Of the op-
posing teams as the downright breaks
/ Of Indian luck. All fans remember sew
eral years ago when Addie Joss. Dusty
Rhoades, Harry Bay. Elmer Flick. Brad
| ley, Lsjoie. Turner, Harry Bemis and
those other great Cleveland players
burned up the league until accidents
! sWept Bay. Turner Bradley and q