Omaha daily bee., 1916-12-31
BASE BALL FAVORED
BY BANNER SEASON
Prosperity Following Restora-
ton of Peace Breaks ALI At
tendance Records.
LEAGUE RACES WERE CLOSE


in base ball the national pastime last
season blossomed forth into its most
prosperous year In the American
league the total attendance was more
than a million in excess OF that in
1915, while in the National league the
attendance exceeded that of any pre-
vious season in the forty years OF its
existence. Everywhere on the major
league circuits there was revival OF
interest and the game rose triumph
antly from the muddled state into
which il had fallen as a result OF the
Federal league invasion, Base ball
came back TO its own in the major
leagues, but the minors had a poor
year.
The Boston Red Sox won the
worlds series, defeating the Brook
Ign club, winners OF the National
league pennant, in four games out
of FIVE The International league
championship was won by Buffalo.
Louisville won the title in the Ameri-
can association.
While the most important event OF
the last year was the readjustment OF
conditions left by the Federal league
war, the biggest competitive feature
was the unusual season of the New
York Giants. This club, after a poor
start in the National league race, went
west on IFS first trip OF the season
and won all its games. seventeen
straight. Then. after another period
OF miserable playing, the team was
strengthened by the acquisition OF
several star players, and during Sep
TENDER the New York club established
new and unheard-of record in major
league base ball, McGraw's sensa-
tional team won twenty-sx games
straight. The best previous major
league record was twenty straight, by
the Providence club in 1884.
Feds Joined Major Leagues.
Though the base ball war was ended
late in the season OF 1915, the peace
negotiations were not completed TN
til well along in the new year. When
the Federal league passed out of exist
ence many of the players who had
jumped contracts to 60 to the out
laws were taken back. Two of the
Federal league club owners were tax
en- into the major leagues. Charles
Fl. Weeghman of Chicago got the
Chicago National league club, while
Phil Ball of St. Louis took over the
St. Louis American league club. Or
ganized base ball took over much of
the Federal league property. includ-
ing the Federal league parks in
Brooklyn and at Harrison. N. J.,
where the Newark Feds played. In
Chicago the Federal league manager,
Joe Tinker, assumed managerial con-
troll, and had poor season. Fielder
Jones, the Federal league manager
in St. Louis, was also retained and
did not fare much better.
Some of the Federal league club
owners reaped rich harvest by the
sale of their best players to the major
league clubs. Harry F. Sinclair re-
ceived the greatest benefits from the
sale of players. Such players as Ben
ny Kauff, Lee Magee, Hal Chase, Nc
kechnie, Roush and numerous others
played well in the major leagues. One
of the biggest deals OF the season was
the sale Of Iris Speaker of the Bos-
ton Red Sox to the Cleveland club, a
transaction which involved $4,000.
An event of unusual importance in
base ball was the celebration last
February of the fortieth anniversary
of the organization of the National
league. This was the occasion for
dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria,
which was attended by all the celeb
rites who had been connected with
the game from the beginning. The
principal speaker was William II.
Taft, former president OF the United