The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-10-24
IT IS ALL TALK
Not a Chance to Abolish World
Series Next Year.
Club Owners Are Too Fond of
the Precious DuckatS.
BY FRANK G. MENKE.

New York, Oct. 24.-Don't get EN-
wrong, gentle reader; the baseballing
folks aren't going to abolish our lit
tie world series. Oh. yes. much con-
versation has been CXuded concerning
the possibility of it's beine done, and
one of our best little baseball lead
ers has come right out and de-
nounced the present 'gouge-the- pub
iic' arrangement. But that's all that's
going to be done about it, or we miss
our guess by sixteen kilon eters.
Did you ever know of any base
ball folks doing anything meaning a
financial sacrifice for them? Righto.
They never have. And you can't
teach old dogs new tricks" yno.
Those magnates have fallen into the
habit of extracting every possible ko-
peck from the jeans of fai-dom-and
such habits are of the unshakable
variety.
1t is one of the safest bets in this
wide, wide world of ours that the
blue ribbon event of baseball won't
be abolished, nor will it be permitted
to lapse for two or three years. Any
such attempt would bring about
howl from the magnates that would
silence an artillery duel along the
Somme and Verdun front. Yes. Ban
the discontinue lines but Ban oc-
casionally takes TO making threats
that never are fulfilled. And this is
one of them.
MagnateS would right.
The demand for the elimination of
the world series hasn't come from
fandom. And it's fandom that pays
the freight. All that the fans want
is a reduction in prices for seats for
those GANGS; That t,,I may be accom- &C m
series--nix! Ban is a powerful per
son in baseball, but If he attempted to
put the world series on the blink he
would find himself alone-and beat
FrI %fr,rr
teams in the last five world series
events have split something close to
100000. It's a cinch that no club
owners would sanction any move des-
tined to null his individual chance to
win a pennant and get bit of that
easy money in the years to come.
Furthermore, the operating ex-
penses of the national commission
have been met with the money it has
received annually from world series
clashes This year its share was $3S,-
$50. If no world series were staged
who would have to contribute to the
support of the commission? Righto
the magnates themselves. And
wouldn't they relish doing that. after
the commission. almost since it's in
auguration, has been self-supporting.
due to the world series income?
If the world series were abolished it
would be a terrific wallop to the finan-
cial side of baseball. Undoubtedly, 10
per cent of the club owners would
place their holdings on the market
with the proviso that mo fair offer
will be refused" Prospective buyers
would be as scarce as soda water foun-
tains in a desert. The ma gnates aren't
in the game merely for pleasure and
health. They are involved for the pur-
pose and they don't deny it. Without
a world series to top off the year
half the clubs operating today would
go close to bankruptcy.
Interest Increased.
Baseball has made giant strides in
financial way in the last thirteen
years. Hundreds of thousands jam
their way into the parks now where
the count was thousands in the other
days. crowd of 10000 was regarded
as immense" in the bygone era Now
no one gets in any way excited over
crowds of $4,000. 10000, $4,000 and
even 10000.
Just mere pennant fight. without
any post-season battle wouldn't bring
out such crowds. A world series slim
ulates interest all season long. The
folks come now to see the teams that
are in the fight: to get a look at the
prospective champions and get "a
line" for themselves on just what each
team in the rival leagues could do
against each other in the world series
battles. The fact that the big series
follows the regular season keeps inter
est in the races at fever heat until the