New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-06
MINOR LEAGUES
PLAN ECONOMY
FOR NEXT SEASON
Owners to Adopt Low
Salary Limit and Low
Club Roster
By W. J. MACBETH


The annual meeting OF the Amer;,,,
Association in Indianapolis next p.
day will be followed with unusual h.
terest by fandom at large. Critics d.
lieve the general attitude Of organ;z,l
baseball toward certain yexing crok.
lens that have cropped out Of In,
may be reflected in certain legislatis,
by this powerful Class A A circuit
Hints dropped By Ban johnson s,A
others presage an attempt OF u,
owners 10 economic In salary o..
penses through the 1917 campaign. o,
the best of authority II has bee,
learned that the association club own.
ers intend 20 adopt low salary
limit and a low club roster limit, to-.
This step was taken by the lntern,.
tional League a year ago, with eood
result. Otherwise the Barrow circus
might not have been able TO weather
the storm.
The American Association had "a
salary limit last season. As a coa..
quence a great many Of the majs,
league discards were harbored thsr,.
This was an avenue which the big fel.
lows used in unloading the worros:
possessors OF ironclad contracts.
Ed Sweeney is an illustration. X,
was under an enormous salary 70 n,
Yankees. They peddled him 70 Toledo,
glad 70 pay all but something liks
$1,000 Of his salary. IN short, n,
American Association, with sslaJ
list almost equal TO the majors. s.esi
as a refutatioR Of the claim that tts
game did not justify wartime salsrsa
There is no doubt that the major
leagues intend TO pare down expense
and that Indifferent players will be kii
in the most vulnerable spot, The posk.
etbook. A readjustment in the Class
A A league commanded By Tom Chiv.
ington should pave the way for eeos.
omical reform at the annual meeting
of the National and American leagues
The association meeting Is also e.
pected to develop a bitter tight sgains;
Chiyington. Thomas Hickey, former
president Of this circuit. and Morris
O'Neill. former president of the West.
ern League are both being doomed fu
the Office. Chiyington's best chaos
seems 70 lie in the split ticket likely q
oppose him.
international League fans are direct
ly interested in Chivington's fate. TIE
executive OF the American ASSOCIATE,
favors Ed Barrow's scheme for an i.
terleague championship series betves,
the association and the lnternatiori
League next summer. This is one o.
the chief planks of his platform. A
change in the presidency would doubt
less see the end of the interleasss
schedule.
Tommy Rice, the well known Brcei.
Ign scribe. is in Panama investigating
a rumor that that city would make y
ideal training headquarters for ti
champion Dodgers. Evidently Tom hn
fallen under the evil influences OF ns
Board of Trade. He sends back "
counts that would make Joshuas spss
look like lot of hick constab!a
Wilbert Robinson, manager OF II
Dodgers, postcards that he will be
the Big Town Saturday. Wilbet .
coming prepared 10 offer lot OF ivo1
to his fellow tradesmen. During d.
meeting next week Robbie and c. l.
Ebbets will decide definitely on ti'
question of n training camp. The 70
ports from Daytons. Fla. are not -
fiattering. II the Cubs train in Cali
fornia the Dodgers stand prepared y
relieve that team Of its two yesnI
obligations TO the Tampa Board o.
Trade.
Word comes from the Coast nn
Frank Chance expects 20 be at the head
of the Cubs again in 1917.
"I1l be in Chicago or I'll be out o.
the game" is one Of the lines in ls''
ter from the Peerless Leader TO .
Windy City admirer.