The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-12-24
PASSING SPORT YEAR
WAS SUCCESSFUL ONE.
1aaeba Thrved Since Signing of Peace Past BY Organ
"a lied Moguls and Federas While All Other Sports In
Our Peaceful United States Have Flourished.

II the glass have almost run their course
II and when the last grain has settled
with the birth 81 Il new year. the
eAwefye months which - about 20 close
rsn be placed lu n" records of tune
Il AZ one of th, most successful IN tho
anaals OF SPORT
Tia great wo34d-war has put a
afnmper ON xportsug events of all VA
rsef.es Ia foreign .ands. bat in these
feaeeful united states We have
e,toyed sports .the utmost and
X nearly every branch on the sporting
& tree has been blessed with successes.
Because Of the wars abroad the whale
world has turned its eyes toward
America. and America has furnished
u The thrills for followers OF almost all
4 f,asfiuaes classified ~ Sportdom,
Ss Baseball tennis. golf boxing. rae
ing. rowing. football and athletics, iii
n aH their branches professional or
amateur, have enjoyed successes. To
cover the yea" OF 1915 insofar as ac-
taaa sporting records are concerned III
this country alone would require col
sauan upop column of statistics.
Records Of the many events which
have taken place IN All lines Of sport
4 would show the breaking Of many
marks and the making Of many new
tshsanl pions.
Taken separately. the outstanding
( Features in ths major sports give US
plenty OF food for retroSpectInn y
secrnpre hensiVe review OF the most i'm
portant events IN major sports there
fore is offered here. more Is a matter
of xevieviug the wear than - matter
Of record
Baseball Thrjtc~ Since War.
when the pact between organized
Baseball ana The Federal league was
ssErea tho national pa>Ilt1e emerged
from the lnus} serious ENHANCEMENT
Into which IL has ever been thrown
Nj; the sta iitN Of the game and the
place ii holds IN sports have been
amply proven 10y ne come back It
has made during the present year. It
Ii cue tina: baseball politics stsN
needs reforming. and reforms may he
sspccted, but n'om The standing Of
tae follower Of the game--the one
who pays the frcight--baseba has
lxoyen lis nettiC.
From the opening Of the 1915 sea-
sssn until the Rod SoX defeated the
rs ooklyn Dodgers in four out of FIVE
sssstz4Ca. s,&rttur At Boston on the
ssssnta day OF last October. baseball
Furnished thrill after thrill.
s EarlE in she Ycar---on January s.
1.narles Wceghman and his associates
\ fsuI chased the Chicago Cubs. and n
few days later the Boston Braves
Bere sold ia Percy Haughfon and a
svndicaie of business men. In the
same month the New York Giants
purchased Benny kaur. Anderson and
Rariden from tho Federals.
In February Judge X. NJ lands
gave the baseball world a thrill by
\ .fsismissine the famous trust-busting
I suit instituted hy the outlaw leaguers.
/ She e&ag; date Of his announcement
\ hsing f'eor+arv Il, TWO days later
Ed konetchy was purchased by the
4 Braves for a sum said TO have been
*is,e0o. and during the next week
The Yankees bought Frank Baker
saom Connie Mack.
4 ss ON February - Honus Wagner, the
Assrasest shortstop OF all time. as
Gell as one OF the greatest hitters the
/ game has ever known, celebrated his
forty second birthday. Following along
Il ia April. after james C.. Dunn had
4 purchased the Cleveland cub. the sale
Nef T-istram Speaker to the Indians
1 SfaTtled the fans al over the country.
I. The sum OF $4,000 paid for Speaker
WAS said to be the largest amount
ever laid down for a bali player.
And then came the playing season.
h with the war thing of the past and
q the peace dove sitting calmly on his
perch. II was in May that the New
I'll York Giants started their first big
4 winning streak. in the West, and they
" piled up seventeen victories before
They were stopped. In July the Giants
sEain got int the spotlight through
q the trade with Cincinnati by which
EhFaSty MAtthewson went to the Reds
and Charley Herzog to New York.
This trade was contaminated on July
NH In August the 18th day, to be exact,
h esrad Merkle went to the Brooklyn
Dodgers in trade for McCarty.
n 3rooklyns star young catcher. and
M the 2sth of the same month John
Il afcgraw pulled another thriller by
winding Larry Doyle to Chicago for
t4elnie Zimmerman.
l On the II th day OF September the
snA1or leagues drafted seventy four
Fl kaAyoSs from the mtnors one Of the
AfGeSt drafts that has ever been made
md then once again McGraw and his
Few Workers came into the spotlight
Nh winning twenty six straight games
bf baseball. They had their winning
M 11roak broken in New York. and thu
@T o0utOn Club was the one which put
- thB CruBhsr.
WI In the meantime the race for ths
EonnAnts In both leagues held the at
Hq031on OF fans all over the country
&43so American league race, with seven
49&Jne in the running up to the last o1
$kugust, WAS the most successful one
IT. history. In the old league three
H4pamS--thc Dodgers Philiies and Bos.
TN Brayes--fought it out tooth and
It'll to the bitter end, and the havoc
gFonght BY the Giants in their record.
HFeAking. steam-roiling string Of wini
E2ont interest TO the chase for the flag
HN1he seasons close found the Boston
RA1 Eox worlds champions, after q
emparatively easy series agains
k00klyu.. 1t found conditions In base
I'LL indicative Of a brighter future
I'M the game has ever known before
IL the process OF building up the
&Opn thar had been torn down in the
NJ with the Feds much faster than
"a been expected.
&x1he various races In The minor
egnes were thrilling. and although
1npr leagues had the usual amount
stroubie in some quarters. severa
rliiDe@ going TO the wall the minors
epugh Their actions at the annua
6tfng which was held at New
0Ans in November and through
II requests TO the majors show
the spirit OF progress Is upper.
m and tina, thef are striving ta
ote better conditions. That the
aoF and minor leagues Viii be more
qyiy related insofar as mutual in
Coke are Concerned is the prediction
~ Tor 1917. and 1t had its incen.
IN the events That were broukh,
1&SSe during the YEA. inxf closing