The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-11-11
SPORTS

Louisville, Ky, November 1o.-What promises to be the most important meet ing of the National Association of Professional Baseball leagues in several years will begin next Tuesday and con tniue three days.
 Interest will center largely about pro- posals to change the whole map of or ganized baseball so far as the minor leagues are concerned, and as the plan will meet opposition the sessions may de- velop into exciting affairs.
 In this connection the proposal about which the greatest amount of gossip has centered and which seems likely to pro duce the bittest controversy is the plan to form new organization from parts of the American association and Inter national league. The proposed league would include Louisville, Indianapolis, Columbus and Toledo from the American association and Toronto, Buffalo. New ark and Baltimore from the International league The four clubs in each league which would be left out in the old under this arrangement are expected to fur nish all the opposition to the project of which they are capable.
 SOUTHERN INVOLVED
 In addition demands will be made, it is said, by interests in the Western, Pa cific Coast, Texas. Three and Central leagues, the Southern association, and several other organizations for a realign- ment of their territories.
 Among the specific changes said to be desired is the addition of Shreveport, Texas league city, to the Southern asso- citation, and the transfer of Seattle from the Northwestern league to the Pacific league.
 In addition to these changes others boI IN- faa hUf hn of any effort to form a new combina- tion from parts of the American asso- citation and International league Other wise there would be no berths for some of the best minor league towns in the country.
 Preceding the meeting of the National Association of Professional Baseball leagues the Western league will hold a meeting tomorrow The Three and Gen. tral league will also foregather. The American association will hold it's annual meeting Tuesday, on which day the mar tional board of arbitration will be in ses- sion.
 MAY STOP FOR WAR
 A movement may be launched to sus- pend operations in several smaller minor leagues until the close of the war. Prac- tically every organization from the big American association, International and Pacific Coast leaguues down, suffered seriously last season. Twenty-two minor leagues started the season and only about half of them finished Only five leagues went through without changes in their circuits
 The blows to the minors began to fall early in the season. The Virginia league disbanded May 15. Two days later the North Carolina league gave up and three days later saw the finish of the Georgia Alabama circuit. Early in June the Central Texas league gave way. The Dixie league and the Northern association suspended early in July. The Three I league, which had weathered all kinds of conditions for IT years, was obliged to suspend on July s. The Northwestern league held on for a week longer and the Central association managed to continue until August 2. The Western league was forced to change it's alignment and split it's sea- son in July to stir up new interest. Even the American association began to slash expenses early in the season because of the heavy losses due to postponements, ! resulting from unreasonable weather con- 1 ditons.
 FAVORS DISBANDMENT Presidents of several minor leagues in | the middle west are whole -heartedly in favor of putting baseball on the shelf for | q year and possibly two. They favor releasing all players and starting anew 1 at the close of the war on less ex- pensive operating basis. Continuation of present salaries of minor league play CTS, they contend, is out of the ques- ton. The unsettled conditions in the | minors, however, are not entirely due to 1 the war in the league, in the opinion of ! Harry w. Stahlhefer, president of the 1 Central league. He believes the small | inexpensive motor car has seriously cut | down the attendance in the smaller cities |
 From my study of the situation, I have concluded that the factory worker, | who, in former years spent 25 or 50 cents | for seat in a baseball park on Sunday, | has bought small automobile which [ takes his spare money. We usually i counted on these patrons for regular Sum | day business. But now, Instead of go- ing to a ball game he takes his family | for ride in the country. And at pres- ent-day prices for necessities after this | fellow gets through buying motor sup !