The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-11-12

To Slash
Circuits
Baseball Meeting Which
Opens Tomorrow In Louis
vile May Change Maps of
Minor Leagues w estern
League Sure to Make
Fight Against Territory
Loss,

Fight Against Territory
Loss.
Louisville, Nov. 12-what promises
to be the most important meeting Off
the National Association Of Profess
sional Baseball Leagues in several
years will begin Tuesday and continue
three days.
Interest will centre largely about
proposals to change the whole map
Of organized baseball SO far as the
minor leagues are concerned, and as
the plan will meet opposition the ses-
sions may develop into exciting af-
fairs.
In this, connection the proposal
about which the greatest amount Of
gossip has centred and which seems
likely to produce the bitterest con
troversy, is the plan to form a new
organization from parts OF the Amer
lean Association and international
League.
The proposed league would include
Louisville, Indianapolis, Columbus and
Toledo from the American. Association
and Toronto, Buffalo, Newark and
Baltimore from the International
League. The four clubs in each
league which would be left out in the.
cold under this arrangement are ex-
pected to furnish all the opposition.
In addition demands will be made
it is said, by interests in the Western
Pacific coast, Texas, Three I and Cen
trail leagues, the Southern Associa.
ton and several other organizations
for rea1ignment of their territories.
Big Meeting Today.
Preceding the meeting of he Ma
tional Association of Professional
Baseball Leagues the Western League
will hold meeting tomorrow and the
Three I and Central Leagues will also
foregather. The American Associa-
ton will hold its annual meeting Tues
day, on which day the National Board
of Arbitration will be in session.
A movemen may be launched to
suspend operations in several smaller
minor leagues until the close of the
war. Practically every organization
from the big American Association,
| International and Pacific Coast
leagues down, suffered seriously last
| season.
| Twenty-Five 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 f1n-
ish of the Georgia-Alabama circuit.
| Early in June the Central Texas
League gave way. The Dixie League
| and the Northern Association sus-
pended early in July.
| The Three-I League, which had
weathered all kinds of conditnons for
II years, was obliged to suspend on
July g. The Northwestern League
held on for week longer, and the
| Central Association managed to con-
tinue until August Z.
| The Western League was forced to
change it's alignment and split its
season in July to stir up new inter
est Even the American AssociatfonY
began to slash expenses early in thes
season because of the heavy losses
due to postponements resulting from
| unreasonable weather conditions.
BIames the Automobile.
Presidents of several minor leagues
! in the Middle West are in favor Of
putting baseball on the shelf for
year. and possibly two. They favor
releasing all players and starting
anew at the close of the war on
/ less expensive operating basis. ss'
| Continuation of present salaries Of
minor league players, they contends
is out of the question. The unsettled
| conditions in the minors, however,
are not entirely due to the war in the
league, in the opinion of Harry w
Stahlhefer, president of the Central
Leogue. He believes the small, mex
| pensive 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 a.
quarter or fifty cents for seat in a
| baseball park on Sunday, has bought
a small automobile. which takes his
| spare money. We usually counted on
these patrons for regular Sunday bus
| mess
But now. instead of going to a bah.
: game, he takes his family for a ride
| in the country. And at present day
| prices for necessities, after this fell
low gets through buying motor sup
| plies he has nothing left to lavish on