The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-10-24
WAR MAY CURTA|l
BASEBALL SEASON
Club Owners Believe Fewer Games
Arc Certain I'm Races
Next Year.

Baseball men already are wonder
ing what the status of major league
baseball will be next summer II the
war liz not ended before that time.
The outlook Is dubious, although II
liz the sentiment of high officials at
Washington that the continuance OF
the national game should be encour-
aged. II is almost certain that many
of the minor leagues will not FISK
another season under conditions. II
the war is undecided next summer IL
Is also certain. that there will be some
important changes. among which may
be a shorter major league season anu
no world series.
BEFORE IL is time to think about
baseball again another draft will have
been put into operation. which is GER
tain to draw more players from the
game than the first draft. In the
meantime many players also Will en-
list in the service and will not DE
available next summer. With lists OF
casualties prominently before the pub
lie. the interest In the game is sure
to suffer. Also next summer the
taxes on baseball admissions will be In
operation. and this will be another
drawback to the game. Investment IN
liberty bonds and the high cost OF
living will tend to make basebaii rams
more economical about their amuse-
ments. and the major league races Will
not attract the interest that they have
In the past.
1t would not be surprising IL both
major leagues. at the annual meet
inRs next month. should decide on a
14e-game schedule instead of the 1o4-
game program This would start the
season later in April and bring the
finish along toward the end of Sep
TENDER. BY this arrangement some
of the club owners fiSure that they
will be able to cut down running ex-
penses considerably. as a month can
be clipped off the players contracts.
A change of this sort is sure to
bring storms of protests from the
players. but many of them will con-
slider themselves lucky next year II
they play at all. IL Is not likely that
the two major leagues will do any
thing definite about next years plans
until next spring. because much de-
ponds on the development of war
The player limit also is sure to get
another big cut, and Ii the major
league clubs play next season IT is
likely that the roster will be limited to
about eighteen players Conditions
will be such that the prosperous days
of the ball players viii have to be
curbed until the war is over. The
few players who have contracts for
a term of years consider themselves
fortunate. and next season there will
be less of these than ever before.
There is sure to be some opposition
from some of the club owners on the
question of shortening the season
Schedules of 40 games have been
tried by the National league in the
past. but the 154-game program was
found to be more profitable When
the National league was made up OF
twelve clubs the schedule included
only 1872 games. II the short wartime
schedule is adopted the season will
begin about the last week in April
and will be finished before the end OF
September. This will insure better
conditions for world series, II that
event is played.
The leagues probably will wait un-
til next spring before they decide
about another world series beca use by
that time the clubs may be so badly
broken up through enlistments an
the draft that the big classic will have
to be laid on the shelf for a while
Economy will be the watchword with
both club owner and fan, SO the pros.
perity of the game is sure to be af-
fected.