The Washington herald., 1917-12-02
May LEGALIzE
SUNDAY SPORTS
IN MANHATTAN
Charles Ebbets Will Petition
Legislature for Repeal
of Blue Law.

New York, Dec. 1.-The annual
meeting Of the National, American
and International leagues next week
promises developments Of unusual In
terest to fandom. but a new factor
has entered the politics Of the game
which may relieve the conferences
of some of the prospective vitriol that
might otherwise have been spilled
at this time. This relief arises from
the very great probability Of the next
legislature legalizing professional
baseball on Sunday in the State Of
New York.
Charles Ebbets, president of the
Brooklyn Nationals, has secured a
petition signed by countless thou.
sands OF voters toward a repeal Of
the blue laws. The monster petit
tion will be presented to the next
legislature.
Sunday baseball would doubtless be
q great boon to Ebbets Field.
Whether the same would hold true
at the Polo Grounds is questiona-
BILE. It has not yet been settled
whether the Sunday game on Man
haitian Island would AFFECT weekday
attendances.
The owners Of the Giants, while
wishing to oppose no obstacle to the
common good. seem satisfied to let
well enough alone; but elsewhere
through the State the hardest en-
couragement has been lent.
Whether or not Sunday baseball
would increase major league base
ball on Manhattan Island, the fact
remains that it would be of great
benefit to the two big leagues as a
means Of shortening the schedule
period.
Sunday baseball Is tolerated in all
the Western cities Of the American
League, and in all the Western cities
Of the National, too, with the ex-
ception of Pittsburgh. During q play
ing season there are about fourteen
Sundays. II the Sabbath game were
allowed in the East the time neces-
sary to play a shedule Of 154 games
could be trimmed an even two weeks.
Western clubs have to idle week
days to offset the enforced days Of
rest in the East. 1t is unreasonable
to believe that the city of Boston
at this time will follow even If New
York should set the fashion of Sun
day baseball. Legalizing the Sabbath
game in this State would affect only
two National (Giants and Dodgers)
and one CYankee) American League
clubs; however. a balance might be
struck in favor of the American
League by utilizing the Baltimore Park
for Sunday games either for Wash
ington or Philadelphia clubs, If the
International League operates in 1918
1t would be an easy matter to frame
a schedule that would prevent Sum-
day conflicts between the Orioles and
their American League neighbors.
hof Tn6 e.
tically resigned to the 154 games
scheduled for 1918. For many years
he has advocated a draft of 140 bat
ties 50 that the majors might COM
mence operations some week or ten
days later than usual and finish
equally early. In other words, he
would compress into five and a half
. months the usual six months play.
For a time the National League
favored this plan. But an early an
nouncemept Of the fact from Ban
Johnsol's' office soured the magnates
Of the parent maker and they prompt
ly repudiated the plan. The National
League has let it be known that II
will hold to the old course. If the
National votes for 154 games the
American League must follow suit as
a matter Of self-protection.
The tate OF the international League
rests in its own hands. President Ed
ward G. Barrow admitted today that
Sunday baseball might easily prove a
saving grace for his circuit.
He denied, very emphatically, that
he had ever suggested any possibility
of the International League closing
shop the coming year.
My club owners have not sought
such advice from me-" said Barrows,
"and until they do you may be sure
do not intend to hand out opinions.
The matter is one that concerns them
most directly.
II will say for my club owners that
all organized baseball can not boast
eight more courageous sportsmen.
They stood the gaff without a whim-
per in the days OF the Federal Lea que
war when the International was forced
to carry more than its due load OF
responsibility. Most OF them lost
heavily, but sustained the losses man.
fully. They believed a surrender
would have proven disastrous to Or
ganized baseball and so refused to
surrender"