Evening star., 1917-11-23
BASE BALL LEADERS
SPLIT ON EXEMPTION
Continued from Page 2I.)

exempt eighteen ball players for each
ma ior league team from Army service
may help keep the game alive. None OF
US can say now what effect the next
call to arms viii have on base ball.
We may not be hit as hard as Johnson
seems to think we Will be. But II we
are l believe the two leagues VIII get
together on Johnson's proposal or some
angle of it, and appoint committee
to see what can be done in the way OF
retaining enough players to keep the
game going.
Base bail can be made a source OF
considerable revenue for the govern
ment if the high standard Of the game
is maintained. and it also can do good
work in helping entertain the soldiers
in camp. i am certain major league
base ball will not operate on as large a
scale next year as in recent seasons.
For some time I have felt we will have
to cut down the number of players on
club. JohnSon's suggestion of eighteen
men to a team strikes me as being
about the right number
G. A. comiskey, owner Of the cham
pion White Sox and who blazed the
trail for base ball men in aiding the
government in its war activities by Civ
ing 10 per cent of his home receipts
last season to the Red Cross, is in
hearty accord with the idea of having
the government exempt players from
military service.
The White SoX can get along with
eighteen men," Comiskey says. Not
only can we get along, but put up
stiff fight for the pennant and give the
public the brand of sport it needs to re-
lieve its mind of the tense war situa-
ton. 1t is grand idea. Base bail
will do the government lot OF good
Connie Mack Indorses idea.
one of the most outspoken advocates
of the exemption plan is Connie Mack,
field general OF the PHILADELPHIA Ath-
al
to the war-Roy cuddy-having
enlisted as a yeoman in the Navy.
Il think it is a mighty good fdea."
the manager of the Mackmen is quoted
as saying. Il know what you are go
ing to tell me- Mack continued to his
interviewer. you are going to say 1 am
unpatriotic. Now. before you score me
for supporting Ban Johnsons plan. give
the plan serious thought. think it over
carefully and do not for a minute over
look what happened in England. l do
not approve of Johnson's plan on the
grounds of the benefit it will be to me
and the Athletics This never has en-
tered my mind. 1 speak only from the
standpoint of base ball, the national
game
1T would not kill the game if all men
eligible for the draft We're taken into
the service. but it undoubtedly would
hurt it, If all the players subject to
the draft were taken the standard of
our national sport certainly would be
hurt-in fact. dealt solar pIexus blow.
Ban johnson has asked for exemption
of only eighteen players for each club.
AS q rule each club has thirty players.
This would mean that each club would
give twelve players for military serv-
ice. In other words each club would
be furnishing 80 to 40 per cent of its
complete roster for military service to
down the kaiser That is a pretty good
percentage to send to war.
Has Already Lost Five Men.
Looking at it from another view
point we have the angle of exemptions
being granted to players because of de-
pendents and there are some for phys
ical unfitneSs. Eliminating these ex-
emptions, which. of course. would have
to be included in the general exemp-
tion for eighteen players to a club, the
sixteen major league clubs would not
be asking the government to exempt
any more than about 100 all told. al
ready have sent five players into the
service. Only last Sunday I lost the
nth man. Harry Seibold. a pitcher.
now is at Camp Meade. Sharman. Noyes.
bold. and there are other members of
my club to follow.
Now, the places of the players called
to the front can be filled, but IL the
draft takes all the players who qualify
the standard of base ball that all
Americans would like to see maintain
ed surely would be hurt. We simply
have to win this war, and If the gov
ernment decides that It cannot win the
war without drafting all eligible ball
players. then. Of course, I will say take
sons plan 10 o. K and should be given
mr. "a afu1 ronafAAra finn