New Britain herald., 1917-10-30
MAGNATES OPPOSE :
 JORNSON'S PLAN
Conflicting Dates and Loss Of
 Profits Might Be Result <

New York, Oc. 3O.-The announce ment made few days ago by Presi- dent Ban Johnson that the American League intended to cut it's playing. schedule to 140 games next season as a war measure is not meeting with an entirely favorable response. On the contrary, there has developed a strong opposition to the plan which will be presented when the two leagues hold their annual meetings in December. This opposition will come from the National League. Although Charles H. Ebbets, president of the Brooklyn 1 club, has indorsed the plan, other Ma 1 tional League club owners, partlcu- | larly those of the Western cities, arg | opposed to it and are planning to make "a fight against it in case the 1 measure comes up for serious cons1d- eration, as it probably will. The 1 American League club owners will 1 probably back up the suggestion of their president, but a measure affect ! ing the playing schedule could not be | adopted withou agreement of both ! organizations. '> | Would Reduce Profits.
 National League club owners who l oppose the plan argue that such a 1 change would only reduce their chanc- es of making a profit or breaking even on the season. Particularly, it would reduce the chance of making up dates l lost through bad weather and so theH- are not willing to undertake such | chances in season that promises to l be fraught with difficulties enough, at | best
 No doubt Ban Johnson was sin cere when he made the suggestion" said one prominent baseball man yes- terday, "but I can not see where there is any necessity for it. Baseball is a business which is limited to certain number of months. maR in commercial business would not think of cutting down the season in which he was able to make sales of his line of goods. There are just so many months in which we can pro- vide baseball, and why should we cut down the number of them and thus cut into our own chances for profits2
 Moreover, I do not think conditions
 justify any such measure.
 The 140-game schedule is mt new to the big leagues It was in effect prior to 1904 when the two major leagues got together on the 154-game sched- ule. which has been in operation ever since. The agreement was reached the first year after peace had beep declared between the National and | American leagues. -ya
 Causes Conflicting Dates.
 The reasons for adopting the longer 1 schedule were the same for which the
 objectors to Ban Johnson's plan now
 want the longer season retained. They
 were that the shorter schedule caused. many conflicting dates in Western cities on Sundays and holidays, Which
 are the big days in that section, ana that the expenses for the season were' not correspondingly reduced. During the season of 1903, when both leagues operated on the short schedule, so many conflicting dates were played and so many double-headers were caused by postponements, that the 154-games schedule was adopted as the solution to the difficulty.
 As matter of fact, it takes TIT days to play out 154-games schedule, while it takes 167 days to play out a 140-eames schedule, the latter being a. saving of but ten days for fourteen games. In case of bad weather the | scheduling of double-headers is made the more difficult and is apt to play havoc with a club high up in the race. l The chief reason for adopting shorter schedule has been that the weather is often too cold in April for baseball But those who are opposed to Johnson's plan point out that the weather is often better in April than in May In fact the New York clubs have had their worst weather and most postponements during May and June in the last two seasons. The weather is always a gamble with that baseball promoter, and he can never say when he will get the brand he likes.
 Depend on Sunday Games.
 In St. Louis, Cincinpati and Chicago the National League depends on thc' Sunday games to get its good crowds. The owners of these clubs realize that, with shorter schedule they would. l probably lose some of their oes' dates. Nor can they be shown now they will save money by haVlng the i season come to a close earlier. u Is 1 true that the tail-end clubs nave sllin patronage after the middle ot septem- her. but the conditions that exist at the l close of a baseball season will con- tinue to exist regardless of the length l of the season.
 GUN MAKER ON TURF.
 Newmarket England Oct, 3O.-