New-York tribune., 1918-01-07
Baseball Pot
Starts Boiling
Again Tuesday
Important Questions to Come
Before Commission Which
Meets in Cincinnati
Bv W. ]. Macbeth

hssrat; Ohio. beginning tomorrow.
gsa meeting was scheduled for to-day,
~. a"s word came from Chicago late last
uav D'sst that Ban Johnson and Charles
Wasssshman would he unable to reach
';.c;nnat: before Tuesday on account
stha severe storm in the West.
u Asa general rule this yearly confer
.,.. nj the triunvirate is Of but sec
.ndary Importance as compared to the
,ther meeting fixtures. But this is
,ae exception.
There is no apparent, disturbing ele-
,snt in the politics Of the game. Re-
Items between the National and Amer
:ssn leagues were never more harmo-
s;oys The TACT was proven by the
.wooth manner III which the rival
s.rrsn;zstions pulled together to effect
.ss.tain needed reforms of legislation
=, the recent joint meeting in Chicago.
August Hermann, who has served
- commission chairman throughout
H. history of that governing body.
;s.ure Of rel lection. But so many side
;..ues have arisen on which the forces
- .oycanized baseball must stand or
IN toeether that the Cincinnati meet
ss this time resolves itself into one
- the most important of the of
s.s,or. If not Of the decade.
Many VeAing Problems
The major leagues, which practically
.,arJ far all Of organized baseball in
.ssSe unsettled war times. are con-
TAINTED with many veXlng problems.
Not the least OF these, since the gov
.rnment assumed control of the rall-
ssys is tran Sportation. 1t directly
ssscts a half dozen other points Of
.be main problem of operation. 1t is
ou;te nossible that eventually trans
Ssortat;on may strike TO the very root
Fl the whole promotion, the moving
n clubs from city to city. which makes
.nss;hle baseblll's constant change OF
antertainment. necessary to the sur
vya] and renewal Of public interest
rkelv to be retained under salary while
Indirectly other difficulties are pre-
,ortsd bv The same dilemma. The more
serious the transportation problems
,sa more difficult it will be for clubs
:" onerate along lines which have come
IN he regarded as Of major standards.
c,;m necessity may impose the most
1;od roster limits, for il it is found
;mnossible to carry reserves on the
VOID these bench warmers are not
rtelv TO be retained unde rsalary while
,be mine" is visiting rival cities.
Enters now a new war bugaboo-the
.aY that will be assessed against every
sdmisson sG to baseball games this year.
naid or complimentary. AS yet 1t has
been impossible, partly because OF de-
partmental confusion, to determine
% unon any method of collection which
viii guard against confusion in the
,ush Of big days. This matter is one
of the most important to be considered
by the commission.
The biz idea is to determine some
system which will give. both the gov
eminent and the baseball operators the
east annoyance and expense, then to
lave it ratified by the government.
Doubtless, when the commission deter
mines the means, a committee VIII be
appointed to go to Washington to pre-
sent its plan.
There has been talk of late, because
Of the unsettled state of traffic, Of hay-
ing Inserted into major league con-
tracts new form of wartime clause
President William F. Baker Of the
phillies advocated such a movement
some time before the annual meeting o1
the National League. But his asso
Gates at the time looked unon the
move as too radical for consideration
and the Quaker boss never put it be
te!e the meeting.
Giants Disregard Advice
Meanwhile, it is said, the Nationa
Commission has advised all sixteen
major league clubs not to send out con
tracts until after the meeting in Gin.
llnnati this week. Only the champion
New York Giants have disregarded the
advice New York, in the matter OF
yearly profits, is the plutocrat Of the
majors and can we'll afford to act in
dependently.
OF greatest interest to the profession
is the working out in detail Of the new
Plan for distribution of the players
pool in the world championship series
It has been decided to give each mem,
rer Of the winning team of this classic
the sum of $4,000 and each of the losing
slde $l,400. 1t has further been de
tlded to have the second, third and
Ioarth teams of each big league share
IN the world series spoils on sliding
scale basis.
but 1t has not yet been decided what
relative percentages these latter shall
afaw or whether the teams Of the
league losing the world series shall
Oe penaliZed after the fashion of their
representatives.. Nor as yet has been
ueciced the question of an equable dis
snoutlon OF players interests in other
poss-season and city championship Sc.
nes. 1t would be unfair to ask world
Nnes contestants to share the big po,
WIN first division teams without all
common sharing in turn the rewards
VI Ihe side shows. 1t was left for the
~mmlssion meeting to get line OF
e'puiar sentiment, so far as the mag
"a.es in general are concerned, on this
point.
Organized baseball has little need t
Be apprehenslve of the manner i,
winch the profession will greet tn,
well vel known policies of retrenchment a.
effected in inevitable salary slashings
me prompt return Of five signed Clan
,HOh'racts points strongly the direction
we wind sits. There will be littl'
l!e nouble with the "hold-out" this lear
WINTER 1t is question Of meek &C
>'ptahce, with no come back.
fVr the two major leagues are prac
msaiiy al! that is left Of the once
a,"nu structure of organized baseball
fat e.. oest 1t is doubtful if more thar
r r.uI minor leagues will be in the fielt
.e@ .t spring American Association
iue Pacific Coast League, the Southern
"Sneociation and the Texas League.
because OF the unusual number O.
,bSoiec's ,bai OF vital interest, it is expected
n; %as practically every major leaguel
W.. prominence will attend the Cincin
N. Ns' pow-wow. This opportunity, OF
me- Ie side, presents that speculation IL
msysrs which has become of late NOR,
popular than ever. Within the las
month basebalps speculative marke
mas shown more action than has beer
history. f'''NA' year "a '"e e"'ne