The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-22
MAJOR LEAGUES ID
 CONTINUE PLAYING
League Presidents Order Clubs to Play Until Noti-
 fled to Disband

Chicago, July 21-whe indications to- night were that professional baseball would be suspended by major league magnates at meetings to be held this week as a result of Secretary Baker g decision to class baseball as nonessential under the work or fight regulation, or
 ders were issued to continue play until
 further notice.
 The American association closed its season today and awarded the pennant to Kansas City.
 American league owners. the majority of whom are said to favor closing their parks at once, will meet tomorrow noon at Cleveland with President Ban John
 son presiding to make a final decision National league officials. many of whom are said to favor continuing with their schedule, will meet in Pitts burg Tuesday August Hermann, president of the Cincinnati club and chairman of the national baseball com mission, told President Johnson on the | long distance telephone today that It was impossible for him to reach Presi- dent Tener of the National league, tut that the emergency was so great that | he had called the meeting and the club owners had agreed. previous meeting called by President Tener was set for New York on Wednesday. President Johnson late today tele- graphed all American league clubs to continue play until officially notified to quit.
 President Johnson late today teie- sraphed all American league clubs to continue play until officially notified to quit.
 President Johnson said that the , telegram was sent to give the players some notice, but he was confident that the order to stop play until further no- tice will be sent out from Cleveland before tomorrow night. He left To- night for Cleveland.
 GAMES CANCELLED Two games scheduled for tomorrow in Chicago between the Cincinnati aid Chicago teams of the National leaSue were cancelled late tonight by Presi- dent Hermann of the Cincinnati club who explained that they were post poned games which were to have been | played off on an open date. He said 1 he thought the regular schedule should 1 be carried out and that the Cincinna ii | team would play Boston Wednesday ] s scheduled. Fred Mitchell, manager of ], the Chicago Nationals. when told of 1 Mr Herrmann's decision that the clubs l should continue their schedules for the present at least, said that 1t was | news to him and although he had l received orders to instruct his players | to hold themselves in readiness for | further developments. he had not been instructed to make the next trip east. L George Tyler pitcher. left the team tonight to go to his home in the east, but said that if the club continued playing he would rejoin in Philadel- phia.
 Charles Comiskey, president of the Chicago Americans, who is spending | vacation in Wisconsin, today te1e~ phoned that he would be unable to attend the Cleveland meeting. but that I he did not see how it was possible to 1 continue the season and that he fu-
 vored closing the parks at once,
 NEARLY 300 PLAYERS
 Other American league officials
 pointed out that the work or fight" l order applied to nearly 300 players ! in the two major leagues, leaving scarcely so of the older players, who | would form the nucleus of the new | teams which would have to be built
 up if the game was continued. l Baseball officials disclaimed any iI- | tention of appealing for delay in the enforcement of Secretary Bakers or. der and pointed out that if they at. | tempted to recruit their teams from veterans above the draft age they
 might be deprived of the services Of
 the veterans in New York and other states where the "work or fight" age limit is as high as 50 years.
 The American league organization has grown in IS years to represent an investment estimated at between $6,-
 o00,000 and $S.000,00 with overhead
 charges of $600.000 to sS10,000 aE-
 nually. The heavy financial loss in-
 volved in closing the parks and dis
 rupting the organization has caused
 much worry to baseball officials, who,
 however. declare that if necessary they
 will make the best of the situation
 and will turn their attention to elim-
 mating certains evils from the game
 during the period of shutdown
 No difficulty with players contracts
 is anticipated if the parks are closed
 and it is said that all of these contain
 a l0-day notice clause which will
 fully provide for the emergency.
 Another Sugar Saver