The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-12-08

sented in pretty much every branch O
 There were considerably more than half
 with the colors-a fraction over 64 per cent. to be explicit. Data which John
 Heydler, acting president of the National league has just finished gathering show
 that 1o3 of its players were in the serv-
 iee.l This Is entirely apart from those
 who went into essential work. It means
 men in actual service with the army or
 navy.
 The total number of players reserved
 for the season of 1918 was 257, which num-
 Der, incidentally, has been reduced to los
 for 19f9 From May 15 to the end of
 the 1918 season the eight National league
 clubs carried an average of from l50 to
 l6o players One hundred and three-the number in the service--is 64 and frac- ton per cent of 160, the extreme limit of men married from May l on. There is nothing whatever in, these fE- ures suggestive of stacker as appiled to professional baseball players as c.ass On the contrary, the showing is an ex- cellent one and a credit to the game The players of the National league did their share fully as fighting men. The statistics show that. The fdctsl4 prob ably are,'' says Acting President Heyd- Ter who is given to conservative state
 ments. that baseball gave as great if not greater per cent of it's employees than any other occupation A half dozen men or so jumped to lshipyard and steel leagues, but 20 times that number were, or are, to be found in army camps, in navy yards, on fight ing ships or in the armies abroad The 103 men in the service were ap- portioned as follows: Army (drafted), 42 army evolunteered) 2: navy (volunteered) 32; aviation tvolunteere0, '. Sixty-one of l>the 103 players-59 per cent-volunteered
 and before the draft law became effec- tive
 The 103 were mostly players who took part in National league championship games in 1917 or 191S Of the 20 who didn't play in either the 1917 or 1918 championship campaigns IS had joined their respective clubs. They were full fledged members; they were on the pay roll
 There IS no getting at the percentage of men who were overseas. Two Ma tional league players were killed on duty. The first was Marcus Milligan. a young pitcher obtained by the Pittsburg club lfrom Birmingham, killed in an airplane accident. The other was Capt. Edward Grant who, while acting major, fell at i the head of his battalion in the Ar gonne He was carried on the voluntary retired list of the New, York club. 1 Several players were reported wounded. | Pitcher Ponder. an aviator, won the | French cross for valor. Hank Gowdy. the Braves catcher, was the first major | league player to volunteer. Christy Mathewson Cincinnati manager, was made a captain in the gas and flame division and sent to France, and from | the executive department of the league ! Percy Houghton of Boston and Branch Hickey of St. Louis received their com
 missions as majors in the gas and flame division and also were sent overseas l In addition to those in active service more than 100 players found essential employment either during or just after the pennant season, in ordnance, in nj trate and steel works, shipyards, air plane factories or on farms. They be- came directly productive ill various ways and more than one received the com
 mendation of his employer for diligence and intelligence in his job. Some were promoted They brought adaptability, I learned on the ball field, to their work. l Appended is list of the players in the service, volunteers and drafted men, and their branches:
 l Victor Aldridge, Chicago. 1 Grover Alexander, Chicago.
 Nick Allen. Cincinnati 1 Fred Anderson, New York.
 l Fred M Bailey, Boston. 1 A. L. Bailey Chicago. l R B. Bressler, Cincinnati.
 1 Jesse Barnes, New York.
 1 J. c. Benton, New York.
 A. w Baird New York
 | E. Brandell. Philadelphia.
 Carson Bigbee, Pittsb1rg.