The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-07-31
INTEREST IN BAIL IS
RAPIDLY D|MM|NG
Believed That Game VIII Have to
Quit Before September 1 Unless
Public Is Revived.
QUALITY Is FALLING.
Secretary Bakers Ruling Has Failed
TO Help Sport Along-Crowds In Big
Cities Are Daily Growing Smaller
and Unenthusiastic.

New York. July 30.---Unless some
thing is done Immediately TO revive
pubuc interest in baseball, the major
leagues will not last until September
+ This becomes more and more GER
tain every day.
Ins1ead of receiving the stimulus
which was expected to follow the
definite settlement of the status of the
game by Secretary Baker, the teams
have been going down. both in the
quality of baseball and in the crowds
they are drawing. Many of the clubs
are operating at a loss and their own
ers are willing to get out OF 1t as soon
as possible.
The worlds series is up In the air
The national commission has APP
parently died natural death.
Random has lost interest In the
pennant races and the players them
selves are performing on the diamond
in mechanical sort of way, and seem
more interested in securing essen
tial" employment than in baseball.
Something should be done imme-
diately. Set a definite day for the
gates to close,
The crowds are far below normal
and the figures cannot be ignored.
Last Saturday, the Red Sox playing
Chicago, which has always been one
OF the best drawing cities In the ma
Tor leagues, played before less than
/. 500 people. On Sunday there were
only "A few thousand at the park.
The Yankees and Tigers played be-
fore less than thousand spectators
in Detroit yesterday, and the same
sized crowd today
In Cleveland. where there should be
the best support, since the Indians are
re NJ n
naat- the Yankees played on Friday
their opening game, to less than 2.o00
fans Saturday brought out about
/ I. 600 and Sunday, for scheduled
| double header. only 5000. Early in
the season Cleveland drew some OF
the best crowds in the American
league circuit
In the east the same condition
exists, the Gaints drew less than 2e00.
including uniformed men, who were
admitted free, for yesterdays game
In Brooklyn the Dodgers drew only a
Jew hundred yesterday. In Boston
The Braves. who drew such poor
! crowds at the start of the season. are
! drawing less now
| Conditions in Philadelphia and st
/ Louis are not any better. Neither the
! Athletics or Fhillies can bring out a
! crowd in Philadelphia, which was
at one time the best baseball city In
the United States
/ The figures show that the clubs
/ cannot he paying expenses. Already
/ one has openly stated that he is ready
10 quit as soon as he can get out.
Ban Johnson sounded the keynote
i to the situation yesterday when he
declared that the worlds series would
/ be cleared out OF the way before Sep
TEN Der !, There Is now some talk OF
setting August ! as the closing date
/ At this time the clubs are scheduled
| to start on another tour. which viii
mean added expense
The worlds series, If played al all
[ will probably be a private enterpr 10
engineered by the two clubs finish
| ing at the top of the list. Ii looks
/ now as though there would be nt
/ chance for the national commission
I to come to life long enough TO manage
! the classic.