Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-13
SPORTS HARD HIT
I BY GRIP ScOURGE
Foot Ball, Tennis and Boxing
Programs NuIIed, Racing
/ Alone Uninterrupted.
BY DENMAN THOMPSON,

country, have been pretty thoroughly
shelved as a result of the epidemic
of Spanish influenza. The attractive
program of foot ball games listed for
yesterday on collegiate diamonds was
knocked into cooked hat by cam
cellations due to the Scourge. What
little gridron activity there was was
confined almost exclusively to the
Army training camps and naval sta
tons. and in a majority of instances
contests listed for the service ath-
letes were postponed.
The boxing shows are the latest
to fall under the ban of officials anX-
ious to take precautions against the
spread of the scourge, several prom
Using bouts listed for the near future
having been definitely postponed. Ten
mis- already had taken the count.
Racing alone has managed to con-
tlnue in operation. and the turf game
at Laurel had mighty close SQueak
at that, the Maryland state board of
health going so far as to order the
track closed. later resembling the
mandate with the caution that every
means he taken to avoid dissemina-
tion of the grip germs among patrons
on trains and at the track.
In a majority of instances where
varsity or, more properly. Student
Army Training Corps games were
called off. the action was due to quar-
antine restrictions, rather than any
present peril from the epidemic. This
is true in the case of the Rutgers
Lafayette. Penn State Washington
and jefferson. Union Amherst and
other eastern games. This reason also
applied in the course followed in the
a
thirty-odd contests listed were called
off. Many more games were played
by western conference teams than
along the Atlantic seaboard. but, gem
orally speaking. the big elevens yes
terday had to content themselves with
ecrimmages against scrubs
Deciding the status of the players now
under contract or reserve is the knotty
problem that will confront base ball
magnateS when the annual meetings OF
the major leagues are held this winter.
The puZZling situation the mogulS find
themselves in arises from the fact that
under the system in vogue in the ma
tional sport it is mandatory upon the
clubs to renew their options or reserve
clause upon players not later than Jan
uary l each year and to mail contracts
to the players not later than February l..
players not receiving their contracts by
March l becoming free agents.
BILE to resume big league operations next
spring is what places the magnates i'll a
quandary. Few of them seem to think
the game can be continued next year.
and. this being the case, it is likely that
a ma jority of the players who figured in
the campaign will not receive docu
ments in the early months of 1919.
1t undoubtedly will be contended by
the owners that the business of base
ball was suspended under instructions
G. nd h1t
right TO operate was beyond their con-
troll, all contracts and other legal phases
are suspended automatically. Under this
construction players contracts Will carry
over until such time as the government
gives consent for the resumption of the
business.
1t is pointed out that unless an
agreement between the leagues is
reached. this situation could develop
into a serious wrangle by each CLUB
making wholesale raids on players OF
the other teams. But such an eventu-
ality is far from probable. Although
relations between the two big leagues
have been strained for some time,
with the row over the Scott Perry
case and the world series plans
widening the breach. the leaders of
the sport undoubtedly have seen the
- handwriting on the wall and have
come to a realization that the game
is in too precariouS position to per-
nit of continued petty Quarreling and
bick peace table conference
is in order. with an official burying
of the Ratchet. Agreement to pursue
a hands-of policy in regard to each
others players will follow.
Among eastern athletic authorities
and followers of track and field sports
little encouragement is found for the
proposal. advanced by the Pacific
Coast Association of the Amateur
Athletic Union. to bar all foreign
athletes from future competition in
national championship meets. 1t would
be IA most peculiar action for the
American athletic organization 10 take
in view of the fact that for years
athletes from the states have been the
most consistent travelling competitors
and prize winners.
Furthermore, the menace of the
foreign athletic invader is small. Few
in the past have been able to excel
the American stars, fact clearly
demonstrated by the United States
championships and olympic games. 1t
would serve as a tonic if a few of
the alien performers could do more
winning and furnish an impetus for
better and greater efforts on the part
of the Yankees.
The opinion is general that with
the coming of peace there will be a
great revival of international sport
competition. 1t is extremely unlike
ly that the delegates who will attend
the annual meeting of the "A. a. Y.
in Philadelphia November Is Will
adopt the proposed resolution.
California is the home Of the sport
holsheviki Start something seems
10 he the slogan of the naive sons.
Some few years back California un-
dertook to secede from the United
States National Lawn Tennis Associa-
ton, but reconsidered. 1t threatened
to break away from the Amateur
Athletic Union. too. In professional
base ball the Golden state was for
Years the haven of the malcontents.
the old California State League hav-
ing been an outlaw. as was the "a
cific Coast League when it first at
tracted attention.
Now various golf clubs in the big
state on the coast have reached the
conclusion they have nothing in COM
mon with either the United States or
Western golf associations. and that
they prefer to act separately from
either body. This is the situation as
viewed by Il San Francisco critic:
THE truth is that the Pacific coast
is too distant from Chicago or New
York for the ever-increasIng army of
golfers to be represented properly in
either the United States or the West
ern association. The state and dis
trict associations, such as the Pacific
Northwest, the California and the
Northern and Southern California,
perform their functions adequately
enough in arrangement of tourna-
ments and handicaping. but none of
them assumes Legislative authority.
The coast has never had q representa-
tive on the directorate of the national
organization. and in the nineteen
years OF the Western associations
existence has been represented only
twice-1915 and 1916. The difficulty