Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-03-15
MAGNATES
AWAIT n. Y. MEET
International Minor Body to Set
tie Question of Continuing 1918
Circuit; Many Oppose Play.

New York. March 15-Minor league
uarnstcs are awaiting with unusual
interest the outcome of the meeting of the
International League, scheduled to he
held in this CITY on Monday, March %.
The conference will be the second since
the annual meeting of the league was
adjourned late in December. 1t is expect
ed that at the coming session the club
owners Will decide definitely whether the
organization will continue its circuit dur
lpq the season of 1918 or abandon play
Tor the duration OF the war Such evidence
~ Is available IN advance would appear 10
indicate that the league will operate this
summer.
several Of the club owners have lntlmat-
c,l that they are opposed To continual
tlon al play under the present unsettled
conditions, incidental 10 the war. Others
stand ready TO back baseball for another
season at least, but Just which side VIII
hold the majority vote cannot bc stated
before the dav of the meeting. If 1t Is de-
cidcd 10 discontinue the schedule there Is
a bare possibility that one or more OF the
clubs will form a new league by joining
hands with other city combinations which
have IN past seasons been part oil lower
classification circuits.
tIonal League TO drop out would be
severe blow TO Organized Baseball Tor the
association Is one of the pioneers among
the minor leagues and steady and I'M
uortant factor in the development OF the
game and OF PLAYERS for major league cir
cuts The league was organized IN INV
and continued without a break until he
Close Of the 1917 season. During the
initial wear a two-sPason schedule was
playcd but since 1898 the pennant race
has been along the lines OF the majors
SIX PENN ANTS TO CREDIT.
Providence with SIX championship pen
nants 10 It's credit leads all the cities,
which have al various times held member
shin IN the organization Rochester comes
next with five and Buffalo and Toronto
arc tied with four each while Blnghamp-
ton. Erlc Syracuse, Springfield, Montreal,
Jersey City, Baltimore and Newark have
each = pturcd one titlIlar tag.
The outcome OF the conference is likely
~ hayc a distinct bearing upon the de
,i-.ou of other MINOR leagues in relation
Us thcIr plans for the coming season.
>.vcral 81 these organizations are in rather
I'm uncertain frame Of mind regarding the
financial outlook for baseball on the
smaller circuits during 1918 and arc
likely To toe swavcd, u some extent, by
MI, example set bv the International
League club owners. Up to the present
time los than half Of the leagues which
began the 1917 season have prepared and
promulgated their schedules for 1919.
LVcn under the most favorable condI-
irons II Is not expected that there viii be
fhr same number of organizations opcrat-
ne ~ was the case twelve months ago
The records show that some twenty-thrce
ragI,, opened the season year ago and
fhA, about scvcnty-ivc per cent played
through the season or the major portion
or the same In 1916 twentv-four leagues
we're IN operation and the year previous
The number was five more while in 1914
the lists show more than forty leagues in
the various clasSIfcations throughout the
country
Although the University of Pennsyl-
wanna team has clinchcd the champion
ship ii the Intercollegiate Basketball
League several other college tveS, with
out membership IN this association, have
made records on the courts this season
which stamp them as combinations OF
unusual skill This IS particularly true Of
syracuse and mon. Both these colleges
have been represented by teams OF eX-
ceptional ability and have long winning
records 10 their credit. Syracuse IS expect
ed to make application for admission 10
TIE Intercollegiate League before the
lalQ season opens