Evening journal., 1918-03-18
FANS BLAMED FOR
POOR BALL CLUBS
Bad Ball Cities Responsible
For Salary Cut, Says
Expert
He RAPS THE
PHlLLY SUPPORTERS

and pnlsbursh 20 wouldn't he ncces- "
sary for The National and American d,
Leagues 90 lop Si00ooo0 from their pay
rolls this season i'm order 90 tide over
the bad business OF thc war year or y
1918, says a New York sporting writer.
70 may seem strange TO bring the =
charge that The national came is liked p
better in some localities than others
but such is the case some cities wOIld D
pay 30 cents and - cents and 81 FOR
seats TO sec two games Of crippled D
players lighting for last place in the
Cornhuskcrs' League and some cities
wouldn't pay - cents t0 see Iy Cobb,
Eddo Collins. Joe Jackson and iris
+ Speaker playing on the same team
and 0ghllng for ihe lead I'm the hottest
major league ponnani 0Cht ever known
For years Philadelphia has hecn
known as "25-ccnl city because ihii
was the general baseball admission
iherc long after fans Foo other towns
were willingly paying 40 and cd cents to
see the same players perform ihat phia-
dclphia saw.
Philadelphia did NOT support ihc fa-
NOUS team which had Flick. nelahaniy
Laioic Thompson. Thomas and other
stars in ii. ranks one of iho greatest
hitting combinations ever put together
and ii has lcl die fho best baseball
machine nf years n ihc Nhloiics from
1910 on. Either 0 those teams in New
York or Chicago would hato made hun
dreds OF thousands.
on tho other hand. Boston is regarded j.
by baseball men o., ihc best baseball
city m the country Year in and year
.IHH IH.H
/, good or bad. with lhc same loyalty and /
: the same interest
p az course. Boston has had many
j championship teams but when on rare
I occasions her pets fcll into the second
d division The fans were ont there roofing
+ for their favories whether they won
y OF lost.
n Ncv York does not support a poor
y team. 10 is almost "a baseball axiom tnaf
New York must have a winner or inc
q league is loser John 3. Foster said
~ the other day that ne had known of an
70 out-of-towu National League team to
a, play a four-Eame series at the Polo
Grounds during the Freedman regime
q and that their share OF the gate re-
~ CENTS for The entire series was $40.
u! That shows how nckle The fans are
20 and what a chance club owners would
~ have this year 10 pay or bis salaries
y. n the Giants should nop II the to.-
l' 600 and 10000 crowds quit the Polo
Grounds. The other owners would nave
- a weary time.
Gu CHICAGO Is c0rkinE sporty city
% Il supports rs ball mines lust as it SUP
n, ports everything else-up TO the handle
III pttsbureh. for iis size is nearly as
good as Boston The fans there are
y loyal TO the core. and love sport ior
rN D no.
a loser as FOR a winner.
81 Louis oucht 90 Doe good. but Do Is
not 10 turns out biz sporting crowds
" and the fans are willing 90 spend their
ut money. hut three fortunes have been
IN lost I'm the Mound City running base
a. ban teams. and tho two there at pres
-st ent are not very well paironized.
lea WASHINGTON is a poor baseball city
zen becsuse there Is little civic pride. There
arc too few real Washingtonians 20 sup
nd mort and boom a bali club. fh6y are
lut making the government clerks work tn
ION s 70. M now and they can't see bal
wo games any more Their absence is ieN
me at the ticket window. Cleveland is mol
good. neither is Detroit Buaulo rs as
bad as Boston IS good.
The margin between success and TAN
ia. ure I'm baseball is mighty narrow.
8 losing streak or a bad weather sireol
/ In playing year can be turned int
4 failure i'm a forinicht That is wh'
] the owners have had 20 put the knit
2 hard into everything this sprins-tha
- and the fact that one war is on AM
z another-the Federal League war
over
Durine The last few years the Fedora
lts League boosted ball players salarie
, sbv hieh. SAYS a writer in the Pnilade
nhis Press Many an athlete Who nu
'0r the Fedora League. might nave son
through his career with $1,000 ls h
maximum remuneration drew down
- the neighborhood OF 5000 iron men
II season for several years.
me In order 10 hold their players ih
major leaguc owners had to outhid On
pies outlaws and pass ont long-ierm. iroi
clad coniracts Cosy nolan, who usi
20 cavort In Tho pastures Tor lhe Ca
III ilnals. furnishes an example. Ihoue
nall -osv went back to the minors De col
tice inued 90 draw nearly 5000 per annu
this On the strength of his ironclad. wa
tch time contract
port But with last season most of ono va
the time contracts eXpired-in fact. OF
r. I'm lvriter does not recall a single insi1n
OK where one of tho ironciad agrocmen
rter. extended beyond i9i'
and N0furdIIN. alter NnNNtNr NAN NN
~ins huge salaries for several wears, IN maj
Instances paying 5000 for bal play
. not worth half that much. the maHai
ed welcome The opportunity TO re9dju
lcty their payrolls.
their Even were there not This strong ince
hem tive the present uncertain condiio
because of tho war provides ample
the cuse for cutting salaries. With hundre
hout Of thousands of those who were wont
le 10 click the turnsiue- now serving in
1cln- army snd the people al large conct
sion iratine their attention on war actNiti
some the macnstes do not know Just Mn'
, The they stand
he Baseball men have estimated uat
nine salary list Of a big league club-spe.
pped Ing from an average siandpoini--tor
last few wears has been around eizo'
part. exclusive OF the manager
"a 10 This season. according 20 reliable .
) re- thority. the average payroll of O
hight league club will be from $4,000
point $4,000
into Working with these figures as ha.
autes 10 can be seen that the average DIN
that ence between the payroll OF i9ii s
y the that OF 1915 will be around $4,000
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