The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-09-11
STRIKE OF PLAYERS
 PROVES A FIzzLE
Sox and Cubs Demand More Money; Threat to Call Off
 Series Brings Surrender.

Boston, Sept. IA new chapter was written into worlds series history yesterday, when for more than two hours at Fenway Park. the Red Sox and the Cubs struck for bigger share of the receipts. A crowd of about 25,0OO sat out in the New England sunshine and wondered what it was all about, rending the air from time to time with cries of Play ball"
 No such situation ever before had arisen in worlds series competition, and ended, as have most baseball 1n- surrections of the past, in summary rout of the players. Their demands were thrown overheard by the Ma tional Commission. The players were told that if the series were not com plete1 it would be called off and the money taken in at the first four games would be divided between the Boston | and Chicago club owners after 10 per cent. had been donated to the Red Cross and another 10 per cent awarded to the National Commission. The payers, losing their demand for more money, agreed to continue the | SCIlCS OIlly Oll ll1C p1 OlllIoC IlloL I1AOAL statement would be made public. It i was given out by the Red Sox cap- tain, Harry Hooper, who acted as | spokesman for both teams. Hooper's statement follows:
 'We will play not because we think we are getting a fair deal, because we are not. But we will play for the | sake of the game, for the sake of the 1 public, which has always given us its 1 loyal support, and for the wounded soldiers and sailors who are ill the grand stand waiting for us."
 The game was more than an hour late in getting started. In fact, al game time, 2:30, Stuffy McInnis, the Boston first baseman, was the only player on the field in uniform. The 1 public was absolutely in ignorance o1 what was going on in the National Commissions box, and there were grave fears of a riot among the big crowd if the game were called off.
 The police were prepared to han dle the situation, as several wagon | loads of reserves were rushed out tC the park, while a squad of mounted police picketed the outfield in from of the centre and left field bleachers.
 The players consented to go on witt the game at o'clock, when it wa: announced by megaphone that the game would get started in about fiji teen minutes.
 The crowd seemed to be fairly even ly divided in it's smypathies, for whe1 the players, headed by the Cubs, fin ally put in an appearance, they were greeted by a mingling of boos an( cheers.
 The source of the strike may pt traced back to last winter when tht National Commission offered a new suggestion of splitting worlds series gate receipts, by which all first divi sion players would participate. Thi! scheme was approved by both the Ma tional and American leagues. Tester days strike was to prevent other frs | division players in the National ant American league from getting any O. the money
 Before the game, the players pre- scented an ultimatum to the Nationa HCommission that they would not go or l with the series unless the winner! were guaranted $1,500 each and the losers $1,000 each. This practically would have eliminated the sum SC aside for other teams.