New Britain herald., 1918-04-13
DECKS ARE CLEARED
 FOR 1918 SEASON
National and American Leagues
 Start Next Week

Weeh Will WltneSS tne opening Of an- other major league baseball season with the playing of the initial games in the American and National league schedules of 1918. Although enlist ments and the draft have caused many of the players to change their dia- mond uniforms for those of either the army or the navy, the prospects point to the carrying on of the game ahts summer with the same keen rivalry that has marked the sport in past years.
 Considered broadly. there appears to be about the usual distribution of playing talent and strength as in for mer pennant races, for where one club has improved it's com bination another has lost one or more of its formidable players, thus in a. general way. even ing up the situation. In the National league. the Cincinnati, St. Louis and Chicago teams, on paper at least, ap pear to be stronger than was the case l 12 months ago. The New York club winner of the 1917 pennant-does not strike the close student of the game being quite as impressive as last season. while both Brooklyn and Philadelphia are scarcely as strong as a year ago.
 The Chicago White Sox stand out
  tcan league. for the combination will begin the season fully powerful as when the team closed the 1917 cam paign with the double laurels Of pen nant winners and world cham pions. Among the other clubs, the New York Yankees arc undoubtedly stronger in every department, with the exception Of pitchers, than was the case Ia st year. The Boston Red Sox are more CT less of an uncertain quantity, yet many of their followers expect them to be the surprise of the league l Cleveland, Detroit and Washington are ] about up to the standard of last sea- son, if not a tri1e stronger, while the 1 Philadelphia Athletics. with a num- 1 Der Of youngsters in the lineup, can- i not be figured upon in advance.
 Tn considering the prospects of the 1 coming season, the executives of the 1 two major leagues take cognizance of 1 wartime conditions in relation to base 1 hall, yet are confident that the na- | tional sport will not decline in quail 1 ity of play CT in it's hold upon it's fol- lowers, since patriotism and recrea,- ton are necessarily connected at this 1 time. In statement specially pre- l rared for the Associated Press, Pres l ident Tener gives his views as fol- l lows
 Baseball, in common with all other l outdoor sports, in my opinion, should 1 be encouraged in times of war as we'll l as in times of peace. Baseball really l had it's origin during the Civil War, l when soldiers in that great conflict l benefited themselves physically and in l spirit by engaging in this then new l game. This was true with the sol l diers in our war with Spain as it is l hnVS tnSayr yrJ1 ! have enlisted under the colors and are l either in the camps here or at the 1 front in France.
 From the very inception of the ! present war England has realized that | to keep her soldiers fit they must be i given opportunity to indulge in their l favorite sports, and, by governm ent 1 appropria ton, that country has used l large sum of money for the purchase ] of athletic paraphernalia for use of | the athletes of her army. President 1 Wilson has given every encourage l ment to, and, in fact, has urged the 1 continuance of outdoor sports during ] the war.
 "Under the selective draft or con- scription act, professional baseball 1 players are. called to the service of 1 their country precisely the same as those in any other profession, voca- ton or walk of life, and have an- swered and are just as ready to an- swer the call, either by enlistment or draft, as other patriotic citizens; but 1 until that call comes, they must, as they should, continue to earn their livelihood in the profession which 1 gives to them the greatest compensat- ing return and in which they are most ] expert Many players have enlisted, and under the operation of the draft law baseball has furnished it's quota. |.
 We all realize, especially at this hour, the pressing call that is upon each of us to aid our country in doing all in our power to quickly furnish men and means to combat the enemy and to ensure an early and complete victory to arms; and this effort will be best sustained by getting into the open and into the sunshine oc- casionally and by either witnessing or participating in outdoor sports to gain that health and vigor and alertness of intellect necessary to do we'll the work that may come to our hand.
 "Canada for years past has played and accepted baseball almost to the exclusion of other summer sports, and has carried the game into England 1 and with our own boys, is now play ing 1t in France, where, in fact all the troops of the Allied armies en- gage in playing our national game, which seems to have in 1t the very spirit and inspiration that fits the player for the supreme effort of the soldier.
 While we must all do our utmost for our country at this time we must ! also have our hour of recreation, and | to recreate the body and sharpen our senses know of no better tonic than l baseball