The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1918-11-09
NO CHANCE FOR MAJOR
LEAGUES IN 1919 SEASON
SemI-PrO Games Seem TO BE Only
Hope Of Fans For Com
Ing Year.

Chicago-Predomina in the dis
cussion of baseball's future, wherever
1t is headlined, is the question of re-
Stunning major league operation and
when It can occur. Several club own
ers in each of the big leagues have
expressed the opinion the profession
al sport can be revived next year with
government approval on the theory
that 1t will be a necessary diversion
to keep up the morale of the stay at
homes.
The natural question is what
with?"
Seems to me these optimistis over
look an important item. 1t must GER
tainly would cheaper the sport be-
yond repair to attempt to foist major
league baseball on the public with
players under the IS year draft limit
and farce to try to use players over
the as years mark. Where would
these club owners get their players?
Men exempt from military service
between 10 and As are expected to en-
gage in essential pursuits under the
work or fight edict, and the minimum
is thirty-six hours work a week. Con-
sequently it would be impossible for
players within the draft ages to make
any extended trip with a baseball
team.
Naturally, if this war should end
before Christmas, as some superop-
timists seem to think it will, there
would be the possibility of reviving
the professional sport under curtailed
conditions next year, but that chance
is considered by most folks too re-
mote to be taken seriously.
Even if an armistice were effected
this fall actual peace would be long
way off, and in the meantime war
conditions would, of necessity, obtain
in this country. Maintenance of
Yankee army in France would be ne
cessary indefinitely and normal condi-
lions in sport cannot return until the
more than 100000 Yankees already
over there return.
The most rosy outlook for baseball
seems to, be in adapting the sport to
some Saturday and Sunday basis with
players who are engaged in essential
pursuits the rest of the week This
would be along semi-professional
lines and restricted geographically
Nothing longer than overnight rail-
road jumps would be impossible, of
course.
The scheme of the National Base
ball federation to form a semi-profes-
sional league FOR Saturday and Sun
day games during the coming year is
about as ambitious a project as can
be undertaken, according to the pres
ent outlook and that has not met any
hearty response from promoters In
the cities which we're tentatively in
cluded in the proposed circuit. Most
of the big leagues park owners seem
to object to cheapening their plants
by subletting them for semi-profes-
sional baseball. That, of course, is
matter of pride, as practically all of
them have sublet or donated the use of
their plants when idle in past years
for all kinds of things from semi
professional football down to neigh
borhood picnics.
Without the use of the big league
plants it would be impossible for the
Cleveland semi-professional scheme to
succeed. The cost of transportation
for a league that would include Chi
cago and Pittsburg, for instance,
would be considerable. Figuring the
round trip fare and sleepers from
Chicago to Cleveland only, the ex-
pense for the transportation of fifteen
players would be over $500. Then
there would be the hotel and inciden-
tai expenses, besides paying the play
ers something for their services.
4 There certainly would not be much
profit, when the vagaries Of the wealth
err are considered, and there would be
losses to be financed by somebody.
The plan to devote all the proceeds
to providing athletic equipment, thru
government channels, for soldiers and
sailors is an excellent one, and would
prove popular With the public, but
there must be some backing willing
to put up for possible deficits in or
der to insure carrying out the scheme,
and there must be an organization
strong enough to provide and enforce
rules that will prevent all chance Of
the fiascos which have been so com
mon in semi-professional baseball in
the past.
The public will patronize semi-pro-
fessional baseball II It cannot get any
thing better, but whether or not It Will
support 1t on the National Baseball
federals basis on how we'll the Ma
tional federation works out its idea,
COMPLETE
Line of Columbia Machines, and full
line Of Records. Truthful statements