The Washington herald., 1918-01-02
INTS. ARE now
MARKING TIME
Ed Barrow's League Is at
Present Doing Watch
full Waiting Act.

New York. Jan. with its fight
ing president resigned and pros
poets for 1918 just about as bright
as the inside OF Mammoth Cave, the
international League is a tottering
institution.
At the recent meeting of the
league in New York the magnates
faced some tough problems. Mon
treal. Rochester and Richmond were
ready to toss up the sponge. Provi-
dence was on the fence and did not
know which way to jump. Buffalo
was up against the alternative of
digging down deep into the left hip
pocket to settle back dues and 9TH
er expenses. including players SAL
aries. or forfeiting its franchise. 1t
was a swell mess.
Ed Barrow, whose square jaw and
fighting proclivities kept the In
ternational schooner afioat through
three or four years of storms, coun-
selled the magnates to go easy. He
pointed out there was no imme-
diate need for deciding on the pol
icy to be followed in 1918. He ad-
vised a watchful waiting scheme.
His club owners apparently
agreed with him. They suddenly
became very watchful. and, waiting
the chance when Barrow left the
meeting room, they Topped $4,000
off his salary to show how much
they appreciated his services. Then
they voted to lie low until the
schedule meeting on February IL,
at which time they are expected to
take definite action.
Opinions regarding what policy
will be adopted by the league are
varied. Some baseball men believe
they will suspend operations for a
year. Others believe the league will
go ahead with six clubs, and still
others point out that all of the
clubs will come through and open
their gates to give the old game an
other tussle and take a chance. The
Internationals have become so used
to losing that they are beginning to
like it, say some. They will oper-
ate some kind OF a league.
Mebbe so and mebbe not. But what
ever the club owners decide to do, it
is a certainty they will be very much
at sea without the wise counsel and
the two-fisted fighting ability of Ed
Barrow at the helm. They are going
TO miss Ed Barrow as much as Grover
Cleveland Alexander would miss his
right arm II he should suddenly lose
it, and it is a certainty that they will
look long, long time for a man capa-
BILE of filling his shoes.
Barrow has won the praise and ad-
miration of the biggest men in base
ball for the great fight he made in be-
half of the International League. He
is classed as the greatest minor league
executive in the business, and in abil-
ity and a knowledge of baseball he is
practically in the same row with John
X. Tener and Ban Johnson
Getting away from the International
is perhaps the best move Barrow
colud have made. 1t Is quite true that
the magnates felt unable to pay his
salary, yet their action was the most
undeserved thing that has even hap
pened to a league president and no.
body blamed Barrow for quitting.
But such is the merry. merry life in
the minors.
The most expensive player ever pur-
chased?
No. Not Grover Cleveland Alexander.
Iris Speaker? Nix.
The award goes to Eddie Collins,
who can run faster than Heine Zim.
Ban Johnson recently announced
that Charley Comiskey paid $4,000 for
E. Trowbridge, gave him a $4,000
bonus and then signed him to a con-
tract calling for five years at $1,000
per. That totaled $4,000.