Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-05-11
WEATHER DEALT HARD
BLOWS TO BASEBALL
After Shortening Big League
Schedules to 14O Games, Cold
and Rain Prevented Many.
OWNERS PROFITS cURrArLED
Breaks" Against Magnates in Early
Games and Many Grooming Over
Ill Luck and Considering Present
Schedule Fatal and Costly Blundcr.
BY JAMES j. coRBETT.

bf "a MES j, CORBEIT.
Fate has played some untind tricks
OF late. with the baseball magnates as
It's chief victims.
Through the years OF the European
warfare. when interest IN the national
pastime was at low ebb. the league
chung to 154-game schedule. All
during that era come Of the magnates,
led by Charles Ebbets, fought for a
decrease to 14o-game season They
presented rather convincing arguments
for such change.
Ebbete and his associates produced
charts and weather statistics TO show
mat It was utter folly TO attempt play
ing baseball In the early part Of April
II was their claim that the weather
in April never becomes really Of the
baseball variety until between the Goth
or 25th.
AS matters stand now. in view Of
the general depression" they claimed
through 1915. 1917 and 1913. the long
Losses. If we make 1t 1874 games we've
got to pay the players for those extra
fourteen games, and also pay for the
upkeep OF the grounds. extra equip
ment and extra travelling expenses. The
income from those extra fourteen games
certainly will not equal the necessary
outlay"
Only 40 Games This Year.
But deapite their pleadinss 1874 games
-, Se6h A'''' A'Ao' i'A0. iSi
Now that the war Is over and base
ball is faced by what promises to be
one of the most prosperous years in
Its history. the schedule calls for 40
games. and no more: Instead Of open
ing tho reason around about April IL,
the moguls pried off the lid on the
23d OF the month Ebbets and his
crowd were very haopi indeed.
No" VOL! cscap. all 'ht bad Hay.
hn a
hne weather rich, straight along
But disappointment came!
The weather has played some queer
FRANKS. but none queerer than during
April of 1919
From April y until April 20 the
majors weren't operating. In almost
every big league city one baimy sun
SHINY day succeeded another.
Days IdcnI for Contests.
Each was ideal for baseball 4 game
could have been played on almost any
day between the l2th and tho 22d
II the seHson had opened on the 18th
or s ,heTea 6onts ,;, rs IA other ears the
some very healthy gate receipts
hn n, me season a,,;a opened on the 2Sd.
~" ~ because OF wet weather per-
h.r, the FIRST That had been encounter.
,,hho 90 o5en wGsks o,, on the DAY sollowins
wee staged Cold and wet weather
had Sc, in. All oyer tine circuit the
clements were against baseball New
Hork's climatic condition was typi-
cal instance.
The Yankees. scheduled to play a
tour game series with tho Red sox.
the opening. The other three were
postponed on account OF cold weather
mixed with snownakes.
F'urs and ONercoat4 Needed.
II WAS so chilly that even the hard
lost tan wrapped in furs and over
coats would not have ventured 70 the
ball park. In other cities whore the
chill was not so pronounced, ,r>Ir
made the ball fields so soegy that
r!ay was impossible.
Some OF the magnates are groan-
ing over their hard luck. and we'll
they should. Tho breaks certainly
have been against them even in this
wonderful for Thorn.
We've got tough luck and lot OF
~ declared pne OF the big owners.
In other years when we played 1874
games the extra fourteen usually
figured as losses. This year when we
can can figure that every game will pro.
will break even on that game, tho
schedule has been shortened to 40
games Those extra fourteen games
that have been cut of this year. II
they were on the schedule. would
mean lot Of money for US. And our
as to reduce postponements to mini
mum was just blunder and nothing
more."-Copyright 1918. by King
Features Syndicate. Inc.