South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-03-16
Compact Circuit of Six
Towns is OK. Says Expert

never given the source or angle Of
our ball clubs much thought, this
being one OF the chief reasons why
the game has not thrived better in
the smaller towns.
Here are some figures OF interest
The ordinary clubs in the Central
League have Travelled close TO 5000
miles season after season. This
means that il has cost 1920 a sea-
son 10 carry each man around the
circuit This is figured at the rate
Of two cents a mile. Now. if you
multiply this by the IA or Is men
carried. you will find that the club
fare viii cost between $3.50 and
$500. Added 70 this is the sleeper
fare Each club has from 20 to 80
sleeper jumps in travelling the 5000
miles and this means an added ex-
pense Of from $50 TO $50 for each
jump which, at the end Of the sea-
son means about $3.50 more added
20 the expense Of transportation,
making a total transportation ex-
pense of about $500.
Most minor league clubs have
been travelling under $3.50 to
$500 salary limit for each month.
and by multiplying four months and
three weeks Of playing which the
schedules cover. you get another
expense item of $4,000. / will not
take the training expense into con-
sideration at this time, although ev-
cry ball club must do some ira in
ing, regardless of what class of ball
is being played. other items also
come up, such as meetings, tele-
grams, players fare TO the training
camp, etc.
Summing Up.
Summing this up. Central
League club has had, in the past, an
expense Of S12,5OO to lift in order
10 break even, or in other words. il
must draw $4,000 people TO its park
TO split even. Here are some addi-
tion figures. Fifty thousand general
admissions would equal $12,5O0, but
! OF this amount, the visiting club
would get half. making a total of
S6.250 which would be the home
clubs share. So, it is evident that
$4,000 of the general admissions
would have to be grandstand fans TO
have the club break even on travel
and salary expenses, not to mention
/ the incidentals
L have tried to show how i'm
possible Central League ball is un-
/ Ger the old conditions. Now we
shall view it from another angle.
I
town under first class conditions. II
has not enjoyed this Of late. bu
will do so soon. Considering o,il
new Studebaker project which will
increase the population of the towr
10 100000, there will doubtless b,
added 10 our following of baseball
fans some few thousand more. En-.
: ter the new scheme which has beer
dOped out.
A league composed of Muskegon
Grand Rapids. South Bend. Battl,
Creek. Jackson and Flint is not al
impossibility of the future. Here W,
have a league composed of six pretty
fair ball towns, the combined mile
age of which is only 45O miles. Tt
play 40 games means that the cluI
would travel around this circuit foui
times. or 1900 miles. Add TO thi,
half the amount of mileage to al
low the teams TO double back anC
forth. and YOU have a total mile
age Of 200, less than half of the ole
Central League schedule. and be
sides YOU have made one more swinl
around the circuit.
Make Salary Limit.
Then give the league a salar,
limit of $4,000 which would incIud,
the manager who must also be
player. and let us see what our to
tai would be. Figuring 2,70O mile
at the old rate would be $500 70
each man. Thirteen men would
mean an expenditure Of 500 70
travel Now all sleeper jumps hav,
been eliminated. and the salary o