New-York tribune., 1920-12-26
Ruth Features
Great Season:
\ anI1s / Prosper
King of Swat Most Spec
tacular Figure of Remark
able Year on Diamond
BY ". |. Macheth

The baseball season of 1920, from al
most every standpoint, was the most
remarkable IN the history Of the game.
Certainly il was so from financial
viewpoint. And but for blot which
must stand against it till those in cen
troll show they are really Jealous to
have the stain removed, there would be
every reason to believe the national
game is launched upon wave of popu-
larlty and prosperity such as no pro-
fessional sport has known, even in
sport-mad America
That stain was one Of disnonor It
was tester that remained undiscoy-
cred for almost a year and was not
probed successfully until almost the
very end of the past season. Other
wise, with the tremendous amount Of
scandal involved, the season OF 1920
might have been anything but BAN
ner one. The expose came too late t.
seriously affect the worlds Champion
ship series Whether or not it Will
affect interest IN next years play re-
mains TO be seen
1t will all depend, it is to be pre-
sDmed, upon the attitude assumed by
those in control Of the administration
OF the game. These have promised fan
dom that baseball viii be purged Of
crooks and crookednoss. A fine start
nas been made in the right direction
Fig members of the Chicago White
SoX 80 hoo,, indcte by the Cook
County N-~.d Jury for dishonesty IL
20 cn nj hi n
games that club played or failed to
Iplay) against the Cincinnati Reds.
Several of these eight implicated them
selves by direct confessionsi the others
were implicated in the confessions.
New Era Approaching
It seems now as if great and last
ing good may come out of all this
regrettable and nauseating mess. Inc
expose seems to have aroused the
magnates to that great danger which
has confronted the game ever since
the advent Of the loose ard lax methods
,hat crept into the game with She
Federal League. Every one financially
interested stands pledged to do all III
his power 10 divorce the game from
nil gambling aHd gambling audiences.
The majoN leagues have been drawn
more closely together than ever before
j. a one ma government, and with
Judge Kcnesaw Mountain Lands As
this commissioner the general public
rlay res. assured something more def
nite than talking viii result. Judge
Lands has gwen his word-that IS
! quite sufficient.
But as to the scandal in hand, it
must be confessed that the explosion
accompanying 1t wrecked one Of the
greutest finishes the American League
/ =, tft .
/ has seen more than its share, 90 far
az that goes. A. the time Eddie Cicotte
broke down and confessed under the
third degree the White Sox had put
] on "A rsly that threatened 10 foil Cleve-
lands hopes after Iris Speaker had
the flag apparently sewed up.
Cleveland won the pennant. No enc
wishes to dctract one whit from the
| glory Of Iris Speakers team. 1t put
up a wonderful finish under trying
circumstances --- after Ray Chapman
killed in New York by ball pitched
by Carl Mays.
Ruth. the Spectacular
The proposition Of Clev land being
the best team in organized baseball Is
cpen TO dispute. CertaiI y it was not
= most spectacular The most spec
tncnlar tcalo Of the year and perhaps
c decade was the New York Amcri-
Gun League outht. And the Yankees
had the most spectacular player Of all
time in Babe Ruth,
Never before in the history OF base
ball and seldom IN any other sport has
arisen such colossus Of woudcrmcnt
and vencration as the big fence breaker
! that played right field for Huggsns
Ruth came to the Yankees under cir