The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-03-13
NEWS WIRE ALL SORTS OF SPORTS--LNE LOCAL GOSSIP :
Minor Leagues Are
 Ready For Season
Strongest Array of Circuits Many Years and Leaders Are Looking Forward to Prosperous Times
 All Over Country

New York, March 13.-In fore- casting a successful season for the minor league baseball clubs through out the United States and Canada, Secretary John H. Farrell of the Ma tional Assocation said a few days ago ''I believe the general prospects for 1920 in the various sections Of this country and Canada were never better. The people are turning to amusements and outdoor sports for ! recreation in greater numbers than l ever before. Last year the minor l league clubs enjoyed their most pros | porous season in five years past. This | era of. prosperity extended to all leagues in every section of the coun- l try and to the far off Western Cana da Leagu in the provinces of Sas- 1 katchewan and Alberta. The minor | leagues have flourished under the National Association government as never before in the history of base ball.
 According to the annual report read at the convention of minor league club owners held at Spring field, Mass, last November 15 leagues l employing nearly 2,5OO players be l gan the 1919 season and 3 of thesa
 finished their official playing sched- l ules. The International Northwestern
 League clOSeQ down on June (, DuL
 the New England League paid it's
 players in full for the full term of the
 schedule which ended September l,
 although the league closed it's season on August 2.
 This year the pennant winning leagues of 1919, Pacific Coast, Ameri- can Association, International, West ! ern, Southern, Eastern, Texas, Michi- 1 gan-Ontario. Three I, South Atlantic. : | Western Canada, Virginia and F1ori- da State are all ready for the com
 ing season. So are the New England
 and reconstructed North Western
 organizations and in addition there is
 great activity in reviving or reor- 7 ganizing others with every promise , of many of them ready to begin play i early in May. Among these are the = Blue Ridge, Corn Belt, Cotton States 2 Illinois-'Missouri, Central Association
 Oklahoma Kansas, New Florida | Georgia, Alabama and Nebraska State s leagues.
 t The National Assocation of Minor ' Leagues which has been so produc- a tive of good results and the welfare d of the national game was organized n just 20 years ago. At the outset i
 was composed of nine leagues bu
 three years later it had g member
 and in 1912 it reached the top motel :, of 50 league members.
 In that year, those 50 leagues enl t braced 336 cities and towns in thu l. United States and Canada. Tn T launching of the Federal Leagu e made inroads on the minors as wei = as on the major leagues and in 1915 ls owing to this cause and the outbreal y ] of the European war, the member IT i ship dropped to 40. The three fol
 lowing years during which ever
 corner of the world was intereste,
 in the great struggle being fought ol
 European battIefelds there was onI
 meagre interest taken in baseball
 but a revival set in last year wit!
 wonderfully assuring results and it
 hoped by the beginning of the play
 ing season one year hence there vii N be 30 leagues in operation and tha x two years more will find the Nation .R Association operating with a mem
 bership equal to it's banner year.