The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1920-02-24

didn't hesitate to boost the club and
the owner, knowing that the town Of
SQuashtown was getting the benefit.
Nobody hurt? Wall, perhaps not
then But the evil was started The
facts were. probably. that the Squash
town owner still owed for that trio of
marvels when the curtain fell on his
season, especially IL it rained on La
Dor Day. But he would never dare
to admit it. He figured that bad
business
Players Begin Yelling
Everything went along like that
for several years, the evil existing in
every circuit from the majors down
to the smallest bush league club.
Paper figures were banded about
from one sports page to another, the
owners quietly smiling at the ap-
plause and the scribes writing lengthy
stories OF the sportsmanship OF their
own particular magnate.
Then the players began yelling.
First they wanted higher salaries
No mAsnate ever showed his players
his books. He squirmed around this
way and that and gave in grudEingly.
He borrowed more money. increased
his seating capacity. and drew in the
required money with which to meet
the demands. This process, of course,
squeezed out many masnates who
couldn't afford to stand the financial
pace. This is the correct explanation
for the many sales of clubs, especially
in the minor leagues
The end had to come. Year after
year came the official figures con
nected with the worlds series. Base.
ball writers reveIed in talking of
thousands and hundreds OF thousands
Few were ever given a. real view Of
the books Of their own clubs. They
raced along in blissful ignorance. be-
Ing in quite the same boat as the
players in this regard
The Crash Must Come.
The end must come. and it'll come
with . crash. Unless the magnates
realizing that the best thing for them
to DO Is to take their fans into their
confidence, open up their books now
and then and show what meager
profits they get, even in good years,
they must do most of the suffering.
The players squeeze them from one
side, the fans from the other.
A little dash Of truth would 20 a
long way to clarity the situation. For
instance, no official statement has yet
been announced as to the actual price
paid for Babe Ruth by the New York
club. We have read that II was more
than 500. o00." 100000. Sl25.o0o, and
again "tn the neighborhood of Sl2S.-
900" We don't profess to know what
the actual tigures were, but this blind,
ness indicates the ways of baseball
magnAtes.
Baseball. as the national game. has
taken a lot of punishment in the Ia It
fifteen years. partly from the players,
but mostly from the magnstes Most
OF it's troubles may bo traced right
back to this desire for unearned praise
on the part OF the msRnstes. They've
eaten Il up, thrived on II. until now
they are in a bad hole which they duo
for themselves.
II Is to be hoped that the 1920 sea.
son will be a fortunate one for all
concerned. especially for those clubs
which have never made much money.
Then, at the close OF the campaign,
let the various clubs publish the offi-
cisl auditing 81 their accounts. The
fans can be trusted. The fans are
generally pretty good sports. " the
fnns Of town know that their club
tcll down badly a. the gate, they are
going to give that owner a square
deal
But ~ tho fans are going TO he
kidded into believing that the club
made 100000. when II actually made.
cay, $4,000. that's UP to the club
owner, not TO the fans.