The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-12-14

Giants Unearth Gold Mine
Boss Quack is authority for the
statement that the New York
Giant baseball outfit made over
100000 since the season closed,
that is, the regular season of 1921.
With such an astounding off
season surplus to juggle, it's
small wonder that McGraw can
and will pay such staggering fig
ures for stars said Mr.. Smith.
IF he didn't spend the money
he'd have to turn a great bulk of
if over to the government"
Interrogating the local official
as to what means McGraw used
in getting this assembly of jack
on the profit side of the ledger,
he replied. Il talked with Mugg-
sy at Buffalo, and he told me that
the season rental on the Polo
grounds for the fall football cam
paign brought him in 500, 900. He
contributed the info that another
800, 600 went into the Giant cof-
fers by virtue of a rental ar
rangement the Yankee owners
had for the use of the Polo
grounds. The other 100000 made
up the Giants part of the clear
profit on the world series deal
the most successful series, from
a financial standpoint, ever held"
With such an endless stream of
gold pouring into the safe at
Brush stadium, it's small wonder
that McGraw gives 100000 and
a raft of players for Heinie
Groh, and then planks down an
extra twenty-five thou for a
minor league catcher.
Smaller Colleges Peeved
While number of the bigger
universities are wearing double
disc smiles over the passage of
the one-year rule at the recent
S. /. A. A. meeting here, the weep
age of the smaller colleges has
reached enormous propensities,
1t is said. The small-fry knowI-
edge foundries have become so
thoroughly peeved that it would
not be at all surprising to see
them withdraw from the S. /. A.
A. for good One man, well-in-
formed in college athletics here
abouts, told me only yesterday
that Howard college might secede
from the union and would do so
If the authorities there did not
feel that bigger colleges who be-
longed to the S. l. A. A. would
place them on the blacklist, so
far as playing games with mem
bers of the body was concerned.
The smaller schools feel that
they have been squashed under
the heels OF oppression" said my
interviewer, who, speaking in no
real official capacity, did not
want his name used after all,
they don't really belong, and are
mere hangers-on. They should
form an association of their own,
and probably would but for the
menaciDg threat, dealt out by
some that intercollegiate clashes
between the big boys and little
boys would not be permissible"
In other words, the general fear
of the helpless little fellows is
that they would be looked upon
as outlaws by officials of the s.
I. A. A.
How the Big 'Uns View 1t
On the other hand, the bigger
schools are holding great jubi-
lation over the fact that the one
year rule has now become law.
Some of the bigger fellows fought
it, battled it through the years,
but were conquered at last.
Tom Bragg told me last night:
Man alive, but the vets of the
organization were happy lot
when the vote carried for the
one-year rule. Some OF those
fellows had rolled up their sleeves
every winter for 20 years and
plugged for the adoption OF the
one-year rule. Beaten back by
the opposition, they would come
back for more punishment the
next fall. I remember l was pres
ent at a session in South Caro-
lima, just 20 years ago, when the
proposition first came up. 1t was
defeated by a narrow margin
then. We plugged along through
the years. and it was not until
last Friday that the deal went
over. Although I'm no longer ac-
lively connected with athletics,
you can bet it did my heart good
to see the thing come through
Stadium Committee to Report
The Junior Chamber of Com
merce athletic stadium commit
tee is to report on the findings
of It's investigation at a meeting
of that body Thursday night. At
that time, it will be learned
whether the work in raising the
money for this venture will be
attempted at this time, or de-
lay raAe.
ansr Thomas. director of ath-
IS in the local schools, has
pulled off his coat and gone to
work with a vim for the pro-
posed stadium. Mr.. Thomas
thinks that the idea is ripe now,
and should be pushed through I'M
til modern athletic field graces
some acreage in Birmingham.
Business conditions are bad, it
is true" said Mr.. Thomas. but
there is no time like the present
to inaugurate the idea. The high
schools are suffering for want of
a suitable place to stage their
football and other athletic con-
tests. OF course. while l would
naturally like to stadium
here, my main idea in plugging
for it is so hard that l have in
mind what blessing 1t would be
for the schools. 1t ought to go
through, and I believe it will.