Evening star., 1927-12-05
TIGHT SCHEDULES :.
PLANNED IN 1928
New Lists Expected to End :
Creation of Artificial
DoubIe-Headers.

~ ENRERS of the major
N n leagues schedule committee
U have Just concluded siren
nous struggle with the ca!en'
dar. They believe they have
nut together an arrangement OF dates
that will make it impossible for spec
ulative club owners ana coWaruiy
managers to postpone games anu ere
ate artificial double-headers at lne"
whim, either to attract a larger gate
or because they momentarily fear the
rival team.
The schedule makers, meeting IN
Pittsburgh this week, set the openln@
Of the 1928 big league season on AprH
II, two days earlier than in l92f. Inc
complete card of games viii be mace
public early in January. o
Every effort will be made in IVY
il is understood, to hold the major
league teams strictly to their schedule.
There will be heavy official froWns OIL
anv attempts TO transfer games from
Ia stern cities to the West or from
the West to the East, as there were
in 1927.
The ma jor leagues are fearful that
some day Il post-season series may
have TO be arra nged to decide n pen
nent. They also are fearful that
Fa So ban season may end with cham
pi0nsfip in such a plight that. one
team may Jose the pennant. because
it hasn't a chance 20 play off post
poned game. II situation arose
which compelled one league TO vote
for a post sea son series. lot of criti-
cisrn would be voiced about the COM
rnerciaE aspects Of the game.
This was the first time that Ed
ward y. Barnard, the new president OF
the American League. had sat as
member of the schedule committee.
His predecessor. Ban Johnson, had
ideas Of his own in regard TO sched-
lles and also in regard to dates for
the American League. which made 1t
difficult for the National League to
reach an agreement with him. With
Barnard az the helm the schedule
committee had smoother sailing.
The American League has all the
better of the schedule making in the
Western half of it's circuit, because all
of it's cities there permit Sunday base
ball. In the National League Pitts
burgh bars Sunday base hall, and for
| that reason there always must be a
lapsed date twice during the visit of
| the Eastern clubs to the West.
The Pittsburgh club takes up some
of the Sunday dates that it loses at
home by visiting around in the West.
and it also can go to New York or
Brooklyn in time for game. Phila-
delphia bars Sunday base ball and SO
does Boston.
The Cincinnati club will play its
games in 1928 wherever there is
chance to do so. The new president
of the Reds is satisfied that putting
off games to make double-headers not
only is losing venture, but takes the
courage out of a ball team. He is
right. When a manager begins to
pile up double-headers for his team
for the sake of expediency he takes
the grit out of his men. They know
why games are postponed as well as
he does.
1t has been proved that only in ex-'
ceptional cases Will an artificial double
header make up for the difference in
receipts at two separate games The
Brooklyn club has been a regular Of
fender with double headers. pleading
small attendance on certain week
days, but the small attendance is di-
rectly due to the policy of the club
in making any pretext serve for
double-header.
The late Charles H. Ebbets was re-
sponsible for that policy, and as a re-
suit he converted Brooklyn into what
is known as Sunday town." That
means a city in which base ball on
Sunday Is the mainstay of the. club.
Conservative base ball men consider
this practice to be hostile to the best
interests of the game.