Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-23

VIEW YORK. December %. -
When the first batter UP" is
VI heard in the big leagues next
L Spring there will be one figure
in the crowd who, although
Telegated to the sidelines, still main
; fainS his old interest In base ball.
At least so an interview with bel
1igerent Ban johnson bears out. He
has never lost his interest in base ball
and never will.
Byron Bancroft johnson, his full
monicker, was the one major league
president who had served more than
O score of years at the helm. He took
charge of the American League when
It was an infant and when 1t faced
battle that was as furious as any ever
waged in the history of base ball.
His triumph put over the dual plan
NJ big league base ball, which proved
a tonic for the game and was an i'm
provement over the one-league DONNA
ton system.
Johnson served the American League
from 1900 to 1927. His resignation was
enforced when his health was broken
after fighting for the permanency OF
young circuit that began by encroach-
ing on National League territory.
Broke Him Down Physically.
Permission was given him to invade
Chicago, but the American League took
up its lodgings against the will OF the
National League in Washington, Balti-
more, New York, Philadelphia, Boston
and st. Louis also.
The tribute exacted from a league
; president who fights his way in sport
In which there has been more pontics
than in any other sport in the world,
perhaps more than in Congress, II that
is possible, helped to break him down
physically. But the results of his battle
reached farther than he had dared TO
hope when he began the battle with
Comiskey. owner of the Chicago Amer
leans. against the National League.
Have the results been good?" he was
asked.
''They speak for themselves" was
:Johnson's reply.
what did it cost to achieve them?"
Thousands and thousands OF dol
lars
would you care to go through it
again?"
"If could help base ball, yes. If
you ask me from the standpoint OF my
personal outlay in time and energy. per-
haps I might say, NO. 1t was hard,
hard battle"
what difference is there between
base ball now and that of quarter CT
century ago?"
DdCA az smuggling OdhSs
None, generally speaking. Quite a
little in the way it is being played.
Years ago it was a slugging and hard
hitting game, then came the sacrifice
and the very scientific game, and now
we are back at the smuggling game. !
confess to some admiration for. the
game of the bunt and the one run Bit
terly played for, but that Is matter Of
personal TASTE"
The next in length of term as presi-
dent OF a major league was Nicholas E.
Young of Washington, who served Is
yearss;sHe began his term in 1885 and
finisI1Sd in 1902. No president ever was
more buffeted by fate. 1t was he who
had to ride through the famous fight
of the players against organized base
ball, when the Brotherhood League was
formed in 1890, which died in year
because the players could not govern
themselves. The war of the American
Association came in his term, too, but
in that the National League emerged
triumphant, the American Association
passing out of existence as a major
league.
The third president In length of serv-
ice is JOHN Arnold Heydler, now presi-
dent of the National League He has
been the head of that organization IL
fun years. parts OF two years and has
been elected for three more.
Public Makes Game.
The most trying thing that he had
70 do was to force the dissolution of
the National Commission. This was
first done by demanding the resigna-
ton OF August Hermann, its chair
man, and then, when President john
son delayed appointing another chair
man, the base ball club owners
took it into their heads to reorganize
and the advisory council was born,
with Kenesaw Mountain Lands as
commissioner of base ball
What makes the game of base ball.
the owners or the players?" Heydler
WIS asked recently
Neither-the public"
What ere the essentials of modern
base ball?"
Clean sport. spirited contests, well
matched teams. attractive parks, hon.
est differences of opinion and pennant
races that are as close as the managers
can build to them"
Have you seen changes in the
game?"
YES. The American mind is too
progressive, too energetic to be salts
ned with anything that cannot be i'm
proved. Base ball becomes better every
DAY. There may be new things against
which we rebel, but we become accus-
TONED TO changes. Once, you remem-
per. pitchers tossed the ball to the plate
from their knees. Now they throw it"