Evening star., 1931-12-22
BASE BALL MARKS
SET AGAINST ODDS
Harridge Exto|Is Deeds of
American Leaguers-Cards'
Win PIeaSes.
BY WILLIAM HARRIDGE,
President. American Base Ball League.
(Written especially for the Associated Pre-:

(Written especially for the Associated PressD
~HICAGO, December 22-JuSt
as it was thought that the
" time had come when very
few base ball records could
be broken, American League play
ers stepped out in 1881 and set
new marks for the stars of the
future to shoot at.
Lou Gehrig broke his own record by
driving in 1874 runs. Lefty Grove was
the first left-handed American League
pitcher to win more than 80 games In
a season and the first pitcher in either
major league to win 80 or more games
since James Bagby, another American
League pitcher, excelled the 30 mark
in 1920
Earl Webb of Boston set new two
base hit record by making 67 doubles,
or three more than the old record
held by George H. Burns, former
American Lacquer.
Wesley Ferrell, Cleveland's SenSa-
tional young pitcher, broke three
records. Making nine home runs and
driving in 80 runs were new marks for
American League pitchers, while Fer
rell also was the first major league
pitcher ever to win 20 games or more
in each of his first three seasons as a
big Lacquer.
WHILE We American Leaguers had
w hoped the Philadelphia Athletics
would win the world championship
and thus set another world record by
giving the American League five and
the Ath1ntinS fhrpp titles in a Wp
feel that the victory of the National
League champions was an excellent one
for the game. The general public likes
a contest and the American League
champions had been winning the world
series too regularly. First the New
York Yankees and then the Athletics
had been regarded as superteams.
Even clubs in our own league began
to believe the Athletics were so strong
they could not be beaten. ConSe-
quently, the Cardinals did our league a
great favor when they vanquished Con-
ME Mack's pennant winners. AS a re-
suit, it is my opinion the other Amer
lean League clubs will put up a more
determined battle against the Athletics
in 1882 and thus bring about a much
closer race than we had in either 1880
or 1881.
NATURALLY base ball felt the ef-
~ fects of the depression along with
other industries and amusementS.
Consequently, both the major leagues
have agreed to cut down the PLAYERS
limit from IS to % men and to reduce
salaries to certain extent Such
moves are imperative that the game
may go on and are even more neces-
sary in the minor leagues.
The American League was well sat-
isfied with the ball which it used in its
championship games in 1881. The only
difference between it and the one in
1890 was that coarser thread was en-
ployed in the 1881 ball, thus raising the
seams. Because of that change, the
batsmen were handicapped to certain
extent, but not enough to revolulonlze
the game.
TT is my sincere hope that there will
i be more base running in 1882 than
there was in 1881. We we're very
proud of Ben Chapman of the New
York Yankees during the last season,
for the young man from Alabama stole
81 bases, which was a record Of recent
years. Chapman had no rival in either
major league in 1881, but l trust he
will have many in the season that opens
April IL.
Old-faShloned held days. With prizes
awarded for accurate and long distance
throwing, fungo hitting, circling the
bases and 100-yard dasheS, were resumed
in the American League in 1881 and
proved most interesting to the spec
tatorS.
Although the American League lost
the world championship, we are proud
of the fact that. our eighth-place White
Sox defeated the third-place Chicago
Cubs in a city series 1t is my belief,
the White Sox have been strengthened
appreciably by trades and purchases
since the close of the season. Under
new management and ownership, we
expect even better things of the SoE
in 1920