Evening star., 1933-04-09
STORMY CAMPAIGN,
HOWEVER, IS SEEN
Player Shifts, Likely Close
Races, Beer, LoWer-Priced
Seats Offer Hope.
BY ALAN GOULD,
Associated Press Sports Editor.

M league base ball faces a
/ Y stormy, uphill struggle this
year, hopeful that the
combination of sweeping player
shifts, closer pennant fights, more
bleacher-price seats and 80 per
cent beer will make the turnstiIeS
click profitable tune once more.
No matter what the fortunes of war,
weather and depression develop later,
there will be the old familiar roar of
the crowds, the glamor and thrill that
belongs to a battered but nevertheless
time-honored American institution for
opening day, this Wednesday. Given
a better break by the skies than a
year ago, the clubs expect close to
900 fans to turn out for the eight
openers, slated for Washington, New
York, Detroit and st. Louis in the
American League and at Boston, Phil
adelphia, Cincinnati and Chicago in
the National League.
DRESIDENT FRANKLIN D. ROOSE-
L WELT, long keenly interested in
base ball as sport that has done
much to keep up the spirits of the
people," has promised to attend the
first game in the National Capital, where
the Senators, with hopes high for the
pennant race, will meet Connie Mack's
reconstructed Philadelphia Athletics
There may be nothing wrong what
ever with the grand old national game,
which has weathered many an economic
storm before, but club owners have not
lodged the facts or causes of their
difficulties in reorganizing their forces
for a strenuous campaign to recapture
popular interest. There is even some
Of Hoft fav
the Boston Red SoX, chronic tall
enders of the American League, now in
the hands of new and wealthy own
ership.
The magnates suffered a setback in
Pennsylvania failure to legalize Sun
day base ball and thereby help at
least three big-league clubs to get out
of the red" They revamped their
schedules, nevertheless, for the pur-
pose of bringing intersectional rivals
together much earlier in the Spring.
THEY declined to lower the basic
i prices of admission-50 cents for
the bleachers and 81 for the grand
stands, plus tax-but they have in
creased the number of bleacher seats
in several parks. Salaries have been
cut, the player limit reduced. Beer
will flow again for the customers at
least in the New York and Chicago
parks.
The tides of battle and weather
can be surveyed only with hope. The
National League goes into the 1888
campaign with every confidence in the
likelihood of ding-dong struggle for
the pennant with the Pittsburgh Pi-
rates hot favorite to overthrow the
champion Chicago Cubs The Ameri-
can League, however, looms as another
parade for the world champion New
York Yankees despite every effort OF
seven rivals to strengthen their lines
of defense and swing heavier guns into
action.
The Yankees were the only American
League team to show any pront What-
ever last year Even with Babe Ruth
seemingly on the down grade, his salary
cut to a mere $4,000, the world cham
pions still are the No. l attraction IN
base ball. Win or lose, Ruth, Gehrlg
and their remarkable supporting cast
figure to lure the customers In large
numbers but another runaway race
would be disastrous, financially, for the
American League.
CONSEQUENTLY, the rest of the cir
~ cult, led by Washington, the Ath-
letics and Cleveland, can be relied
upon to but all available pressure on
the Yankees from the outset. None
has the all-around resources OF the
champions. but that won't keep tnem
from trying to stop the New York
steamrollers. Washington Is the cnolce
of the experts to offer the most re-
sistance, due to some fine pitching ao-
ditions and the return OF the smuggling
Goose Goslin to the Capital. -.
Detroit and the White Sox, but
tressed by the clouting of Al Simmons,
NAV spring big surprises, but the AIN
letics and Indians figure to be the otner
first division teams Connie Mack sun
he's great pitching staff headed py
Lefty Grove and a younger, raster Team
than he has had in years. Cleesiallua
hard hitting array also should DSheii'
from better hurting. ,x,i,o
The Cubs and Pirates, mean"Iiiie'
have every reason to fear tne sgnsa
tional pitching staff OF the ot. '.ns LouL,
Cardinals and the batting poWerhouse
of the Phillies. Brooklyn's well-rounoeu
team splendidly handled by Max Carey,
cannot be overlooked, and the WORD Is
already out that all the New YORK
Giants need is another winning pltcnef
to be the surprise team OF the league
A1OW that Don Hurst, last OF the
IN Spring holdouts, has signed Win
the PllllleS, JIle CIlcl cPNSuioN4' -SD
of interest concern attempted come
backs by number Of ancient or other.
wise ailing veterans. Brooklyn can get
along without Del Bissonette. with Joe
Judge to play first base, but the Giants
hopes hinge largely on Jacksons anil
ity to return to regular duty at short
stop. The Cardinals infield troubles
will increase if Rogers Hornsby can't
handle the second-base job and the
Cubs will be handicapped by the loss
OF Kiki Cuyler Even the Yankees VIII
experience some agitation until they
know Just how long it will be before
Ruth rounds into condition.
There are eager young men anxious
and willing to step into the shoes OF
fading veterans. Sam Byrd or Fred
Walker could do fair job OF under
studying Ruth. But there are no sub
stitutes for the BABE, as gate attrac-
ton, any more than there are Hornsbys,
Jacksons. Earnshaws or Cuylers to be
picked up overnight for the kind OF
duty that will stand the hot mid-sea-
son grind of a pennant race.
Meanwhile the flags can be unfurled,
ha hapchaS 511Stad 0fT and the stems