The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1937-07-07
Griffith Turns
Trick For
DC.
By KIRK MILLER
Times Sports Editor

U431U ID w 1044&A4S VV44 -
today and which ul-
fortunately accommo-
dates only $4,000 of
the thrice that num-
Der which applied for
tickets, comes through
the ingenuity of Clark
Griffith, who, at 81
years Of age, wished
the supreme thrill of
seeing this Utopian
baseball edition run
off in his own back
yard.
He went to Boston a year ago
determined to get the 1887
fantisy game for Washington
despite the rotating system on
which the game was orlgl-
mated.
Under the original premise, the
All-Star game site was to alternate
each year between the leagues ana
between Eastern and Western
cities thereof.
Back and Forth
It had its inception at White
Sox Park american League) In
Chicago in 1888, the brain child
Of Arch Ward, Of the Chicago
Tribune.
It swung to the Polo Grounds
National League) in 1884, and to
the Cleveland Stadium (American
League) in 1885.
Back to an Eastern city, Bos-
ton, and to Braves Field (Natlonal
League) it circled last year, and
by the original scheme of things
would have gone to Detroit or st.
Louis in the American League
this year.
Meanwhile, the brains Of the
baseball world were beginning to
see they had calculated not too
wisely when they set up the ALI
Star game machinery.
The manner in which the pen
dulum was swinging meant that
such ball parks as Griffith Sta
dunn, Yankee Stadium, Shibe
Park and Fenway Field would
never inherit the gem.
New York wanted it for Yankee
Stadium as a part of its 1889
World Fair, but by the original
plan, the game was scheduled to
20 to a Western American League
city that year, as it was this.
Griff Presents Facts
So armed with this inequitable
set Of facts, the Sage of Florida
Avenue betook himself to the adj
visory council meeting in Boston
last July 6, and made a plea to
change the system Of awarding
this annual baseball fixture, so
that American League clubs in the
East could stage it betimes. and so
that National League cities in the
West would also fall heir to the
spectacle in proper turn.
We here in Washington know all
too well the results Of Griff's
efforts.
We taxpayers who are supposed
to at least know the copper who
runs the midnight to 8 a. m. beat
at Seventh and Florida have been
besieged for weeks and months by
folks who for one year had in
tended to apply to the ball park
for All-Star game tickets, but who
forgot all about it until indeed it
was too late.
The hotel men of Washington,
the ShopkeeperS, the taxi people,
the restaurants and other myriad
lanes Of trade, know full well how
successful plea the president Of
the Washington ball club made to
give Washington baseballs mid
year show of shows.
Also the WOlUes
Aye, indeed, the lastrminute
ticket-Seekers who have fallen into
the hands of scalpers know it, too,
despite the thorough-going precau-
tons taken by the Washington
club to keep the precious paste
boards out of the hands Of the
gentry which traffics in exorbitant
prices.
In the face of the fact that
the actual distribution of tickets
did not occur until June 20, SO
that no definite commitments
could be made by scalpers because
none knew whether his request
was to be honored nor in what
number, a scattering few have
been garnered by the wolves and
have been sold at as much as 10
times their face value.
However, the tickets were han
died 100 per cent equitably, so
far as the washington club is con-
cerned.
Two days after the Louis Brad
dock fight in Chicago, I sat in
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