Evening star., 1940-11-26
Jam, Dodgers Protest
Caused by Delaying
Pittsburgh Game
Step for Money Reasons
O. K. Under Rules Not
Without Precedent
BY BILL DISMER, Jr.

II the shoe were on the other foot,
we can't imagine the Redskins ac-
cepting such a ruling on the Pitts
burgh Philadelphia postponement
any more gracefully than have the
Dodgers, but if President Carl
Storck needs any support in uphold
ing the Eagles decision to play the
SteelerS the day after tomorrow,
he's got it both in the official Ma
tional Football League rules and
precedent.
The Dodgers, as you know, pro-
tested against the Eagles-the last
remaining foe of the Redskins
playing the Steelers on Thursday.
just three days before they come
here to meet the Skins For if the
Eagles should beat the Redskins and
the Dodgers whip the Giants, the
Eastern division campaign would
end in tie between Washington
and Brooklyn.
Naturally. Brooklyn doesn't want
the chances of the Eagles upsetting
the Skins jeopardized through not
being physically fresh, as they won't
be after only two days rest.
plays Twice in Three Days.
But in 1888, Pittsburgh played
two games in three days and third
before an eighth day rolled around
when premature plans for a World
Series that never came off kept them
out of Forbes Field at the start of
the season and necessitated hasty
revision of the early season sched-
ule.
But if Owner Dan Topping of
Brooklyn tries to find an official
league rule to base his protest on,
he's apparently lost. The only ref
erence to postponed games is found
in Section IS of Article VIII of the
Leagues constitution, which reads:
"All games shall be played as sched-
uled-the president only shall have
the power to authorize changing any
scheduled game"
On the other hand, the stipula-
tion that the Eagle-Steeler game
must be played before the end of
the regular season meets a slight
contradiction in Section IA of the
same League article which says that
"The season shall terminate on the
second Sunday in December and
the World Series game shall be
played on the following Sunday"
Ever since we can remember, the
season has terminated on the first
Sunday in December and the play
of game has been on the second.
Can't Put Game Off Longer.
Defending his stand in Philadel-
phia, Owner Bert Bell of the Eagles
points out that the Redskins would
have squawk coming if his team
didn't meet the Steelers before it
played Washington. for then it
would have had two full weeks rest
before its game here.
Bell also claims that financial rea-
sons necessitate his playing the
game on a holiday Thursday is
Pennsylvania Thanksgiving Day.
to meet extra expenses he has in
Cured.
It have advertised the game for
Thursday" Bell Is quoted as saying,
land I have to pay Pittsburgh its
guarantee whether we play or not.
1t is Pittsburghs last game and in
holding the players over 1 have to
pay their hotel expenses"
A Door advance sale as much as
the downpour which turned Shibc
Park into a quagmire induced Bell
to call off the game last Sunday,
but the current mix-up never would
have occurred if he had gone
through with the game despite both
hindrances. Postponements of that
sort should not be tolerated when
all other teams in the league defy
the elements or prospectively small
crowds to play as scheduled.