Evening star., 1941-12-09
90Garnes Under
Arcs Asked for
U. ). Workers
Schedule From June
Through September
Is Wanted Here
BY FRANCIS E. STAN
Stan Correspondent of The Star.

CHICAGO, Dec. 9.-Clark Calvin
Griffith, sometimes called the red
eyed radical of major league base
ball, opened the annual winter
meeting here today by calling upon
Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain
Lands to recognize the import of
national emergency, junk all pre-
vious plans and virtually put the
City of Washington on a wartime
entertainment basis.
Drawing upon his experience and
observations during World War I.
Griffith asks that the feuhrer of
the national pastime play ball with
the Nationals and with the thou
sands of Uncle Sans children in
the District of Columbia. Our
country finally and definitely is
placed on an emergency basis" he
said. In no other city will the
pressure of national defense work
be felt more than in Washington.
What I am asking is permission to
play night baseball from June Is
through at least September IS,
Saturdays and Sundays excepted"
Griffith admittedly has been lob
bying since he arrived here yester-
day morning to spend most of the
hours talking of the United States
japanese War instead of outflelders
who can drive across runs. My
proposal could be tabled without
hearing" he explained, but I don't
want that sort of a thing" AS a
result, Griffith has button-holed
most of his old pals, notably Bob
Quinn of the Boston Bees. and re-
quested cooperation when the mat
ter formally is brought up on
Thursday, closing day of the meet
ing.
d. c. Needs Night Games.
Shortly before his train from
Washington pulled out Of the sta
ton, Grifith had intended asking
for only IA night games as against
the seven now allotted by Judge
Lands for each city where noe
turnalcontests are played. AS he
took In the first news flashes Of the
Japanese-U United States War, Grit
Iltn CIldnSeQ MS L1lnQ.
In other words Grifith, once the
arch-enemy of night baseball, not
only accepts 1t as q shot of strych-
nine, but as an absolute necessity
in Washington. Instead OF maxi
mum Of IA games under the lights
at Griffith Stadium, he will ask for
light on all games, excluding Sat-
urdays and Sundays, after June IA.
Nobody is more behind Presi-
dent Roosevelt and the Nation than
I am" he said. but at the same
time there is no way of laughing off
the importance of entertainment.
The Government is very lenient
and understanding about this mat
ter. As I see it, Washington people
will be working night and day on
national defense-and national Of
fense. Why shouldn't baseball COL
laborate, making it possible for day
workers to see ball games during
the night, and night workers to see
the weekend games?"
Griff Has Own Program.
Possibly never in the history of
major league baseball has such a
drastic proposal been made. Grif-
fifth hopes to start playing nocturnal
games exclusively from June Is
through the end of the season. He
is willing to settle for June 15-to-
September Is period but his pref
erence is for night ball all the way
through the end of the season. If
this suggestion is approved, it would
| mean that at home the Mats, at
long last, will become used to having
the spot light.
Before the declaration of war
against Japan, there was little or
no chance of the Old Fox's PROPOSE
ton being considered, but now it
may be different. This winter
meeting of the baseball leagues has
forcibly brought home the fact that
professional ball must exercise in
genuity to keep going. Possibly
night ball games in Washington,
and in industrial cities like Chicago,
Pittsburgh and other centers, will
provide a solution. Grifith. for
one, thinks it will and it will be
interesting to see if other leaders
fall behind him.