Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-10-16
THE BASEBALL
BEAT
Baseball IS in Trouble
BY BURTON HAWKINS

THERE WAS GLITTER Attached 70 the W0fld series,
but unless baseball officials detected corrosion at the
edges they require hifcca Their industry Is in trouble
More fans the recent World Series than other
IN history the obvious to the changing OF an ALARM
but there could be no pride baseball ranks when the
th and seventh at Yankee Stadium failed to pack
the place. There were in fact S269 fewer customers
around for the Braves omahawk party at the seventh
game than attended the first game.
weather was no factor. 1t was perfection weather.
but fans weren't hanging from the steel beams There
for and that's no elegant advertisement
for the climax struggle the doordie effort the icngon-
the-eake contest Of the best baseball has to offer.
EVEN AS THE SERIES was being played, two Of New
Yos three clubs had announced they deserving one
Of the worlds most hcy populated areas leaving the
millions strictly to the Yankees And as the World Series
being played there interesting developments In
the minors. too.
In Atlanta and Houston they were playing the Dixie
Series Three games at Houston drew 1873. three At
Atlanta s41 The average attendance for the six games
1884, which doesn't demonstrate feverh fascination
with the exercise that display.
For winning the Dixie Series Houston players received
$s5s EACH The losers share $7635s and unless our
arithmetic rusty that works out TO s4Ss2 player for
work at those prices
when Dick Young Of the New York News wrote the
obituary Of the Brooklyn Dodgers he said they died OF an
acute case greed The Dodgers made money In Brook
yn lots Of It. but walter o1laey gazed aeetlonatey
the lush Los Angeles territory and went scamperng to
the West. ses
But four other major league clubs have shifted in
recent and they switched because they were failures
The deaths OF the Boston Braves Philadelphia Athletics
St. Louis Browns and New York Giants were due to UNDER
nourishment
so THE GIANTS and Dodgers planted on the
West Coast That's just jolly for Los Angeles and San
Francisco but it wrecks the Pacific Coast League the
latter survives it must reach grasping paws into the
Texas League elsewhere for requirements and so 1t
win 60 right down the line the entire structure Of the
game subjected to frantic patching.
II there has been long-range planning at the top It
isn't evident It's hopscoch pattern that's being fol-
lowed. and while the majors are banking profits the
minors are shriveling. This whitening Is lamentable
because much Of 1t Is unnecessary
The majors could have been helping the minors for
years they remain saddIed stupid bonus rule which
corras the finest young baseball prospects in the country
and says in effect "Sit that major league bench for
two years"
This was supposed to be the great leveler. The
Yankees Cardinals Dodgers and Braves longer could
sign the szzers because they would count against their
25payer roster because they'd be forced to remain with
the parent club for two years signed for more than
$4,000.
THE RULE HAS cured nothing II merely has deprived
the minors Of employing spakerkids too green for en-
poyment in the majors but kids who might be big draw
ing cards while learning the ncetes Of their trade in the
minors
The Senators as an example have been buried the
second division II straight There should be
hgh-minded in baseball who, somewhere along the
way, would have produced suggestions on methods Of
aiding chronic sufferers to healthier status
There has been such suggestion. The men with
money want more, the teams that finish consistently In
the nrst division can't be bothered with those below
them. There's no crumb-tossing even thought Of
Il.
Pro football has It's draft Of college players to pro-
vide some sembance Of distributing talent equitabIy.
Baseball needs similar system to check the atrophying,
gnawng effect Of It's own selnshness.