The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1962-07-06
SPORTS of TIMES
BdSebdIL'S
grOWing pains
BY LOU FABRO
lines Sports Editor

Expansion of major league notwithstanding
that had been long overdue-has caused a few serious
problems. These problems, to be sure, were not I'M
expected.
Two Of these problems-the %162-game schedule
and the 1O-team leagues-are closely related.
The 162-game baseball schedule, we pointed out
in this column several months ago, stretches the dla-
mond season out too long. In the last several weeks,
many National League players and some senior loop
baseball executives have been g%rumbing about the
sam thing-and more.
And as far as the 10team leagues are concerned,
they're downright unWiedy.
LOOKING AT 1T FROM BASEBALL customers
viewpoint-for he's the one who keeps baseball IN
business through his patronage-it' it's bad enough when
your favorite team is dragging along in last place In
an eight-team league. But it's absolutely grim to see
your team mired deep in 10th place.
Let's face it, a 10th place team simply isn't much
of an attraction. This is especially true In the final
month of the season when spectator interest In the
noncontending teams tends to wane. Ii your team is in
ninth or tenth place at the end of August, just how
much interest can you have?
AS if to defy logic even more, baseball officials
tackled on eight additional games to the old l54-game
schedule. This means that a fan of a 1~0th-place team
has that much more opportunity to see 1t IN action.
Crazy!
PLAYERS NOW ARE COMPLAINING that ex-
pansion is causing too many travelling problems. MOI
only do they visit two additional cities during a season,
but the extra eight games compounds tight travel
schedules. Players are rushing around much more and
are not getting enough rest, which, in turn, cuts down
their playing efficiency.
Baseball executives, with an eye on the cash box,
are concerned about the increased travel costs caused
by expansion and the butchered schedules which were
tailored to squeeze in the extra eight games and addl-
tional two cities.
What's the answer to the problem?
Two have been suggested and are under consi-
deration. The first plan is to go back to a l54tgame
of 153-game schedule. The other plan calls Tor eXpan-
sion of both leagues to II teams each.
The first plan raises no serious problems. The
second, however, requires some head-scratching.
ORD FRIcK, n BASEBALL COMMISSIONER,
feels the 12-team league definitely is workable. AS he
sees it, each league would be divided into two dlVl-
sions. similar to the system used by the National Foot
ball League. In a sense, this would give baseball four
major leagues. And, no team could finish worse than
sixth.
To promote more interest, teams would have inter
division games scheduled within their leagues.
At the end of the season, the division champs OF
the National League would fight it out to represent
the loop against the playoff winner in the American
League. This would, therefore, preserve the climactic
significance of the beloved World Series.
The biggest problem in this scheme is how to d.
vide the leagues into divisions. No matter how this
would be settled, it would cause a storm of violent con
troversy for a long time.
THE BEST EXAMPLE OF THIS PROBLEM
WOULD BE the placement of the New York Yankees.
Personal feeling aside, fans must agree that the IankS
are a great gate attraction. Their weekend series with
the Cleveland Indians several weeks ago is an excellent
illustration of their drawing power.
If the Yankees were placed IN one division and
the Indians were placed in the other. imagine the
bowls of protest that would be Embossed by Cleveland
club officials and fans of the indians.
Summing up, growing pains afflict major league
baseball and there's no easy remedy for the afflic-
ton.