Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-12-21
SEGH AT LARGE
Veeck Tells Fans
By Drinking Habits
By MORRIS SIEcEL

BILL vEECK BEGAN with the premise that most fans
drink an unndctable stand in the bone dry
where local customs are not always observed.
From the Veeck view, the imbibng sports customers
who take occasional nip fall into two categores al
though some have been known to fall harder Their drink
ing habits Veeck commended identify their sports habits
The pro football fanatic he argued, is bascally
mxed-drink man. martins manhattanS and the like with
no offense intended to those who like the rocks
straight
The baseball bug is a beer drnker, veeck continued
he efficiently oumaneuvered sxpack to show where
his real loyalty was and still is.
ALTHOUGH BASEBALL man essentially, Week is
tolerant Of pro football He proved 1t by his drinking
theory. He smoothly sandwched graSshopper between
brews vivid example that the two sports can coexSt
Actually Week wasn't in Washington the other night
for any experimental purposes He came over from his
Easton, Nd, dacha to appear two-hour radio pro-
gram to expound his views on what's not right with
baseball
The happy-hour preceding his appearance was merely
a warmup prevew for veeck fans who had forgotten
such little gadgets radios still exist
As usual, veeck found plenty wrong with baseball,
for his prerado appearance as well as the air Not
one merely to criticize the Sport Shirt also suggested
few cures.
He conceded they might not work, but they were at
least an admission something wrong with the
tonal pastime, which is than baseball people will
admit to.
THAT'S THEIR problem" veeck said Indignantly.
hey refuse to acknowledge It, but there's little line
in the box which doesn't lie It's the attendance
figures.
Three teams in the American League had attendance
gains last year. but the total nowhere Offset
ting what Detroit lost This apparently doesn't worry the
owners who don't seem to what they draw the
road"
In its fearful reluctance to change to lven up the
product baseball is committing suicide veeck says Look
at the three big changes they've made in almost so years.
he stated
ev took the COLLAR off the uniform yoodo the ,;ald
bring their gloves in after every inning outawed
the big catchers mitt That's their idea Of progress
suppose"
"s%~
HE DIsAGREEs THAT the length Of ball games is
problem tits the inactivity between action that makes
a drag not the time Of a game.
1.-THE pitcher standing there holding the ball That
isn't my idea Of excitement Why not put time limit
him and enforce it? Basketball makes the players
every "a seconds, football limits huddle to 80 seconds
THE home run is responsible for most Of the mac
tive periods Any guy in the lineup capable Of hitting
home run today and it's not because he's Babe Ruth,
either.
"Abie Pearson hit IL or so and this should dsprove
player needs muscle. The ball is to lively for thing
Just yell at and it takes off, They ought to widen the
plate too and give the pitcher a wider target Then he
wouldn't be afraid and wouldn't take long between
pitches.
Maybe ought to change the ball and strike count,
too Maybe limit batter to two strikes Suppose it turns
out to be wrong We can always change it back, but at
least try it. BaSegall is afraid to try anything"
go
ALTHOUGH HE STILL. wants in very much veeck
bames the sad showing of the expanSiont teams on the
greed Of the owners.
Not only did they parcel out poor lot of players
"but they left the teams with no way to improve
except the long haul Of breeding their own, by farm
system.
Football has a draft, so does basketball Why
shouldn't baseball take to help the weaker
teams?"
The only immediate way out of the dilemma for
teams like the Senators, Nets and other non-winners
Week insisted was to buy players "of course you can't
buy good joes but you can buy responsibility
There are many teams hurting for money who'd
be willing to sell off players I'm talking about 100000
purchases not waiver guys The 100000 shouldn't scare
the teams They paid $4,000 apiece for nobodes For
another $4,000 they could at least buy degree Of
responsibility"
Week wasn't angry with baseball He showed it. He
ordered another beer, which proved his colors