| OCR Text |
Show Will PROVE THIRD Federals Hive Taken Step Long Contemplated by Organized Baseball. When the Federal league was jtmt ; beginning to brenk into print and disturb dis-turb the peace of mind of organised baseball, one of the chief stocks In tbo trade of arguing against tho possibility of the league being able to live was the statement of big baseball officials that thrc wn not room for a third league, writes Hal Sheridan. Thero .- ' war? no place for another organization, it wa. declared, and therefore the red-orals red-orals could not exist. An a result of the rtveut meeting of the league in Now Yorh, however, wo now know that organized baseball itself has been considering con-sidering for tho past two or three years tho establishment of a third major league circuit. Also that ono of the "war plans" considered in the early ilavs was the placing of a third league in' the field to combat tbo Federals. All of which indicates anything that one uiav wish to take it as indicating. As might bo supposed, thero are mnnv IMuks to consider in cstabliHh-ing cstabliHh-ing n third major league circuit. .Moit of the bafeball oflicials admit that a real majcr Irugue town will utipport two hall teams. Iia?el;:ill has reached tho stiige Where it h taken as a steady diet by the fans, and continuous ball i looked upon with favor in the larger cities. Star Players Scarce. One of the sticking points has been tho matter of players, however, fc'tar ball players are searoo. The sand lots. ;,'yS' minor leagues and colleges aro combed 'it! ifif every vear for talent. 1'nw ever got m nn-v frlher than the training camps, tm H&- fome go scampering back to tho f tr tall grays noon after the season onen?. MIf-, Others come up from tho training if 'Sm camps and are not turned back, but Kf-f mL-. they are not heard of again for two tflJJf' or 'three vearB. As n matter of fact KtJJoi some of the clubs leading tho. two big vn leagues have men buried on the ber.tn r J fli' w,, nro letter ball players than per- 1$ Sl ,orm m'lv rom 11,0 tn,cnlcr! an1 &Kf there vou'nre. Iff HI The "major leagues know they would Hair tavJ Hfllnilty putting a third big tr-i Irv circuit under way. Xo ono would be li ' willing to give up, but If the Federals iml keen at it, they may shyxv how it can Ir ' ,n! "nnc- "Tho onl n'ay a tl,ir(1 :,,a" IfSra!'' ir lK" could be started by organ- ?S St ball," mid n well-known manager Ntf recently, "would ho to take Eonie play- .51 . era from each of tho cluba in the Amer- !H J8 ienn and atioual leagues, as a nu- ifiJH: . clens for tho league. But a line chanco .club owners to loosen up. Why, I Mm- "could have won a pennant ono yenr 'f could have bought, borrowed or if jilTf Htolou a catcher, when all of my rebuff rebu-ff "' lnrs wevo out of the gume. injured. "5 Si Could T get ono? Yes, just like 1 could persuade John D. Itockcfellcr to pay ';&W his $12,000,000, in Cleveland. The club 'OK "., owners hnnu to whnt they have and r'Srfi' tncr0 wonlil 00 n A"0 l'mo Kltin8 idaycrs for n now league. iftj Good for Bench Warmers. TC- Connie Mack had Wulsh, couter itffl Jfi' tickler for the Athletics during the L' t fnv 'ast worid'a series, buried for two or irMp"-- three years. Walsh was then a star, -WJ ,ut ack ual uica ot slicn n,yu ca'l,or rll It thcro was no place for Walsh but on Uv if- 11,0 bench. He played every" position H v- while waiting urouud for some votcran tit to cack aU(l make a place for him. Mfjljj. Theso men who aro doing timo on tho ( bench aro ineocporienced and need train- Swo If ig, it is true, but whenever a greater 'I- xlcninad for star players develops they jfyr J will begin coming to tho top. f the ifrUi Federal league cuts in and is able to jEj$v grub somo of the star minor leuguo invni " layers the two big leagues may be juJUc forced to pull out some of their bencb- jfSK warmers a little sooner. LJflii Uccuusc stars are scarce now is no ifcSfli rcafou for bclievintr they will continue! cHil t0 '9 nHturQJ to suppose that f. .. tho moro baseball thero is to be plavcd . i . the moro players thcro will be do- ' '; veloed, anl the percentage of stars . will increase in proportion. J Raid on Minors. , . The Federal league is in a positiou to wreck the minor leagues of tho country, coun-try, if it cares to, iu the opinion of Joe 1 Tinker. t He has pointed out that where the major leagues pay fabulous prices for a minor league star (the money go- j f-r ing to the club owners), the Federals . " may secure such players by simply bid- l i ding to tho player tlirect and "meet- ine tho offer til organized ball with an gv offer of salajy to the player equal to !: , . tho amount the majors pay for him. fSff After organized ball makes the pur- i'fj i " chase they would still havo the man's ? "ft 'v nlarv to pay, "but the Federals would ' jH j v have token care of that by turning tho ; !1 I big money to the jdayer iu the form of i -3 i" balary, instead of handing it to the L club owner. As the big moncv in minor ' jS f. league ball comes from tho sale of play- S rrs. thwe interests are bamraerinc i jffi loudly at the big follows to llnd fiome ' ifl TTay f stoppice tho Fcdfr, taking them H into the fold, or doing something to !J l avert disnstcr. Of course this idea of ff ; wrecking the mlnor works both ways, i jl ; for without tho minors no crops of i g major Icacuo players would be do- llHwK1' veJopcd. Tho Federals would thus be Mjh crawling out on a limb and then saw- !..- ng it off, which raises tho question or l&jKl f how far they would go with such war ' ij measures. |
