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Show PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LIKELY TO BE DISCONTINUED IF 'WORK OR FIGHT' RULE IS APPLIED TO NATIONAL GAME Strict Enforcement Would Take Between 70 and 80 Per Cent of Players in Major Leagues and Even Higher Proportion in Minors; Magnates Foresee Closing of Parks, but Are of One Accord in Declaring Winning of War Is Only Really Important Issue; Some Clubs Would Be Entirely Wiped Out. WASHINGTON, May 23. No interpretation in-terpretation of tie new regulations and no expression of opinion as to whether or not one or another sport or game is included, will be made until a specific case is . presented through official channels, says a statement y General Crowder. w ASH. I N G T O N, M ay 23. i I Whether the uew ''work or V V fight'' army draft regulations regula-tions announced today shall apply to professional baseball players, ami thereby probably put the big leagues out of business for the period of the war, will not be decided until the point is raised an appeal to the provost marshal mar-shal general's office after tho regulation regula-tion becomes effective, July !. Tho war department, was bombarded with queries op the subject soon after the uew regulation was niado public. At first it was indicated that ball players certainly would be classed among those in non-useful occupations who must seek new .jobs or go iuto the army. No Decision Now. Provost Marshal General Crowder announced, however, that there would be no decision until a case arose through official channels and later the war department issued this formal statement: No ruling as to whether baseball players or persons engaged in golf, tennis or any other sport, come under the regulations regarding -idlers or non-essential pursuits, will be made until a specific case has been appealed to the provost marshal mar-shal general 's. office. Secretary Baker explained that the status of baseball players had been discussed dis-cussed before the regulation wa approved ap-proved and it was agreed that the question ques-tion could not bo disposed of until all the facts relating to the effect upon the baseball business had been brought out through the hearing of a case appealed ap-pealed from a local board. , Effect Not Known. The secretary did not profess to know how seriously application of the rule to professional ball players would affect the leagues. He did not know that a large majority of the major league players were of draft age and were exempted ex-empted only because of dependents, but on the contrary was under the impression impres-sion that most of them were outside the draft limits. The paragraph of the new regulation which may toucjj the ball players is a subdivision of the enumeration of classes affected and says: Persons, including ushers and other attendants, engaged in and occupied in, and in connection with, games, sports and amusements, excepting ex-cepting actual performers in legitimate legiti-mate concerts, operas or theatrical performances. the amendment to the draft regulations requiring men to engage in useful occupations occu-pations or join the army. "The order would leave me Donovan as pitcher, Stanase behind the bat, Spencer at first and Jennings at short. How does that sound for a pennant winner?" win-ner?" - He added, however, thai winning the war was more essential than winning baseball games and that ho had no complaint com-plaint to make. BASEBALL READY TO COMPLY, SAYS TENER PITTSBURG, May 23. "Everything must be done to win this war," said President John K. Tener today upon learning of the new order of Provost General Crowder, "and if baseball is a sport as classified in this new order and not a business in which thero is a great investment of money, then baseball will not be behind other Interests in contributing con-tributing its part toward winning the war. "If baseball Is non-essential, and players play-ers of draft age have to give up playing, the clubs will try to find players that are not of draft age and if this cannot ho done, there is a possibility that our ball parks will have to be closed, and the season sea-son brought to an end. "Since the draft or conscription act has been- effective we have been operating with the understanding that baseball was , being encouraged by the government and players have been responding as they have been called under the provisions of the draft, in great numbers and many of them have volunteered. "Baseball also has been doing its share of war work in every way, and baseball is only too glad to comply with the new regulations, having perfect confidence that it will not bo discriminated against by the government or any department head." EFFECT ON HORSE RACING DOUBTFUL LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 23. Persons connected with racetracks at Churchill Downs and Douglas Park, two of the large racing plants in the country, were frank to say they did not know what effect the amendment to the selective service regulations would have on racing interests. General W. B. Haldeman of Louisville, a member of the state racing commission, would-discuss it onlv from the angle that the Red. Cross fund of $300,000 guaranteed by Kentucky racing associations might be imperilled. "However," General Haldeman said, "direct war work is the duty of every man and the government is the- only proper judge of whether a man is a noh-producer noh-producer and whether he is more needed in the draft than in any other occupation."; occupa-tion."; OMAHA CLUB WILL BE WHOLLY WIPED OUT OMAHA, May 23. The order of Provost Marshall General Crowder decreeing that all baseball players of draft age go to work or join the army, will entirely clean out the Omaha Western league team, with the exception of one man, Manager Billie Jackson. Omaha lost two of its most prominent players to the draft this week. With the exception of Jackson all players of the. team fall under the new ruling. ONLY TWO BEES LEFT IF RULE IS APPLIED "'If the new ruling is applied to baseball base-ball players," said H. W. Lane, president presi-dent of the Salt Lake ball club, last night, "I think the league would promptly prompt-ly disband. It is safe to say that every club owner in the Pacific Coast league would hasten to comply with the government's govern-ment's orders, and that gladly and without with-out question, if the government was of the opinion that ball players were needed. "The first thing to do is to win the war. Nothing else matters. If ball players play-ers are needed to achieve that end, then baseball will have to suspend. There are no two ways about that in fact, there is no argument that can be set ut against the opinion of the military authorities." Kvery man in the Coast league realizes that the war must be won, and every man who can help win it will not hesitate hesi-tate to comply with any request, suggestion sug-gestion or ruling the government may make." If the ruling is applied to the Salt Lake club, two players would be left Buddy Ryan and Joe Dunn, both over the draft age. Other clubs would be similarly simi-larly affected. When the news of General Crowder's order became known among baseball fans in Salt Lake yesterday there was much alarm, but a genuine and earnest acquiescence acqui-escence in the order. When it became known that actors were to be excepted from the ruling, the baseball people began be-gan to wonder why such a distinction should be made. "I can't get that through my head," said one fan. "Baseball provides diversion diver-sion for millions of people good, wholesome, whole-some, outdoor amusement, where spectar tors get stirred up and their blood gets moving. They breathe pure air and exercise ex-ercise their lungs and generally their muscles, too. Wliile theaters have their function and provide amusement for vast multitudes, it is infloor amusement only, and entirely different from that provided by baseball. "There are thousands of young men on the stage who are just as capable of 'working or fighting' as ball players are. How often do you see a quartet of husky young men on a vaudeville stage singing songs about 'Over There,' who, it has frequently occurred to me. would be doing do-ing much better if they followed the precepts pre-cepts of their songs and went 'Over There' themselves. "I do not for an instant think that ball players should be exempted from the 'work or fight' rule, but t do think that ball players provide diversion just as actors do, and if one is. made amenable to the rule, the other should bo also preferably both should be." Until a "test case" is brought It is not likely that the application or non-application of the rule to baseball players will he definitely determined, and until such "test case" is brought baseball fans will continue to watch the clubs play ball or watch t he s toioboards, ready at a word to give up their beloved 'sport if Uncle Sam says so. KANSAS CITY, May 23. "A most drastic order." said E. W. Diokerson. president of the Western league, "but of course we shall comply and gladly. The Western league would not lose more than twenty players at the most, as forty-four are already in the service." THINKS RACING WILL ESCAPE NEW RULING NEW YORK, May 23. The amendments to the selective service regulations announced an-nounced today by Provost Marshal General Gen-eral Crowder will not affect the sport of horse racing, in the opinion of Assistant Secretary Algernon Dangerfiield of the Jockey club. Tn a statement here today he said that Che majority of trainers were over the draft age, while most of the jockeys, stable boys and other employees were either under the draft age, underweight or underheight for military service. All the jockeys included in the selective draft, he said, have filed their questionnaires. ques-tionnaires. TAKES 80 PER CENT OF MAJOR PLAYERS NEW YORK, May 23. Officials of the local major league baseball clubs were loath to express opinions today regarding the effect of a possible drafting of their players for essential war work. It was estimated that if the rule to draft baseball players of the National and American leagues were ' strictly enforced en-forced it would lake from 70 to 80 per cent of the present personnel, with a heavier percentage in the minor leagues. ANGEL FANS LOOK FOR EXEMPTIONS "By International News Service. ' LOS ANGELES, CaL, May 23. Approximately Ap-proximately sixty players in the Pacific Coast league, an average of ton to each team, are within the draft age and therefore there-fore can be taken out of the game under the new draft ruling. Basball officials here expressed belief that ball players will be exempted, together with actors, under the head of "amusements." TEXAS LEAGUE WILL HAVE TO DISCONTINUE DALLAS. Texas. May 23. A poll of the Texas league- clubs shows that no club will have even the nucleus of a baseball team if men between the ages of 21 and ?,l are barred from playing after .lulv 1 The Fort Worth team, the league leader hap but two players over the draft age! Dallas has but one. CHICAGO MAGNATES ARE READY TO HELP CHICAGO, May 23. Chicago baseball magnates are awaiting further explanation explana-tion of General Crowder's far-reaching order, but all expressed a desire to aid the nation's military program "I :un willing to do anything the gov- (Ccntinued on Following Page.) ONLY FOUR VETERANS LEFT AT DETROIT DETROIT; Mich.. May 23. "Such an order would cause us to close our park." said Frank J. Navin, president of the Delroit baseball club, -when told today that baseball players may be included in BASEBALL LIKELY TO BE DISCGIMED (Continued from Preceding Page.) ernment suggests," said President Charles A. Comiskey of the Chicago American league club. "If the army needs the men as badly as all that there Is no doubt in my mind that every man interested in the game will be pleased to close his parks," said President Charles Weeghman of the Chicago Chi-cago Nationals. BAN JOHNSON WOULD END ALL RECREATION PHILADELPHIA, May 23. B. B. Johnson, John-son, president of the American league, in discussing the new draft regulations, was quoted here tonight as follows: I do not believe the government has any intention of wiping out baseball, altogether, but If I had my way we would close every theater, ball park and other places of recreation in the country and make, the people realize that they are in the most terrible war in the history of the world. ASSOCIATION CLUBS WILL BE HARD HIT KANSAS CITY, May 23. "It is a blow to baseball," sa id President Muehlebach of the Kansas City American association club. "There is only one thing to do, however, and that is to obey the government's gov-ernment's mandate. Practically our entire en-tire team will be hit." BAUM IS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT COAST CLUBS SAN FRANCISCO, May 23. The drafting draft-ing of baseball players for army or other war employment will not materially affect af-fect the Pacific Coust league, according to President Allan T. Baum. "Good baseball players, both under and over the draft age, are always available," he said. |