Show Baseball Chances NU Nil i In World War I I By nr John P. P l 1 i Chicago o Daily Service CHICAGO How CHICAGO v Ho far will war wai let baseball go this time Man I of the 16 major league magnate magnates who vho who are up to their necks in expensive cx ex pensive farm systems dont don't th think they'll get et the same green light that enabled them to weather that thai second world conflict Anything like complete mobilIzation mobilization mobilization mobil mobil- of industry is bound to curb baseball along with other professional professional pro pro- sports said one National Nation Nation- al nl league club official It is conceivable conceivable conceivable con con- that 2000 men could be bc spared to carry carryon on the game but butin butin in fn the event of oC an out all-out industrial industrial industrial indus indus- trial program ram who'd have the time or the inclination to go and see it Another club president said The farm chains would be rid rid- The majors might be able to keep going with former G G. Is 15 they now have hac on hand depending upon their age and state of health 0 and provided of course that tha t they weren't needed to wind armatures armatures armatures arma arma- tures or do something else i J Looks ook I Dark DarkAn a rl An American league gentleman I who served in the last war Will declared declared declared de de- that unless America ends this thing thinS in Korea or elsewhere I by next spring baseball wont won't open the 1951 season He wasn't quoting any authoritative authoritative taUve source and he didn't have ha any inside tip But as he explained explained ex ex- I eX-I further America had no idea the last war was vas going going- to take so long Iong- It I ur figured d that tha t the Japs would be I II Io o easier to handle than they proved I Ir I t i r so there was a tendency to tat talc take to I everything in stride including I sports Now we know better and I everything is bound to be bc subjugated subjugated sub sub- jug jug-a ted to winning winning- this war var as quickly as possible pos Lush Luh Years Baseball has had some ome lush I years since the last big big- doings Big years of big big- crowds But how many club owners have kept the money they made Huge sums sum have been sunk sink in farm systems which haven't paid off off if they ever do It lt is a fair estimate that the big big- leagues have expended between five and six million bucks the I I past five years in cementing minor affiliates and to little avail a for kids kid Competitive bidding I barely barch out of school has reached the silly stage Let any juvenile strike out 16 men in a single sing game ame and a dozen scouts are drooling over him Mi 11 no checkrein on the check book The scouts dont don't work for nothing nothing noth noth- ing and every big big- league club carries carries car car- ries from 15 to 30 of em Vm at salaries sal sal- salaries I aries of to 1 a year plus expense accounts It is no reflection upon a scouts scout's judgment judg or integrity rity to point out that he ho isn't spending spending- his own money and moreover he is expected to step stepin in there and keep after the prospect prospect prospect pros pros- 0 as long as the ink doesn't clog I I I |