Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 40, Number 228, 6 September 1915 — Page 7

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THE RICHMOND PALLADIUM AND SUN-TELEGRAM, . PAGE SEVEN t - j - Bill James Out of Game Why Tris Falls Down Fake Pools Injure National Game

Facts and Faocles' Gatheredl In The World of Sports

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Just at the time when the Braves are in need of all the pitch

ing ability they possess, old Bill James, who tossed such magnificent ball last year for the world's champions, has been compelled to leave the game on account of the poor condition of his pitching arm. Physicians have told the pitcher that if he ever expects to toss ball again he must give his arm a complete rest, so Bill has started for Washington and will not be seen with the Braves the rest of this season. He has not been-tossing remarkable ball this year, his average being but .556.

Fans playing in public baseball pools will do well to read how they are "stung." The September Baseball Magazine has an article exposing the crooked work.- Following is part of the magazine article: "A gambling spirit seems to hare seized upon the national game. In many- parts of the country - colossal crooked syndicates, lotteries or pools have sprung up, attained a mush-room growth, sucked a tainted fortune out of the lifeblood of the game, and withered away in the fierce glare of legal ' retribution, only to be succeeded by other syndicates elsewhere. So widespread is the evil, bo menacing in its scope, that the concerted effort of baseball, aligned with the authorities of law and order, Is imperatively required to preserve the game from that same malignant influence , which has blighted so many other favorite sports. "Honest baseball pools are no new thing. They exist in a small and amateur scale in almost every office buildlag in every hamlet in the country. It has become a habit with young men to set apart 50 cents or $1 a week of their savings to place in a pool with their associates, the whole sum going at the end of the week, to the fortunate individual who selected the team scoring the greatest number of runs. This custom is a rather mild symptom of general love of risk and chance which reaches a far more'sinster form In the patronage of public pools. Fake Pools a Menace. " ' "But fake public pools, the open, lawdefying swindles of the professional gamblers, merit no such passive indifference. These pools, like poisonous growths, have no proper place in the sphere of the game, but rather fatten upon its public popularity and confidence, and in the end tend to break down and destroy the solid structure of the sport Itself. Such pools are a real menace. "As typical of the methods pursued by these parasites may be taken the case of a pool operated in Pennsylvania, but it had ramifications all over the eastern United States and the middle west. A list of its prize winners

BARNEY DREYFUSS. for one week shows names scattered over no less than six states. "Some revelations of the size, and scope of the company were brought to light in the trial which exposed the workings of the colossal Bwindle. "We quote from the sworn evidence as produced in that trial when the superintendent of the printing concern did all of (he printing for the syndicate was undergoing cross-examination: "What was the average number of lottery slips and tickets printed for the company?' "'It ranged from 25,000 to 75,000 three times a week.' " 'How many tickets did you print weekly for the pool?' " 'Well, the highest for a week was 250,000. " 'Well, what was the average week's quantity?'

"They started at about 150,000 a week and kept increasing every week. In passing, it is well to mention that the gross receipts from these tickets at 30 cents apiece was, for the highest week. $75,000. "President Dreyfus of the Pittsburg club, said, in the Baseball" Magazine: "We investigated and found that the pools were ? getting more money out .of Pittsburg than the Pittsburg ball club. In one , week we -estimated as nearly as we could on the actual figures that they absorbed $30,000 from that one city. We also investigated and found that a considerable number of alleged prize winners did not live at the addresses that appeared or were missing from the city - directory or hadn't received any prize money. One of the worst features of all these pools is that even- with the heavy odds against him that are .the nature of a lottery the purchaser of one of the lying tickets doesn't get a fair chance to win. He has members of the concern to compete against and all kinds of crooked work to contend with, so that the prizes which are actually given are the smaller ones and in no case the larger amounts alleged in the lists.' "The Pennsylvania distributed Its tickets , through fifty agents, who in turn had 300 subagents, who supplied 65,000 steady customers. Its payments for police protection and other forms of illegal connivance with the authorities totaled $17,000 for one week. It maintained an office staff of thirty clerks, and yet its weekly profits were $50,000. Another pool averaged a profit of $18,000. another $25,000, and many others all cut their individual slices from the juicy melon of public guillibility. For amid all these colossal operations the fact stands out conspicuously that the only prizes actually given were the smaller ones, except in certain . well marked cases where new territory was being explored. There may be honor among thieves, but the lottery kings were pikers. Sure of enormous profits, they hogged the whole."

TRA VERS, OUIMET AND EVANS APPEAR TO HAVE NATIONAL GOLF TOURNAMENT AMONG SELVES; OTHER CONTESTANTS SEEM WEAK

MISS DETROIT WINS CHALLENGE CUP

Miss Detroit winning the cup. Miss Detroit, the little speed demon of the Detroit Power Beat asriation, won the third and final race for the gold challenge cup on M&nhasset Bay, L. I., a few days ago, beating the two other hydroplane speed boats that were pitted against her. She covered the course of thirty miles in 1 hour, 3 minutes and 34 seconds. Members of the Detroit syndicate that built Miss Detroit said after the race they would beprepared to defend the cup at Detroit jaext summer. - -

INDIANA UNIVERSITY GIRL ATHLETE OF CLASS; HOLDS RECORD IN POLE VAULT

"SHOELESS" JOE NOW A WHITE SOX

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One of the sporting writers comes through with an odd explanation for Tris Speaker's failure to clout as well as in Other seasons. Tris, says this fellow, is so worried about his future that it affects his work. The writer points out that Tris last Spring held lip Owner Joe Lannin of the Red Sox for a $16,500 per year contract, which expires at the end of this season. Then he adds : "Speaker realizes that there will be hg salary reductions after this season, and Tris, knowing he cannot use the Federal League as a club to hammer Lannin for another fat contract, is extremely nervous, and, therefore, cannot do himself justice." Another writer says the real reason is that Speaker has been hitting in hard luck hitting 'em "where they are" and not "where they ain't." But one needn't worry about Tris. He's beginning to club, and it's the safest kind of a bet that he'll be around the .330 when the season closes.

MIKE OR PACKEY? WHICH WILL WIN IN BIG BOUT NEXT MONTH HARD TO PICK

Ouimet (top left), Chic Evans and Travers (right). The golfer who climbs the watch tower and scans the horizon to find some figure that lifts itself above the eommon crowd of aspirants for the national amateur title in the championship at Detroit, August 28 to September 4, will be compelled to come sadly down and admit that he sees nothing new, only the same old three faces: the amateur triumvirate, Jerome D. Travers, the open champion; Francis Ouimet, the amateur champion, and Chic Evans, the western champion. It is not expected that the title will pass outside the trio.

BOYS FROM THE BUSHES ARE NERVOUS WHEN THEY FIRST REACH FAST COMPANY

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Pauline SiebenthaL 1

At a recant athletic meet, Pauline Siebentba!, e student at the University of Indiana, set a new record for girls in the pole vault, clearing 6 feet 1 inch. Miss Siebenthal is also an expert at basketball and tennis, and .'Attnwtd !ko get np a girls' baseball team in college this year.

Fans are wondering what Joe will do in the new company in which he now finds himself.

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Mike Gibbons (top) and Psckey McFarland. V Interest in the bout at New York next month between Paekey MeFaiw land and Mike Gibbons is nation-wide. Because they have always fought in separate classes and appear to be about evenly matched, few fight critic arc willing to venture a prediction as to which of the fighters wft writ.

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