State
Vol. IV, No 18. STATE COLLEGE, PA., FEBRUARY 20, 1908.
SUMMER' BASEBALL QUESTION.
What is Our Attitude as a College
Toward Permitting Members of
Our Teams to Play Professional
Ball During Vacation ?
As was announced last week in
our columns, the Intercollegiate
Athletic Association, which held its
second annual convention in New
York City last December, made
some sweeping changes in the con
trol of all branches of college sports,
similar in effect to its revision of the
football rules the previous year.
While the convention attacked every
form of professionalism in intercol
legiate athletics it laid the greatest
stress on the necessity of reform in
baseball, because as Mr-. C. W.
Hetherington said in part : "Base
ball stimulates the most serious
violations of the amateur rule ; first,
from the standpoint of frequency of
occurrence; second, from the stand
point of conflicting - practices for
regulation; third, from the stand
point of conflicting opinions concern
ing the_ seriousness_ of infractions;
and fourth, from the standpoint of
differences in the remedies suggested
for bettering conditions."
' The sentiment or the Association
was very strong for radical action
being taken in regard to summer
baseball and it was only through the
efforts of "Pop" Golden that a
sufficiently moderate view of the
situation was taken to justify ap
pointing a cornnaittee to investigate
the matter t 1 roughly with a view
to 'petting the opinion of colleges in
general throughout the country.
This committee has made its pre
liminary report in which it defines
summer baseball and then divides
Coll
players into six classes. The basis
of the report ald of the division
made is the result of circular letters
sent out to sixty-one colleges and
universities in the different sections
of the United States.
According to the report of the
committee the term summer baseball
is applied to the practice of college
students who are still candidates for
their college teams playing baseball
during their summer vacations on
some team not connected with col
lege, which practice makes it ex
tremely difficult to determine the
amateur standing of college players.
Under this definition the six differ
ent classes of summer baseball
players are, from the report of the
committee, as follows :
First, those who join some of the
professional league teams, either
under their own names or some
assumed name; second, those who
organize or join an organization such
as is connected with seaside or
mountain resort hotels under cover
of some other employment, but
solely to play ball, their employers
releasing them for - practice and for
games, but paying them their con
sideration as wages; third, those
who are definitely employed and
paid for certain work and then
organize a baseball nine or play on
it. This is is the condition in mining
districts, etc. The men are not em
ployed tor baseball,but baseball skill
counts. Fourth, those in other occu
pations who play games here and
tnere by invitation. They accept
expenses and nothing more. Fifth,
those who play ball on their home
teams, which are partly profession
al. Some accept money and others
do not. Sixth, those who do not
egian.
need to work during the summers
and who play on mixed nines about
their homes, seaside residences, or
the mountain houses in which they
seem to be genuine guests.
The rules governing summer base
ball and the practice in dealing with
this question differ greatly in differ
ent colleges, even in the same sec
tion of the country. Some colleges
stand squarely on the amateur rule,
while others have abolished it actual
ly or practically. Let us, therefore,
take this matter up and discuss it in
the light of the principles set before
us by the committee. Only by a
fair and open discussion of the mer
its of summer baseball can we de
termine where we stand as an insti
tution.
A SUCCESSFUL TRIP
Our Baketball Team Does Credit to
State on its Eastern Trip.
Not in many years has Penn State
been represented in basketball so
strongly as by Capt. Dußarry and
his men on the Eastern trip last
week. A team that makes the
showing that the present one has
done is worthy of all the spirit and
backing that the White and Blue fol
lowers can give, and too much
credit can not be given to the faith
ful manner in which the team did its
duty.
On Wednesday night F & M.
was easily defeated at Lancaster.
Our opponents were clearly out
classed by the excellent team' work
displayed by Penn State and it was
only due the number of fouls that
Watt threw that F. & M. scored the
number they aid. The result of the
tame was never in doubt.
Delaware College, at Ne o ark,was
met on Thursday night but the team
Price Five Cents