Sport: World Series

(See front cover) In Chicago and in Philadelphia this week one of the many enterprises of William Wrigley, Jr. blossomed out into a fruitful and profitable success. For in these two cities two baseball teams were meeting and struggling for what was somewhat grandiloquently referred to as the world's baseball championship.* One team was the Philadelphia Athletics, representing the American League. The other was the Chicago Cubs, representing the National League. As everyone knows, Mr. Wrigley is Cub owner. The millions of U. S. citizens who, through radio and newspaper, hung upon the flash of every ball, the crack of every bat, probably did not much concern themselves with the corporate aspects of the entertainment provided them. Nor, in justice to Mr. Wrigley, could it be said that his connection with baseball was sordidly commercial. The Chicago baseball franchise was no pearl of great price when Mr. Wrigley purchased it, and as recently as 1925 the club finished last in the league race. Then astute Mr. Wrigley got able Joseph McCarthy to manage his team. The Cubs finished fourth in 1926 and 1927, third in 1928 and this year won by so wide a margin that the last month of the schedule was an empty formality. Now baseball teams make or lose money according to whether they win or lose games. It is safe to say that for the last three years the Chicago team has shown a profit. This year, playing to 1,500,000 patrons in Chicago alone, the team must have been returning a profit on its investment at which General Motors or Standard Oil would probably turn enviously green. When his team made certain of winning the pennant, Mr. Wrigley told all the players to have a big evening at his expense; adding that he would not honor any expense account for less than $50. Quieter in manner, taller and thinner in figure, less pretentious but nonetheless admired is Philadelphia's manager and part owner, Cornelius ("Connie Mack") McGillicuddy. He has gained fame through baseball —and baseball alone. He attends every game his Athletics play, invariably sits in the same place in the dugout, seldom raises his voice to command or correct. He last brought an American League pennant to Philadelphia in 1914, has since then watched his team fluctuate between the cellar and the next-to-top story. Meanwhile the masticating jaws of the fans in the ball park and of others all over the world never stopped supplying Mr. Wrigley with a vast income. During the first six months of this year the Wrigley Co. (chewing gum) had net earnings of $5,211,990, more than $300,000 more than the net income of the first six months of 1928 when the total annual net earnings were $11,068,618 or $6.15 a share. His business, still increasing, has tripled since 1920. He spends an average of $4,000,000 dollars a year on advertising. Red-cheeked, dewlapped and genial, given to exercise, to backslapping, to the indulgence of strange whims that usually turn out to be investments, and fond of uttering pungent aphorisms on salesmanship, of gravely handing new acquaintances packages of his gum, a supply of which he carries around with him at all times, William Wrigley Jr. is at 68 well-equipped to enjoy his amazing prosperity. In the conventional fashion of rich men who believe it is time for them to have some fun, he has become Chairman of the Board of directors of his company and made his son Philip K., president. For