Powers of Organized Ball, at the Recent Secret Pittsburgh Confer Ence, Shift from Their Original Dignified and Efficacious Plan
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PHILADELPHIA, FEBRUARY 7, 1914 WAR PLA Powers of Organized Ball, at the Recent Secret Pittsburgh Confer ence, Shift From Their Original Dignified and Efficacious Plan of Battle, and Commit Themselves to the Hazard of Law and Lawyers BY JACK RYDER. tle on that line, enjoining all jumpers CINCINNATI, O., February 4. That from taking part in any games with the the forces of organized ball have deter Federals, on the ground mined to put up a real fight against the THAT THEIR FEDERAL CONTRACTS encroachments of the Federal League wag will not hold in law and, therefore, can the word brought back by Chairman Herr- not be legally carried out. In this way mann, of the National Commission, who returned Monday morning from Pitts they hope to prevent the Feds from start burgh, where a meeting of the Commis ing the season, and thus the players who sion was held on Saturday to discuss the have jumped can be taken back into the invasion of the outlaws. The club own fold, without loss, either of coin or dig ers of the major leagues and also of the nity, to the major club owners. All the Class AA and Class A clubs have agreed lawyers who have been consulted are firm on a plan of action, and they hope to in the belief that the reserve clause will prevent the Feds from starting the sea hold water in any court in the land. If son. In fact, they have confidence in it does, the Feds are done, for they will their ability to head off the invasion and have no teams with which to open the are firm in the belief that the Gilmore season, as a majority of their best play organization will-give up the ghost before ers will be enjoined from playing, and tb.6 first of April. so much trouble and annoyance will be THEEE ABE TWO PLANS OPEN caused them that they will have to give to the organized ball people. One is to up the ghost very promptly. sign up as many players as possible, keep THINKS FEDERAL WILL "BLOW.** ing the ranks of their clubs nearly in tact, and then resolutely agreeing to re Mr. Hermann said that the Commis fuse to consider the application for posi sion will announce the details of its pol tions of any players who jump reserva icy within a few days. He believes that tions to go to the Feds. The other plan, it will be entirely successful and that the which has been the one adopted, is to Feds will soon be wiped off the map. fight the Federals in the courts, if neces Said he: "They arc Just about ready to How now. They sary, relying on the legal worth of the held a meeting Saturday at Chicago, . at which two famous reserve clause to win the battle changes in their circuit were- discussed, but nothing in the end. The first plan would be the could be agreed upon. With the season so close upon dignified course. All the major and min u«, and their circuit not yet completed, there ia practically no chance for them to succeed. In fact, I or league players who have signed with believe that their principal backers are now ready to the Feds have the reserve clause in their sell out and compromise, withdrawing from all oppo contracts, and the clubs which have sition. This was discussed at our meeting in Pitts claims on them would be justified in re burgh, but we all agreed that we would not com- promiso or buy them out, but would fight for the fusing to negotiate with them at any fu protection of our rights under our contracts with the ture date. This plan players. President Toner, of the National League, wag very firm on this point. All our legal advice is to WAS ORIGINALLY AGREED TO tha effect that our contracts will hold in law, and by the two major leagues. There would therefore we can prevent any junipers from, playing a ga.mo with the Feds. If we should buy them out, have been no published blacklist, but all which is what I believe they want us to do. the way players who jumped their reservations would be left open for similar annoyance eivery season. would have found it impossible to secure So we have decided to go right after them, and I berths with their old clubs or any others am sure that they will not attempt to play a game of ball. Their circuit is too weak and uncertain and outside of the Federal League for the their playing strength is not powerful enough to rest of their©playing careers. Their base enable them to put up much of a. fight. I consider ball future, therefore, would have de the battle a.9 good as won. At any rate, if organized! JOSEPH BENZ ball, which has worked a great improvement in the pended on the success of the Federal condition of the ball player, cannot hold its own in League. If the new organization had Pitcher of the Chicago Club of the American League this struggle, it is not worthy of the support of the blown, they woi^ld have had to go to work public. Their reserve clause is just as much for the at some other employment, as there would Joseph Bcnz, ©the young Chicago pitcher, who has developed into a star in three years, and protection and advantage of the player as it is for who 13 now on the World Tour, hails from rta.tesville, O., where he was bom© 20 years ago, the club O©wner, for, without it, the present enormous have been no base ball jobs open for them. antl is a. butcher l>j trade. Benz achieved such a reputation as a semi-professional pitcher salaries could not©be paid, and, in fact, base ball as This plan, if firmly and relentlessly car in O©hio and Indiana that a White Sox scout, who was sent to look him over, signed him to a national sport would letrosrade very fast." ried out, would undoubtedly have succeed a Chicago contract in 1!>OS. That season ho was farmed to the Clarksburg, W. Va., Club, of the Mountain States League, but finished the season with the Dee Moines (Western League) FAILED IN GOTHAM. ed in the end by preventing ball players and Green Ba.y (Wisconsin-Illinois League) Clubs. In the season of 1909 he became a regular from jumping their signed obligations in pitcher for the I>es Moines, la., team, and made a remarka.ble showing during the season, Information from New York is to the the future. and before the close of that season the White Sox manager needed his services and called effect that the Feds made an effort to him to Chicago, where he finished the season. From that time on he has been one of the secure backing for a club in the metro HATE TO LOSE ASSETS. mainstays of Comiskey©s team, assisting the White Sox in winning the Chicago City Champion ship Series of 1913 with the Cub?. polis, but failed in their purpose. Charley The magnates, however, have not been Kane, a New Yorker, who acts as Frank able to bring themselves to the point of Bancroft©s assistant when the Reds are giving up their claims on such players as playing at the Polo Grounds and at Eb- have taken the leap to the Feds. The bets Field, in a letter to Banny describes Brooklyn Club, for instance, paid the assets of less value than Tinker. The them, in case they had reported here this the indifference which is shown there to large sum of. $15,000 in cash for Joe Reds, for instance, have been hit very month along with the rest of the team. It the league. He says : Tinker just a day or two before he allied lightly, as both Packard and Wickland, is the horror of the magnates at losing "John M. Ward, the old New York shortstop, and himself with the Federal cause. Under the only young players who have jump these assets, for which they have paid Wally Fessenden, a former league umpire and promi the plan described, if Joe played a single ed the team, were nent turfman, have been attempting to organize a game with a Federal League Club, the good money, that has caused them to stock company with a capital of $100,000 to place a UNCERTAIN OF REGULAR POSITIONS Federal League team on Long Island. After a (Jiligent Brooklyn Club would have been in adopt the other course, namely, that of campaign these promoters were able to place only honor bound not to engage him, even if here, and are not a great loss in a play righting the Feds in the courts and en $SOOO worth of stock, and they have given up their the Feds blew within a month or two ing way. But both of these men were joining the leapers from playing ball with scheme as a thankless task. With three major league purchased last season for considerable the Federals. Having secured many legal clubs already operating in Greater New York, there and he was able to come to Brooklyn at seems to be no demand for a fourth team. John a reasonable salary. The Brooklyn folks sums, and both could have been sold for opinions to the effect that the reserve Ward was very prominent in organizing the Brother cannot see themselves losing that big amounts nearly, if not quite, large enough clause will hold in law, the Commission hood in 1,890.