DCVO1CO TO Sportsmen an<) Athletes Base Ball, Trap Shooting. Hunting, Fishing, College Foot Ball, Golf. Laivn Tennis, Cricket, Track Athletics, Basket Ball, Soccer, Court tennis. Billiards, Bowling, Rifle and Revolver Shooting, Atltomobiling. Yachting, Camping, Rowing, Canoeing, Motor Boating, Swimming, Motor Cycling, Polo, Harness Racing and Kennel^ VOL. 68. NO 16, PHILADELPHrA. DECEMBER 16,1916 PRICE 5 CENTS THE Dougiass Baird, Third Baseman Pilfsburgh National league Club that these players had reverted to the Western League RENEWAL OF CREDENTIALS apd were not eligible to play with the St. Joseph Club, to have bought them from the of "Sporting Life" arc which had claimed 4LL CORRESPONDENTS Wichita Club on or about September 5th. This trans­ porting Hilt requested to return their credentials for renewal fer was null and void for the reason that Section 7, The Loyal Champion of Clftui Sport for the year of 1917. Prompt compliance with this re­ Article VI of the National Agreemtnt forbids the sale of The World's Oldest uid Best Base Bail Journal within Tlu Hacogaized Authority in Base Bill and Trap Snooting quest is necessary in order to facilitate the annual 'a player by one minor league club to another days of the commencement of the drafting labor of reorganizing the correspondents' corps, which twenty period. The Commission has always sustained and is, by the way, quite a task, owing to the great num­ enforced the reversionary right of a league, major or ber of contributors. Failure to return the old creden- minor, to the players of a retiring club, as stipulated tn fepOttS! Of AU &0tt< tials will be considered a declination of further service in league constitutions, but has uniformly insisted that of tfje 5®orlb'S the back salaries of the players involved must be ad­ as correspondent. the FOUNDED APRIL, 1983 justed within a reasonable time. The right of Western League to retain player Gray was wholly Title Registered is the United States Patent Ofllce by Th» predicated on the payment of his back salary or his Sporting life Publishing Company. Entered at the THE XEW PLAYER'S CONTRACT Philadelphia Post Office as second-clasa n»il. consent to play under an agreement that the amount due him would be paid within a prescribed period. He SUBSCRIBERS NOTB National Commission adopted a new player's "Snorting Life" is told at all I>I\K News Stands BVBRT- THE simply exercised under the circumstances the preroga­ WHKRE »t 5c. a copy. If you cannot get It from a dealer. send contract at the recent meeting in Chicago, which tive of a player whose club had defaulted in its con­ SUBSCRIPTION direct to Spertins Life Offli-e, $2.00 a year 52 will be readily accepted by both major leagues. An tractual obligations to him by dodiuing to remain with iasuee Foreign, $1.00, Canadian, 50c. extra postage. important clause provides for the payment of salary ADVERTISERS NOTE th$t team unless the Western League adjusted the bal­ The A<jTeTti»in» Forms close on MONDAY preceding date of in full to a player injured on the ball field. Hitherto ance due him from the Wichita Club, which was not issue. AdvertisiBj Bites on application. a crippled player drew two weeks' pay and then was done. Under these conditions, the player is correct iu CONTRIBUTORS NOTB suspended until he was able to resume work. The Good Stories «nd Articles on SPORTS will be ceasidered. denying that he passed to and remained under the con­ The Editor is not responsible for manuscripts while in his pos- new contract also contains an option clause and a ten trol of the Western League. The Commission rules (ession or in transit; Authors are recommended to retain dupU- days' release notice. When the player signs be gives he was a free agent, when drafted by the Chicago c»t« copy. that AGENTS NOTE an option on his services for a term of years, so that American League Club. This draft, however, is cau- BYBRTBODT (BOTH men and women) lores Sport! SUB­ even if he does not receive a notice of renewal at the celled and the Secretary of the Commission is in­ SCRIPTION AGENTS WANTED everywhere. Write us for held just the same. In the tense yon will find them Tery Interestllff. end of a season he can be structed to return that club's check for the- player's old contract the player sold an option on his services selection. Any contract that he may have signed with Pnbliihed every Saturday by for one year. The ten days' release clause has been the Chicago Club on reporting to it is, however, valid Sporting life IJubluSfung Company . modified. If a player accepts his release a place in the and binding. L7nder date of November 10th, Presi­ 30-38-84 South Third St., Philadelphia, Pa., U. S. A. minor leagues at a reduced salary must be found for dent Zehrung concedes that the back salaries of the him, but if he declines to leave his club his services former Wichita players, from August 1st to Septem­ THOMAS S. DANT50................. President and GOB Editor been drawn KRANCIS r. RICHTER...... Vice-President and Kditor-in-Chief must be retained. The new contract has ber 5th, inclusive, had not been paid, although guaran­ J. CLIFFORD DANIJO. Secretary-Treasurer and Business Manager by eminent attorneys, who declare that the provisions teed by the league when the Wichita franchise was THOMAS D. RICHTER....................... Associate Editor and legal. In adopting this contract J. DOUGLASS DANDO.................... Advertising Manager are both mutual placed. The league's annual meeting has been recently the base ball solons believe that the players will have held without definite action having been taken to PHILADELPHIA, DECTSHBEB 16, 1916 no grievances. The wishes of the Ball Players' Fra­ perfect its claim to the Wichita players by redeeming ternity has been respected and no fair-minded player its promise to pay them the amount due them from Life" ^)asf J|o Cqual can have any kick on the terms of the document. August 1st to September 5th for services. The Western "Sporting Of course the contract will contain the reserve clause, League's reversionary rights to the Wichita players, It IB distinctly unique in being the only WEEKLY DIGEST could not be conducted on of Sports of All Sorts published, and represents the IDEAL of without which base ball who remained with that team upon the assurance that Journalism. A weekly Journal is the only system by whirl* all its present magnificent scale. This clause is attacked their over-due salary claims would be adjusted by the vrorth-while rui-reiit news can be gathered from everywhere those who are not familiar with the cqnduct of the in the realm of Sport and! combined with a bunch of good by that league are entitled to a settlement within a reason­ Sporting ntor.es for busy men, gu that they caa get it all iu a pastime, some of whom go so far as to claim that it able time. In safeguarding the interests of a league, nutshell, to enjoy and ke«p fully informed in a few leisure makes a ball player a slave of the magnates and de­ of players must bo hours, once a week before it has time to get stale. Trying to the National Agreement privileges read a daily paper for Sports and Sporting stories 1s about like prives him of his freedom after he has once signed a given consideration. Unless these claims are adjusted trying to read your favorite book at the circus; or like trying contract. The object of the reserve clause is to en­ the promulgation of this finding, te enjoy Yacht Racliig, Motor Boating, Golf, Tennis, Hunting within 30 days from or Fishing' in a hurricane. It cannot be done with real pleas­ able clubs to be kept intact and prevent the collection all those players will become free agents. ure in tb« short time you take to read your daily, nor can you of star players into one or two of the richest clubs. get real live current news from a monthly. "Sportmg Life's" of league, We«kly Digest is rti« only way it can be done, with real pleat- Such a course would result in the death ore. Its field of operation is national, not local, and thus it base ball within a very short time. This fact is real' THE MAJOR LEAGUES broadens your vision far beyond anything otherwise possible. with the sport, including Its Weekly Digest of new*, combined with fiction and reminis­ ized by every one connected cences, represents fir more to the reader than either without all the players. President Fultz, of the Fraternity, AS "SPORTING LIFE" goes to press the annual the other: and being published weekly four times each month; acknowledged that the reserve clause was abso­ being held of the National Leaguo itome months five times it gives from 2% to 6 times as much early " meetings -are reading matter for $2.00 a year as monthly Journals give for lutely essential to the life of the game, and that it and American League the former in New York, and $1.00 to $3.00 a year. It don't have time to get stale. It would never be opposed by the players. This alone the latter in Chicago. The American League has no gives you the good things you do not have time to read, and cannot get, in your daily paper, and being published weekly, proves that the clause is necessary, for the players, special business before it beyond welcoming the new makes it pcnible to give you not only the real live current whose freedom of action is somewhat restricted by it, owners of the Boston Club, settling finally the status ot news, notea and records, but fiction and reminiscences also.