Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-26

The other three players, Snyder, Dinneen
and Wagner, want more money than they
received for playing in the Eastern League
last gear. Their side of the argument is
that in any other line of business when a
MIN Is promoted an advance in salary gen.
orally goes with the promotion. But the
recalcitrants should remember that base
ball is totally different from any other bust
Tess under the sun. Ii is simply by band
ing together that the magnales can con-
t1nue successfully to run base ball, as any
one of the contracts signed by PLAYERS
would not hold a minute in court But the
player who Is not satisfied with a contract
and seeks legal redress might as we'll take
up some other line of work at once and not
wait on the courts verdict. as his chances
OF ever again wearing professional play
ers uniform would be very slim. From Mr.
wagner standpoint the argument is ad-
Nanced that he does not know what the
tnree young asplantS for base ball fame
can do in the National League and il wouII
rot be business for him to pay a large
salary TO a man who may prove worthless
when he steps into the diamond ~ Na,;a,,.i
Park.
Let these players who are holding ONT
Tor more money" said Mr.. Wagner recent
~ TO Star reporter, come to Washing
ton and demonstrate that they can inlay
ball ard they will have no trouble witt me-
am not . hard man to get along with. as
any OF my players will tell YOU but I have
peen IN the game too long to put out big
money Tor a ham that may prove worthless
TO the club When DeMontrevile first
played for me he was cheap man, but he
played great ball. and In three years had
reached the limit That is a pretty good
advance, and it Seems to me that Dinneen.
wagner and Snyder would be using only
good common sense il they decide at once
10 sign washington contract and get
GOWN 10 business. L know a good PLAYER
without consulting percentages and the
man that works fer me energetically and
proves to be good one will not gat left
when 1t comes TO looking after his financial
future"
other club owners are having their trou-
pies also with players, and Mr.. Wagner is
ooubtiess following out a line agreed upon
Dy all the magnates at the late meeting in
ST. Louis Very few clubs made money of
any considerable amount last year. and for
TINS reason the extra games were tackled
could almost ruin the clubs they belong TO
Dy refusing to play, in the case of
Nichols of Boston and Kelley, Keller Jen-
nlngs and Corbett Of Baltimore. but in pull
ing Gown their employers it would resolve
Itself INTO case of biting off ones nose to
spite his face. The players cannot do with
OUT the magnates any more than the mag
rates can co without the players but there
is happy medium which 1t is hoped NAV
De struck, not only for the good of the
itself. e'-''>
The average base ball reader finds IT a
tribe strange that some of the players who
have never been SUSPECTED OF a fondness
Tor records should show SO much feeling
because OF the change in the scoring Of
stolen bases. OF course it would not do to
charge these men with being record play
ers, for many Of them are not but they
should have thought little more about
what they were saying before laying them
selves open to suspicion for display in
the records. AS an instance, Capt Duffy
can be cited as protesting against the new
rule on earned runs, but he fails to give
anything new. Hs simply repeats what
others have said. that base runner should
be credited with a stolen base, even should
the battery make an error to insure the
runners safety. 1t would have been more
to the point IL these players who are pro-
testing should have told US why the rum
ner should be given the stolen base when
he didn't steal. When the base runner gets
safely to second or third, aided by a bat
terry error, he has secured the fruits of q
stolen base, even II technically deprived of
his good intention In the summary, but he
has not stolen base. So far as the result
OF the game Is concerned, or as to the base
runners individual efforts toward winning a
game Is concerned, he has ACCOMPLISHED
what he has attempted-advanced a base
The question then arises, Why should the
players make so much fuss about the
simple credit Of having stolen a base? That
makes no difference, one way or the other
this grumbling over the change In the rules
Is trife misty. Would these srumblers
say that the batters should be given the
credit Tor base hit because Of a flelder's
error! wasn't the batter's intention on the
same line As that OF the base runner? 1t
Is the biggest moonshine In the world to
say that the rule viii kill or even injure
base running. No man IL going to decide
against trying to steal bases because Of the