The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-01-08
WERE NOT RESERVED
GEORGE TEBEAU CLAIMS WESTERN
LEAGUE PLAYERS ARE FREE
TO SIGN
FARRELLs BULLETIN A BLUFF
Reservation Clause Was Ignored by
Club Owners, and Threat
of the Blacklist Is
Unfair.


! Kansas City American association mag
nate, the officers of the national associa-
| ton Of minor leagues are beginning to
employ dirty methods in their attempt
to aid the Western league in it's fight
! against the Hickey organization.
| Mr.. Tebeau spent yesterday morning
| and q portion of the afternoon in st.
Paul, guest of George E.. Lennon, pres
ident of the st. Paul American associa-
| ton team, and while in the city the Kan
| sas City magnate found time to discuss
the latest bulletin issued by j. H. Far
| rell, secretary Of the National Association
Of Minor Leagues.
The bulletin, which explains itself, is
| as follows:
the national agreement reads as follows:
Any player under reservation to a club
| party to this agreement that will contract
| with or play with any other club or as
ISOLATION without the written consent
| of the president Of the club he is under
| reservation to, shall be disqualified until
| such time as ne shall pay to the secre-
tary of the national board of arbitration
a sum according to the class his club
belongs to, which is as follows:
Players leaving Class "a must pay
s., 900.
Players leaving Class "B'' must pay
5000.
Players leaving Glass "C' must pay
| $500.
Players leaving Glass I'D" must pay
$780,
Said payments by players of such
sums-Which must be paid in full-must be
| paid to the secretary Of the national
board, who will receipt for same, ana
| due notice of termination of such dis
| qualification shall be given by the board
to the club members party to this agree
| ment.
For the benefit Of Western league
| players who have made inquiries and
Western league players in general we de-
sire to say that this article and section
is IN ful force touching players under
reservation to the several clubs of the
Western league.
j. H. Farrell, Secretary
rms bulletin, Tebeau argues, is Simply
a deliberate attempt upon the part of the
national association of minor leagues to
frighten timid ball players who NAV
stop to think Of their future before sign
ing for the coming season. Tebeau en-.
phatically insists that Farrell, Whitfield
and every other man responsible for the
publication of this bulletin knows as we
as 1t is possible for them to know any
thing. that the reservation claim is q
simple and direct bluff deliberately made
to brighten players away from the new
organization.
George Tebenu Talks.
1.-THE Western league is thoroughly de-
| feated,' said Tebeau, ''and have no de-
sire to assist in advertising the Whitfield
league, but this bulletin is so utterly ri
| diculous that it should be explained for
the benefit of the baseball supporters who
do not keep in close touch with the stu
alton.
This talk threatening the blacklist for
all players who, anxious to improve their
position in the baseball world, think OF
moving up into the American association
rank, is q contemplate move on the part
of the friends of the Western league.
THE players in the Western league last
season, unless they have signed contracts
for 1902 are at liberty to go ahead and
sign with any club Offering them a
chance. Not a player in the Western
league and in the majority OF the clubs
of the other minor leagues, has ever been
| reserved, and he can without fear OF
punishment go ahead in any attempt to
better his condition that may be present
ed.
No, do not mean to say that the re-
serve clause in the baseball contract Is
worthless, but T mean to say that the
club owners Of the Western league never
respected the reserve clause incorporated
in their contracts. That contract con-
tafns the following reserve clause:
" Fourteenth-It is hereby further
agreed that in consideration of the stipu-
| lations and agreements herein confined
and the further consideration of $10 the
|
said party of the first part shall have
the option to renew this contract with all
| the terms and conditions therein ex-
pressed for the schedule season of 1902,
| provided that said party of the first part
shall serve written notice of it's intention
to exercise said option Of renewal on or
before Sept %, 1901, on said party Of the
second part
THAT" said Tebeau, sis the reserve
/ ola ;,o+
league respected that clause last season.
| Not a bail player received the SO he is
entitled to by this clause in the contract
| and yet now this national association
comes out and threatens all players at
tempting to ignore reserve claims with
the blacklist.
1.-THE rational board of arbitration can,
on the face of all this, decide this mat
ter only in favor of the ball player. Not
a magnate really reserved a player-aI-
| though many of them served their writ
| ten notices-and the ball players have the
| right to go ahead and sign with any team
/ in the country that is willing to take
them on without the least fear Of pun
ishment by any one of this fearful look
/ ing list of fines sent out by Secretary
! Farrell
Tebeau feels confident about the real
worth of the contracts he has made with
! the players who will be in the Kansas
! City team next season. The Sporting Life
and the Kansas City Star, which claims
the president of the Western league as
! it's sporting editor, are now questioning
the legality of the Tebeau contracts, but
! these papers are addressing their articles
] to Dale Gear, and Tebeau intends to per
nit his partner to answer for himself.
Tebeau's announcement of the failure
Of the Western league club owners to
carry out the reserve clause of the base
ball contract certainly makes the Ma
tional Association of Minor Leagues
! threat of the blacklist look a contempt
ible attempt to further impose upon the
baseball player.
Dishonest Attempt.
If the Western league club owners did
not pay the men signing contracts the
stipulated $40 for the right to reserve
them, the national association will not
win any particular amount of respect by
making what looks nothing more than
deliberate dishonest attempt to handicap
! the American association.
There may be baseball supporters who
feel that perhaps Hickey and his follow
ers did wrong in pulling out from the
little Western, but bulletins from the
| national association similar to this latest
from Mr. Farrell will simply win this
| class over to the new association.
The baseball world will stand for a
fair fight The American association mas
been fighting fair fight and the enemies
| Of the new organization will have to adj
| NIT this claim. Whitfield declared to
The Globe at Kansas City that his
league wanted nothing but a fair fight,
and Manning Endorsed the statement Of
! the league president.
4 Whitfield and Manning H@y be Waging