The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-22
Sporting Gossip
The National Agreement,

The National Agreement.
The directors of the National AsCo-
citation of Professional Baseball
Leagues remain within their rights
when they insist that their representa-
tive, Pat Powers, shall insist upon mu-
tual respect for contractuaI and reser-
walton rights at the conference with
the representatives of the big leagues,
called for the purpose Of drafting
new national agreement, but unless the
big league leaders have experienced
a recent change of heart, P. Powers
will be sent back empty-handed to the
little leagues.
The minor leagues have right on
their side when they insist that if they
are to respect the big league contracts
and reservations, the big leagues must
respect their contracts and reserves,
but the big leagues in this case have
all the might on their side, and, when
the conference is held, Powers, rep
resenting the minors, will either COM
promise the demands of the minor
leagues or there will be no agreement.
Mutual respect for contractual and
reservation rights means nothing more
than doing away with the draft system
and, denied the right to take players
from the small leagues, the big leagues
can see no reason for any agreement.
A national agreement has it's other
points, but to the big leagues the main
point is the right to draft and with this
point removed Powers will have a hard
task endeavoring to show the big
league men why they should enter into
any agreement with the little leagues.
Powers is in the right, but he has
all the worst of it. He can gain more
by submitting to the demands of the
National and American leagues than he
can by standing out for mutual re-
spect for contracts and reservations.
Ball players are ambitious and they
want to go up and do not want to
come down. A berth in the big league
at $500 per month looks double the
value of a berth a small league worth
$500 a month to the ambitious and
this one statement is argument enough.
Powers can refuse to sign an agree
ment with the big leagues when they
insist upon the right to draft, and
there is nothing to stop the big league
agents from stepping in and taking the
stars from the minor league teams. A
few players may refuse to desert, but
the ones refusing will be harder to find
than teeth in a new baby.
With an agreement permitting the
right to draft the big league must ply
for any player taken higher UP. With
out an agreement the big league will
take the player without paying any
thing.
The association of little leagues Is in
the right, but the major leagues have
1t all their own way. Powers and his
followers may have several cards up
their sleeves, but unless good cards are
concealed, the leader of the little
leagues will be wise in forgetting his
demand for mutual respect for con-
tractuaI and reservation rights at the
coming conference.
Loaded Ball Must Go.
The Western bowlers refuse to be-
Ueve that the loaded ball" is keeping
the Eastern rollers out of the national
competition scheduled for indianapolis
and insinuate that the men in the East
are sore in spirit because West is
''hogging it ALL"
The Western bowIers can draft their
own explanations of the threatened
split, but the Eastern men, no matter
what their true motives may be, have
all the best of the argument at the
present time.
They are looking far over the posi-
bic good scores to better future for
the game, while the Western advo-
cate of the loaded ball are forgetting
the future of the game in their mad
chase for the elusive 800 mark.
True, the loaded ball means nothing
more than increasing the weight of
wooden ball by an injection of lead,
and an expert the regulation lignum
vitae sphere may roll up higher score
than the mark made by the man work.
ing the loaded ball, but there is a prin-
ciple involved.
Permitting the loaded ball is but the
first step from the narrow path. Al
lowed the loaded ball, the ambitious
player who cares for nothing but the
results, will cast about for other aid
high-score devises.
The loaded ball his no business in the
game The Eastern men may be jeal-