The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-10
LAJOIE RECEIVES
 LARGEST SALARY
KING OF LETTERS DRAWS SEW ERAL THOUSAND FOR BEING ABLE TO CRACK THE BALL ON THE NOSE HARD AND OFTEN.

When Larry Lajoie, the king of all free hitters. lands in Atlanta, that city will, for a short time, be the home of the best paid ball player in the entire baseball world.
 There hase been baseball players per- haps who have secured larger salaries than Lajoie. If so 1t was in war time Now that war time has ceased to be, and that peace Is reigning in baseball the magnates are paying more attention to the money end of the game and are lop- ping off excessive rewards for little la bors.
 There was a time when Keeler received, or was said to receive, s10,00O year TOT batting S31 in right field for the New York Americans. His wartime contract expire last year. and he signed up again at big reduction, said to be by some as much as a s6OOO drop from his former contract.
 But the contract of Larry Lajoie is still good. This will make his fourth year with Cleveland and his last under the
 
 nresent contract. At the end of this year he will have mulcted the Cleveland treas ury of s3OSOO. And there are few who dare to say that he has not been wortn' from a drawing standpoint. every cent that has been paid him.
 The salaries of Bemis and of Bradley will receive cut this year. though 1t is
 ro1I1ofiOp will be enough to make either raise a howl or hesitate to sign up. The majority or the other players still have ironclad eor- tracts.
 ..The cuts in the American league at least" said Secretary Barnard when in Atlanta last week. are not so heavy as have been stated, and there will be lew dissatisfied players when the season opens. As for Bradley, well, there IS hardly money enough to buy him, and all this talk of his sale Is pure moon shine"
 Atlanta parties once had the southern league franchise offered them on silver platter and they refused it" says Newt Fisher in the Nashville News Inis year they paid s1s5O0 for 1t and were glad to get 1t. That shows the growth or baseball in the south.
 Charley Frank, Alb Powell and went to Atlanta when we were first organiz- ing the league and offered the franchise to a number of men in Atlanta. We tried to sell it, then we tried to give 1t away and finally offered bonus of 5000 to the club to help pay its years expenses. IL was no use A fellow in Atlanta who had previously experimented with cheap league and had burnt his fingers knocked inc game and the newspapers joined in. Atlanta would not touch the franchise.
 .sWell. we gave the franchise to Selma just to make up the eight clubs needed. The next year Peters transferred ms Selma franchise to Atlanta, and Alb POW ell, who was then managing New Orieans' took a half interest. The next season ne bought Peters interest and removed his interests to Atlanta A few days ago he sold for ,500 the franchise which we once tried vainly to give away.
 New York, February 11.-There VIII De no chances in the baseball rules in the two big leagues for the season or lso' all rumors to the contrary notwthstano- ing. This positive statement was maoe by President Harry Pulliam Of the Na- tional league on his return from west ern trip.
 President Pulliam predicts the greatest season that baseball has ever known throughout the country. He took occasion to nall the rumor that the Boston Ma tional club was to be transferred to Bal timore, declaring 1t to fo aosuro anu absolutely incorrect"
 President Pulliam said: "All this talk of rule changing at the coming meeting of the National league. which begins al the Hotel Victoria on February b, Is the sheerest nonsense. Not rule will De changed The rules are all right now and we will stand pat with the reguia- tions as they are.
 .The foul strike rule, far from danger of abrogation. Is a fixture in baseball. TO eliminate 1t would be to retrograde. we might as we'll return to the catcher back style of play and require, as in the old days. that the catcher should receive the ball on the bounce.
 There is no reason why any rue should be changed. and none will be. You can bank on that.
 we have figured down our schedule so that in this city there will be only four conflicting dates, two on Labor day, one on a Sunday and one on a week day. The National league will draw up its schedule aNd after It's adoption exchange with the American league for theirs We meet simultaneously, the Nationals at the Victoria and the Americans at the Breslin.'
 At the request of Frank Robison, presi- dent of the St. Louis club, special meeting of the board of directors of the National league has been called for Feb ruary 14 at the Victoria, in this city, to consider the so-called Taylor case, involv- ing the investigation of game between St. Louis and Pittsburg. played in the lat ter city on July S 1904. This is the game regarding which so much talking has been done. The case will be thoroughly gone over.