The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1907-05-14
AMATEURS NEED
FORMER POLICY
ABOUT JUMPTN
Players Show Yellow
Streak by Quitting
Losers.
By THOMAS S. RICE.

6g &AN4N<A9 NANEs
Although the Washington amateur
baseball season of 1907 is stiH young.
complaints are already being made that
some Of the best players are adopting
the venerable scheme of jumping from
team to team and league TO league in
an effort to land with a championship
organization.
This is the almost inevitable result Of
boom in amateur baseball. but at the
same time il is a thoroughly undesirable
and unsportsmanlike policy. A man
who starts with a loser should have
the nerve to stick, and IL he is con-
stanuy shifting his base merely be-
cause he does not appear to have land
ed among champions. he is u gutter
pure and simple, a discredit to himself
and the game, and likely to prove of
but little help to the nine he finally
selects II it happens to strike bad
streak. as the Inherent yellow streak
will come TO the surface in the face Of
adversely.
Scandal Brewing.
All OF the leagues have adopted a rule
against playing jumpers with the eN-
ception of the Departmental, which is
peculiar to itself in many ways and
fit subject for a separate regulation.
but il is claimed by those who have
studied the makeup of the other leagues
that they are not enforcing the RUS.
The Capital city League says IL is pure
white soul ali by its lonesome, and is
asking the other leagues TO join In a
holy war against the unholy practices
which now threaten great scandal in
our fair city.
The readiness with which some of the
brightest diamond rights are prone 20
slide into q new Uniform IS causing
them to be viewed with suspicion ana
alarm by come of the other teams that
did not see them first Unless the pres
idents get together there is going 10
be a big fuss that viii give amateur
baseball "a black eye here
Commission Suggested.
One suggestion is that a commission
consisting Of Uncle Nick Young and
other sincere and honest admirers oI
The great national game be formed TO
serve as a sort Of board OF arolIIdliyI
10 pass upCn all disputes concerning
ulaVers and the idea is we'll worthy OF
study Many eases naturally arise, IN
which a man himself hardly SHOWS u
what team he owes dleslance, . -
the decision of an impartial commlss!}h
would help him and the contending man
ayers out OF difficulty
There be those WHO hllAtN j III 49, -
for giving a draw decision in inc mist
.O'Brien- Burns night. They are parity
right and partly wrong II shoulu %
. remembered that Jeffries was instructed
when he entered the ring that the men
had m agreement that If both nnlshed
strong the decision would be draw.
He acted accordingly, for they We're
1T for about twenty miles more OF lheh
sprlnting when the bell closed the TWEEN
tfcth round Burns was the aEErcSSOr.
and If a hair-line decision HAD been
given il would have gone to him, as
Jeffries frankly confessed, but Jeh had
10 so according to orders,
Where Jeffries made his fatal mistake
was in not telling the audience that this
secret agreement between the men had
been entered into. and telling exactly
what to expect. It would have been
even better if he had refused absolutely
TO referee the fight under such reStric-
tions, but there was a thousand dollars
or SO in il for him and he didn't have
the nerve to turn down the money.
These aw-if-both-fipish-stro agree
ments are a great source OF crooked
ness. and 50 well with fiat guarantees
Neither should ever be heard of in con-
nection with a championship contest
but il is almost a cinch that If Burns
and SqUires meet at Colma both these
Objectionable features Will be found
somewhere in the articles which viii
not be published in the newspapers.
champion going around the country
exhibiting his prowess and thereby
lighting every week or so. is entitled
10 some consideration and should have
a perfect right TO force an understand
ing that II he is there at the end Of
the original number OF rounds he should
not get worse than n draw with an
ambitious rival who has probably gone
through long course Of training espe-
clally to trim the champ. but when two
men have prepared especially to bat
tie for a title there should ne nothing
TO modify the referees judgment
These secret agreements sometimes
have unexpected results Al Herford
refused to allow Kid Sullivan to meet
Battling Nelson unless Nelson would
agree 10 81 draw If both were on their
feet at the end Of the six rounds. Her
ford's courage failed him. and he
thought Sullivan was due for a beating
As IL turned out, Sullivan decisiveIy
outpointed Nelson. but Referee Billy RO-
cap could only give him a draw and the
Washingtonian lost the greatest chance
Of his life, and thousands of dollars he
would have been worth as a star scrap
per.