Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-10
SULLIVAN , (ATcHER
NlcAeo Ar1ERlcHNs
WHO
HOLDOUT FOR
MORE MONEY
By Clarence L. Cullen.

Most Of them have signed, you'll observe.
Who? Oh, those ball players that were
never going to play ball any more till their
figures were met by their club owners.
Very few Of the Holdoutskis are now
sulking in their swamps. Every day we
are informed that some ball player who
was determined never to tread the sod of
a diamond again till his employers "recog-
nized his worth by a substantial increase
in salary"-every day We read that some
such player has affixed his little monaker
to the contract parchment, remarking, as
he flourishes his 1ohn Hancock over tho
written bargain, that he's thoroughly sat-
isfied"
For it's right close to training time now,
you see. Very presently the squads will
be hiking for those balmy magnolia sec
lions to get their hands picked and to
drive the creakiness out Of their joints.
And there's fun In being left behind.
even folks who don't play ball generally
know that.
The fans extract plenty of cold weather
amusement in watching the moves of the
ball-playing Holdoutskis. The fans are
never fooled as to the certain outcome OF
these situations. They know, from long OBJ
servation. that the Never Agans are going
to slide in out of the damp at the critical
moment. But they dig fun out of the game
in doping out the new kinds of kinks ma
der to scare their bosses into conniptiOns.
Rightover, the great finger, gives 1t out
in October, not long after the close of the
season. that he's had about enough of base
ball. He doesn't like the travelling end of
it. He's sick of romping around in the
cars. He wants to settle down. He's
bought himself a fine 4OO-room hotel in
Sandusky, Ohio, and the management Of
time to play ball even if he had the in
clination-and he hasn't any such inclina-
ton. What's the use of playing, anyhow,
when his efforts are not appreciated by his
employers? Iney only paid him umph
thousand for his work last season, and
look at the number of games he won, and
the holes he pulled the team out of. when
most of the other pitchers on the club, all
of them paid much or more than he,
were going like collection Of sunbonnets
out of the old women's home! Nixee. The
club owners 'ud have to show him some
thing before he'd ever tack his mark to
any paper for another ball-playing season.
Ball playing was only a side issue with
him. anyhow. He didn't ave to play ball.
He is there with bank wad. land l guess
this Is punk caravansary I've got hold
of here in Sandusky, hey?"
Along toward Christmas time there's an
other emulation from the great Rightover.
Play ball?
Don't make me laugh" says Right
over, for my hands are chapped. Me
play ball any more? What for? Playing
ball is work. isn't it? Well, what makes
you think l gotta work? I'm through
with that old ball stuff forever. man
that plays ball when he can do anything
else to make a living IS just fooling
around. that's all. He's wasting his OPP
portunities. It's good enough for dubs
that don't know anything else-but me?
Well, this is the bum hosiery that your
friend. Little Sunlocks. is running here
in Sandusky now, l suppose. yes? Sixty
four guests in the house right now, and
this in the dead of winter. Wretched, 1
guess? All of 'em separating 'emselves
from So to $3.50 day for their board and
keep. at that. Nothing in that for me,
presume? I'm just slouching around here
for sanitary reasons, you take it? I'd like
to know what kind of a tadpole I'd look
like TO flag a good graft like this to go
jamming around the United States toss
ing eel-balls for club that don't ap-
preciate me. Why, say, my bar trade
alone figures up more in the course of
three months than all the money these
nggardly ball club owners pay me for a
whole seasons flinging. Say, do / look as
If I've got nothing but mayonnaise dress
ing in the back of my conk?"
Shortly after New Year the announce
ment is authoritatively given out that
Rightover will fling for the club that
owns him or for no club at all-that no
deal looking to his exchange will even
be considered.
"Ohot' chirrups Rightover when that
announcement Is taken to him for his
comment They're going to run me. are
they? Going to jes make me- whether I
wanna or not, hey? You just watchr'
A little while after that the observa-
lions of MIR. Rightover. as printed in his
home paper. become a bit more pIaintive
and considerably less derisive
know, those people are not giving
me a square deal, and all like that" he
says. Il never was a bucker or kicker
j delivered the goods. Never grouched