Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-06
Waiver Season for the Big
Leagues Has Arrived.
CHANCE FOR YOUNGSTERS
Fifteen Clubs Must Waive Before
They Return to Minors.
CHECK ON FARMING" SYSTEM
Olympic Fund Growing-College
Golfers to Invade England-Races
at New Orleans.

The curtain has gone mp on the first
act Of the annual production of the bass
rail skit entitled Many Are Called. Bu'
Few Are Chosen In other words, tht
Keginning of the end OF the big league
creams of a few score youngsters is al
hand.
Nearly two hundred young fellows WERE
purchased or drafted from the m'noi
leagues last fall by the sixteen big league
clubs. Possibly thirty of them will still
he with the big show as far along as
July: the others will be tolllnG In the
bush leagues. The process of elimina-
ton has already begun.
The majority of these recruits Will go
south with the big league teams. but be-
fore the first salary day they Will be ols-
posed of Others will get brief trials IN
championship games. But there is an
other set that will not advance even as
far as the spring training camps Ihe!
arc the boys who are covered up by
some big league club and turned back
without chance to show their goods 10
ma ior league managers.
Last Saturday was the first day stipu-
lated for the asking of waivers. 1t is un-
derstood that this list includes the names
of about eighty players who are moi
wanted by the clubs which have reserved
them Under a new ruling these players
cannot be sent back to minor league
until every club owner in both big leagues
has had chance to claim them for Sl,oVV
apiece If the cub holding title to a
player does not wish to dispose of him
for that sum ii must keep him. II the
other fifteen clubs waive claim the player
can then be sent back to the minors.
Until last year each big league waived
vI1,y 1x.rff ra N a
commission. desiring to break UP the per-
nicious practice of covering up players,
extended the privilege. so that player
now has fifteen chances to stick in fast
company where he formerly had but
seven.
This list of players whom waivers
are asked is jealousy guarded from the
press and public for obvious reasons. No
manager cares to let player know OF
his intention to ship him back to the
minors Suppose. for instance. another
club claims this player The manager
decides TO keep him instead of letting
another manager have him for $10Oo The
player makes good perhaps. where he
never would have received a chance II
his manager could have placed him with
minor league club. and under these cir
cumstances he is happily ignorant OF his
narrow escape and holds no grudge
against his manager.
These waiver bulletins are issued
from time to time during the season.
Some managers put in names just to see
whether certain players are desired by
other clubs. 1t is sad business for
. many a capable young player though. He
is sent back without show. and must
bide his time His only solace is that
class is bound to tell some time.
The report from Detroit that Pitcher
George Mullin is holding out for the
same sort of contract as that signed last
nd hof fho Of q
aggregation is willing to trade him for
either Falkenberg. Hughes or Charley
Smith of the Washington club. should be
taken with grain of salt Mullln is
undoubtedly one of the best pitchers in
the country, and the Detroit management
is evidently trying to brighten the clever
iwirler, with threat to transfer him from
4 championship team to taii-end aggre-
cation. Mullin wants to get away from
Detroit and has made no secret of this
desire in the past three years. He came
within a hair of jumping to the outlaws
three years ago. and has often expressed
wish to play in New York and Washing
ton. George believes that he is not APP
Dreciated in Detroit. and no matter how
1ard he tries the fans of the city are al
ways ready with a roast when he loses
a game. Further details of the report
viii have to wait the return of Manager
'anfiilOn from his fishing trip down the
Mississippi. 1t goes without saying that
Mullin would be a better pitcher than ever
under the Washington manager and
everybody would like to see him i'm a
National uniform.
Manager Cantillon and the Comiskey
crowd stopped over day in ST. Louis
on their way down the Mississippi. and
he local manager ran into reporter OF
he Globe Democrat. The reporter says:
-CantiIlon talked with confidence re-
garding the Washington club for next
season. Joe does not expect to win the
out of last place and even thinks it possi-
ole to get into the first division.
= "Of course. 1 have a lot of young fell
!ows to break in said Cantillon, but
with this young Johnson pitching any
hing like he did last summer We are
bound 10 win more games than the pub
lie is expecting.
think all We need is 10 get to playing
veil together. Well beat out New
FORK
The year 1908 will mark the entrance
of many youngsters and the exit of many
veterans in big league base ball. cOndi-
lion bound to come. The clever young
player who is given a chance on one OF
he big teams this coming season is In
Iced fortunate. for there is certain to
De place for him il he has one speck OF
class.
The fans figure the average life of a
hall player in the big leagues at ten
FEARS. OF course there are some who &C
fifteen and over and many more who
never see more than five or six. But fig
airing that ten years is an average. il
means that within the next two years
solne thing more than 100 ball players now
In the big leagues will step down and out
There will he 100 vancancies to be filled
w the younger element.
If ono looks over the list of players who
we're in the National and American
eagues in the SEASON of 1901 and com
pare it with list of those who make vi
the big teams for the coming season he
will see that more than 100 names viii
appear i'm each list. That means thai
more than 100 are playing their eight
year of big league base bail with the
coming season. and. according to the av
srages, have but two more seasons tc
play.
Jimmy Ryan. che old Chicago star says
You can talk about your Delehantys a:
great ball players. l have heard of Jot
tnd his great batting average of 1856 IN
the Tri-State League. / know jim Dele
aanty played great ball for Washington
have heard of Tom. Frank and Willie
out when you come right down to sum
ming up the Delehanty family. the lat,
amented Ed stands out pre-e .ninent
When you talk of Delehanty j think all O
them must be counterfeits compared [,
he great and only Ed. Nobody will
.ver approach the old Philadelphia out
ielder as a slugger. L remember the da,
L. made four horne runs III succession il
game on the Chicago grounds Ever,