Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-04-04
CHANCE ADVOCATES
YEARLY CONTRACTS
Such Agreements Would Pre-
vent Ball Players From
Holding Up Clubs.
Special Correspondence Of The Star.
SHRFVEPORT Ia March n ~


SHREVEPORT, La, March 81. 1909.
MY experience with ball players this
spring leads me to believe that the only
feasible contract is one Tor the full twelve
months said Manager Chance of the
Chicago Cubs the other morning, 1.-The ball
player getting his money winter as well
as summer. Then If he fails to report
for the spring training trip when ordered
to do so the club has some hold on him.
for his salary would stop as soon as he
failed to do as ordered.
AT present the club has no way to
compel a player to report in the spring,
and as for breaking the contract. as
Catcher John King now threatens to do,
what does player care for fine of 500
or $50? If it were 81 600 a player would
think twice before making such a move. '
John Kings announcement that he Will
retire is not causing the. leader OF the
team a great deal of worry, he declares.
Chance says he confidently expects the
catcher to report to the West Side team
before the season is far under way.
Kings message to Chance said his de-
cision not to play ball this year was not
on account of any difference over salary.
That Is the point on which Chance says
back. The manager advances two argu-
ments supporting his belief-first, that he
does not believe Kings billiard and pool
hall can bring to the catcher the income
Noisy John has been drawing from the
Chicago club. especially in the summer
time. and. second, that the mention OF
salary indicates that King is hoping that
Chance and Murphy will jump after him
and offer a big raise to induce him TO
come back.
If such is Kings idea he probably has
received a rude shock to 1t. for Chance
answered his message Immediately upon
receipt. wishing him good luck in his Ven
lures and bidding him goodbye. NO more
money will be offered King to induce him
to come back, If Chance has his way. and
the manager says he is confident that the
catcher will come back once he thorough
ly understands he must live up to the
terms of his existing contract or become
an ineligible player. subject to heavy
fine from the national commission for
failure to carry out his signed agree
ment.
Some good may come out of the decision
made by Killing to pass up the Chicago
Evers will now see the need of his return
to the club and will report possibly even
before the season opens. Should the
Trojan do so, Chance would be delighted
for he feels the absence OF the SECOND
baseman far more than the loss of Killing.
Manager Chance admits King is great
catcher. deserving of all the money he
GETS and that his loss will mean great
deal to the Chicago club. But the leader
of the worlds champions says without
reserve that King is enc of the best paid
ball players in the country. with the ex-
ception of playing managers. who receive
an additional sum for the extra work
they are called on to perform. Under his
close to $500 year, according to re-
liable authority.
This Chance feels considering King
accepted the amount and practically dc
tated the terms OF his contract when he
signed in the spring of 1907. gives him
every right to refuse to consider anything
in the nature of more money to induce
him to change his mind.
THE more I read that telegram OF
Kings 5he beaps ali the
Of an attempted hold-up. If he didn't
want us to run after him and offer
higher money to induce him to re-
turn why did he say anything about his
in the past that he was dissatisfied with
his contract. He ought to be we'll salts
fed
eff Killing can make more in the summer
out of his billiard and pool room than he
can at base ball he would be foolish to
come back-and I would be the first to
advise him to stay where he is. But 1t
will take a better plant than l believe
he possesses. to give an income equal to
his salary and the chance of getting a
split CT worlds series money. He die
tated his own terms when he signed.
practically setting his own price and also
demanding three-year contract. and now
he must live up to it.
THE thing that hurts most is that he
waited until this late date to tell me.
Had known 1t I would not have let Mar
shall get away. and now I intend to enter
into negotiations with Brooklyn at once
to get back Marshall if possible. The
story that Killing has done this in re-
venge against Murphy because the latter
blocked his deal in Cincinnati is nonsense.
Murphy did not have anything to do
with that-Kling was his own worst
without Killing. Moran will have an
opportunity to show Chicago fans what a
catcher he is. When l got Moran from
Boston 1 considered him second only to
King and Bresnahan. I thought I knew.
for it was Moran who always stopped my
base running. He was the worst man I
had to face. Since joining the Cubs Pat
has had to sit on the bench two-thirds
of the time. Under such conditions no
catcher can do himself justice when
called on in an emergency. Let Moran
great favorte on the West Side. 1 know
one thing-we won't lose as many ball
games through runners getting away with
the plate as We did when King was In
the game.
Killing was the worst great catcher I
ever looked at. His faults were innu-
merable and he was unable to overcome
them, but he was SO clever in other lines
that the fans failed to see his mistakes"