Evening star., 1909-02-24
PITCHER BILL BURNS ON THE OUTS WITH CANTHLON
BIAMES MANAGER FOR BACKING UP BOB GANI,EY

With Walter Johnson practically salts
fed and ready to sign contract, the
chief interest in the Washington team
centers around Bill Burns. Milan Will
sign Just as soon as Manager Cantillon
gets a chance to talk to him. and Dele
hanty never has any trouble with joe
With Bill Burns it is different. Many
Of the local fans believe that Big Bill s
chief grievance is against Bob Ganiey.
while in fact, il is against his manager.
Burns has a disposition of the grouchy
sort and when Cantillon sided with little
Bob in the scrap out in Chicago he went
sailing up into the air and has not
aighted since. Burns was given stin
salary last season, almost the top one
OF the team. and in the face of months
lay off to the end of the season with
full pay, he comes back with a demand
for almost double what he received last
year.
can any one see Burns getting his in
crease from Manager Cantillon under
these conditions? Not in a thousand
Years.
After the scrap in Chicago. Manager
Cantillon said: Il placed Ganley in charge
OF the team and he had my full authority
to run things Burns started the trouble,
and in getting the worst of the mix-up
he has no one to blame but himself. From
what I can learn from the other players,
Bill is lucky in going to the hospital
instead of a cemetery"
Burns was undoubtedly treated in
princely fashion last year by the club
mana cement when it is taken into con-
sideration that he was not injured in
ball game. 1t is dollars to pennies that
Manager Cantillon wanted to placate the
big fellow when he allowed Bill to go
home month before the season ended.
"a &
sentiment and can only see the dollar
bills. No matter how many good turns
are handed out to them, all is forgotten
when contract is under discussion. which
demonstrates that baseball is unlike any
other business.
Pitcher Burns is under reservation to the
Washington club and has been offered a
contract at so much per month or season.
He will have to sign at the figures offered
or take a long rest. Dolly Grey will
probably make good and there is a pos
siblity of Tannehill coming back into
his odtime form, so that there will
be two southpaws to take Billums place
In speaking of Burns one point should
not be lost sight of. and that is that the
big fellow is far from being a glutton
for work. Go back over last seasons
scores and it will be found that Billum
was only winner when he pitched once
A week. or at least six days apart. On
three different occasions Burns was sent
into the the game witt with rest of rs three
He either cannot or won't do his best
when worked twice a week.
Manager CantiIlons popularity with the
ball players is based on the fact that he
is square, above board, and will reward
good work. One of the first contracts
sent out this year was to Mcbride, and
with it went such nifty increase that
the clever shortstop returned the signed
document by the next mail with letter
of profuSe thanks Last spring Clyde
Milan signed a contract that contained an
increase, but his work last season GER
tainly doesn't warrant another. Had
Clyde continued his early spring work
throughout the season his contract would
have called for an increase something on
the order of McBride's. but he went back
in his work and on the year classed up
in the ordinary group of players. These
conditions apply to Bill Burns. There was
nothing remarkable about Burns record
last year, only indications that he might
do better this year, and for this reason
alone he is being retained.
1t is a remarkable fact that the pitcher
who did the best work for the Washington
club last year has been almost neglected
by the papers, whereas had Tom Hughes
been a youngster nothing but praise
would have come his way. Hughes has
done the best pitching of his career since
Manager Cantillon took hold of the Ma
tionals. and the old boy felt little m;ffed
when he left here for Chicago over his
neglect.
You fellows can't see any one but
Johnson or Burns said Tom at the rail-
road station, but nevertheless I was
Washingtons best pitcher last year and
j m going to repeat this season. l know
Johnson has the drop on me in the matter
of years, but 1 never felt better in my
life. and you can depend upon it / am
going to give the Los Angeles kid run
for his money"
Hughes has been in the business too
long TO worry over the adulation of the
fans" OF course he likes to be praised
when he pitches good ball, but he is of
the sort who work for their manager and
when youngster displays unusual ability
Sir Thomas is always the first to slap
him on the back and give him praise.
Clarence Jacobsen. who will act as busi-
ness manager of the Nationals during the
training season. will leave for Chicago
Sunday morning and be there in time to
arrange for transportation Monday. Jacob
sen was with the boys last season at
Galveston and became a great favorte
with everybody, and il goes without say
ing that he will repeat this year
Salaries of regulars are so large and the
list of substitutes long that the pay of
the players of each of the first-dvision
teams in either major league exceeded
$4,000 in 1905 From twenty to twenty