The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-26
THE WORTH OF
 BALL PLAYERS Umpire Billy Evans Writes of Big League Salaries ABILITY IS WHAT COUNTS How Accidents, Which Occur Often, Are Liable to Spoil Career of Diamond ArtIsts-Few Last
 For Many Years.
ABILITY IS WHAT COUNTS

Billy Evans in the Louisville Courier
 Journal.
 Pretty soft for those ba1players," re- marked a fan one day last summer as the Boston Americans jumped into their taxicabs after a game and were whisked away to their hotel.
 T should say SOL replied the fans companied. "A few hours work every day, a fat salary and life of luxurious ease at the best hotels"
 Why. understand that fellow gets $400o a year and he has only been in the big league two seasons" remarked the enthusiast who had started the argu- ment, as he pointed to one of the young Boston stars.
 T wish had taken up baseball when I went to college instead of giving SD much attention to higher mathematics, Greek roots and Latin verbs," answered his patrner.
 Just then my car came along and I missed the rest of the debate. It's pretty nearly a cinch, however, that the re- mainder of the conversation was on the same lines, the ease with which the aver age ball player gets his money.
 Then again you often hear all kinds of remarks about this or that player having a bad case of the enlarged cranium, siss- ply because he holds out for bigger salary as a result of having had an un- usually successful year. The question naturally arises, is it possible to classify the players into separate sections and settle on & definite salary for the men at various positionss
 No Salary Limit.
 Is it possible to fix a salary limit in the major leagues and live up to it.? Any close student of baseball without the slightest hesitation would answer no.
 What, then, should be the salary Of major league ballplayers2
 A logical answer Is the players sal ary should be just as much as he Is able to get from his employer. The money question is matter between player and owner. with the player try ing to get the very best contract pos sible and the owner trying to close q bargain at the most reasonable figures he can.
 True, at a glance tmay seem that some stars are getting enormous sal- aries for the short hours they have to work during the six months of the , playing season. Had these same stars, however, just as much ability in other lines of business, where skilled artists are at a premium, it is almost safe to say they could command more money than they are able to get as ballplay- CTS. Then again. 1t must be talk en into consideration that there are six mon ths in which many of the playe s do no work, and consequently have no source of revenue They must live in the winter just the same, but all the expenses have to come out of the summer salary.
 The baseball business is a most pre- carious one.
 The career of the average baliplay- CT Is exceedingly short when compared , to that of men in other professions. Must Show Ability. Every time the ball player starts to a game it may be his last. In order to be star, in order to get the money, he must show superior ability in all branches of the sport. To be able to accomplish these things he must take long chances and each chance may end his career as a player and incidentally prevent him from earning a good livelihood.
 Some enthusiasts may point to Cy Young and his wonderful career as a major league player to. dispute these as- sertions. There are exceptions to all rules, and Cy Young stands out as the one great exception to each and every rules of baseball. Try to name another player who has seen the service of Cy Young and stood the test, and you will fail most dismally in your endeavor There is only one Cy Young and it's very, very doubtful if there will be an- other diamond hero to emulate his deedt of prowess.
 On the other hand there are hundreds of players who enter the big leagues. seemingly possessing all the requisites necessary to be stars and apparently able to stand the wear and tear of the business but fail Some last only a season, others manage to keep in the limelight for thre or four years, while some of the moro favored retain their prestige much longer. Tho men. how ever., who keep up the pace for dozen years and still possess enough class to enable them to demand big salaries year after year are few and far between. Speed Is Wanted.
 Speed speed, speed Is the cry of every big league manager. Pitchers who have plenty of smoke, outfields who can cover all kinds of ground, batters who can hit the ball on line, base runners who can steal bases. catchers who have good arms and outfielders who can send the ball back to the infield like a rifle shot are always eagerly sought.
 Men who are fast on the bases, who take desperate chances in order to accom- plish their end, are liable to be spiked or suffer break or spraif any time they leap into base. Basemen who try to touch them out are also in danger. When batter steps to the plate the pitcher tries to outguess him. He must ever be on the alert, for to be hit on the head by pitched ball is liable to ruin his career forever. Pitchers in the great anx- iety to win, put every ounce of energy they have back of the ball, often some- thing snaps, the arm falls helplessly to the side and perhaps that ball marks the last he will ever deliver in fast company a serious kink in his ability as twirler
 The Case of Stone.
 A baseball player, in my humble opin- ion, is entitled to just as big a salary as he can induce his employer to give him. The wise player always tries to put through such a deal and then lays aside goodly share Of his earnings for the days when he will be regarded as a has been and unable to even command a small salary in the bush league.
 Four seasons ago George Stone, of the St. Louis American league team, led that organization in hitting. The season of 1908 was an unusually successful one for him in all departments of the game. Just what his salary was that year Is not known, but it's safe to say that it was not commensurate with the great work he did for the Browns.
 -a J