The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-01-16
|MAGNATEsCHEAPEN
NATIONAL PAs7IME
Veteran Player Scores All Year
Around Contract, De-
crying Owners.

/ Chicago, ILL.,. January 15.-PrcsIden,
3. Il. Johnson. OF the American League
stirred up a hornets nest among tho
athletes of his circuit when he adopted
measures to bind the players to con-
tracts good the year round. Tho
threatened rebellion among tho ball
tossers Is fast taking substantial form.
according to the statement OF play
er who happens to stack up among the
real topnotchnrs of the game.
Like the players OF the National
League who recently rose in the!r
wrath against the action OF the mag
mates in stretching the playing sche-
dule to 168 games, tho men OF the
Younger circuit arc up In arms against
the decision OF President Johnson to
create cast iron contract which will
bar the athletes from participating
In post-season games with semipros or
amateurs.
All this talk about tho cheapening
OF baseball has Its foundation right
among the club owners" said the vet
Gran OF hundreds OF desperately fought
diamond struggles. Nearly all of the
owners Of the major league clubs take
their players TO their spring training
camps six or seven weeks before the
season opens. The players are asked
to travel on tho average 1000 miles
across the country, In most cases with
enough mon to make up four clubs.
The very day the players climb off the
train they arc asked to don their uni
forms and jump into game. Fur
thermorc, they are asked to win at the
outset.
Face Trained Opponents.
"As a rule the team opposing the ma
jor league tourists has been playing
all winter and has attained mIdseasop
form. Docs 1t do the game any gold
when the majors arc beaten in these
Take the case OF the
White sos. Last spring they were
compelled to rattle around the coun-s
try. travelling no fewer than dozen
nights conbecutivcly In sleeping cars.
only to crawl out and wade through
a gaulo each day. In most cases tho
team Travelled until noon OF the day OF
a game. thus losing a chance for morn
Ing practice.
THAT kind OF a trip is not a train
Ing trip, but train trip. Then again
those same White Sox were asked to do
some more stunts. On their return
from hard trip through the East in
rnidseason they played game In De-
troit on Saturday. jumped to Chicago
on Sunday and pulled out the same
night, kOlUES 10 JlAOu lOC I'LL cAllAbISaOn
game that the owner might accumulate
j guarantee OF $500. Dixon won that
particular game because the Sox were
Another timo later In the season
The Sox were compelled to play IN
Chicago on u Sunday. jump to Cleve-
and and play two games on Labor
Day. return to GnlosburS. III Tor an
exhibition on Tuesday and then ION to |
st. Louis for series Of six games IN |
.hree days.
Moguln Always "Collect.p
'tIt looks to an outsider as u the mag
rates are notXonly8in baseball for pleas
Ire, but that they rarely oyerlook an
to collect. continued the /
speaker. 'grhese same owners ana
eaguo presidents want to abolish the
games Of tho majors
When the championship season is over.
lust consider that the players devote
he entire training season TO \, WORKING
,or nothing. while all the time the.
nagnates are squeezing out the dol
arS.
"Can my fair. minded mun think
hat few exhibition games by the
players. aftcf their season rs over.
heapens the sport like the magnates
ave said 1t does? Tho trouble Is that
he ducats are going into inc wrong
9ijaa3f 9i5 Wi 49,