The Detroit times., 1911-02-07

winch ID llkely 10 strengthen al u
I>------>ready strong az
TRADE ,gregation OF rivals.
WITH A Once In a while,
LOSER. when the occasion
4 an extreme one,
deals are pulled OF between leadins
teams, but this is seldom.
The Clarke-Griggs trade between
st. Louis and Cleveland is a fair sam
pie OF the modern, approved baseball
swap. The Maps had In Clarke q
catcher whom several of the leagues
leading clubs would have been glad
TO get In all probability they could
have secured elsewhere more In
value than they did from the Browns.
However, there was no chance that
Clarke.s presence on the st. Louis
roster would make enough difference
i'm the playing ability OF the team TO
enable II To beat out the club Clarke
left. The Maps don't amount to mucn
but thesBrowns are o CHASTITY joke.
or course, the fule works also In
the case of sales. No club should sell
player of real ability TO any close
rival. The Detroit management found
this out by actual demonstration III
the Thomas deal.
Ira Thomas had been discarded by
the New York club. Detroit gave him
thorough trial and was forced to
the same conclusion, despite lra's
batting ability. Iras throwing arm
was chronically lame He did salts,
factory work only with left-handed
pitchers who kept men close 10 nrst
base.
The spring of 1908 found Detroit in
possession of Beckendorf, Schmidt,
Thomas and Stanage. Beck and
Oscar were the pick of the minor
leagues. II looked like a great stan
without Ira.
Connie Mack's club lost Powers and
was in bad way Connie wanted
one OF the Detroit backstops and
offered Frank Navin $4,000 for either
Stanage or Beckendorf. The Detroit
man turned him down, but suggested
Thomas. In a fit of desperation, Con-
ME grabbed at the bait.
don't believe IL has ever been gem
orally known that, when Detroit SOLD
Thomas, Ira himself was OF the be-
lief that his days in the big league
were practically over. In fact, he had
gone SO far as TO make Mr.. Navin an
offer for his own release in order that
he might. i'm partnership with a friend.
purchase club I'm the New England
league and settle down there to end
his day at first base.
II looked as If, though transgress-
ing the rule of trades and sales. the
Detroit club was perfectly safe In sell
inc Thomas to the Athletics, yet the
deal turned out TO be disastrous In
the extreme. Thomas came back as
IL by a miracle. The throwing arm
which he had lost four years before,
was revived and, Ira went on to do his
part I'm making the Athletics not only
the champions of their league, but OF
the world as we'll
Would Frank Navin sell Philadei-
phia ball payer now?
Yes, If that bal player had had both
arms amputated liz a railroad and was
I'm the last stages of consumption.
Otherwise. No.
q r Shuart, the talented and dill
gent exploiter OF the Indianapolis
speedway tells us that most Of the
star drivers on the American and
European tracks were formerly pilots
OF taXlGHnS. IHty NhN
in the interests OF a quiet life, In all
probability.
Now that we hear Tommy Burns
intention of suing the railroad on
which he sustained that injury, we
shall take with grain of salt those
stories about his ring retirement.
Damages might prove powerful
panacea.
Interesting fact: The Saginaw club
of the South Michigan league has II
players under suspension, In which
respect it leads the world, the Spring.
field I. l. l. club being poor second
with 10. Hang to 'em, Burk.
Now II big Jim Jeffries VIII only
tata ms into his confidence regarding
those wagers his close personal
friends won on Jack Johnson, all VIII
be we'll