Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-06
By ]. ED GRILLo. /,

In creating the office Of an assistant to
Chairman Hermann the national COM
mission should be able to keep IN better
touch with affairs and incidentally to
prevent the fragrant violations OF the
drafting and other rules.
The place, however. should be filled
by some one alert enough to keep apace
with the times, and not for the purpose
of pensioning some friend of a member
of the commission. The position car
be made OF considerable Importance and
invaluable to the carrying on Of the
business of the supreme court OF base
ball. providing the right kind of an indi.
vidual is dropped into the place. and
there should be no difficulty experienced
in finding such q man.. =, - -
That the duties of this new position
amount to more than the mere attending
OF all sorts OF minor league functions
stands to reason. il it is to he OF any
/ The adoption of the rule by the com.
mission that all drafted players must
run the gauntlet OF both major. league
clubs in the future before they can be
returned to minor league viii be OF
great help to the clubs In need of playing
m1terial. It has frequently happened
that a National League club has returned
player to the minors who was wanted
by the American League clubs, and vice
versa. In the future the drafted players
will be in the same category with the
purchased players, and before drafted
player can be sent back every one Of
the major league clubs will have waived
on him. This gives the player q much
better chance to remain in fast com.
pany. and incidentally does much te
prevent collision between a major and
minor league club.
1t is the usual cry of the club owne,
with a losing team that he finds no one
to help him better it. and yet In many
instances such a club does little fol
itself.
The gross ca-eiessncss with which
waivers are granted by these clubs fl
more material than they can use shift
their promising players to minor leagues
for development, and the weak clubs
sit by and allow this to be done when
they could get fair proportion OF such
material by refusing to waive
1t stands to reason that in a majority
of Instances players who have been pur-
chased or drafted by a major league
club have shown something In the way
Of ability, and while they might not be
|of any use to the club that holds them
at that particular. time they would help
to build up weaker team. -.
And yet it is but seldom that waivers
are held up on youngsters. though &C.
casionally some club will take chance
with player who has a reputation. but
Is on the down grade. Instead, the weak
clubs will go out and buy material only
a small percentage of which makes good,
which costs them more than they could
hold up waivers on players of as good
or better caiiber which some other clubs
are trying to send to the minors for
The tail-end club which grants waivers
promiscuously is not going to better its
condition very soon.
Hal Chase, at the head of first d.
vision club. had no trouble getting wa-v-
|ers on Hughes. Mitchell Foster. Priest
and Channel, but when Cleveland want
ed to pass q player named Knaupp back
to the minors Chase refused to give his
permission. 1t is the old story over